Not directly on point, but how long does it take to go from Ashmont to So. Station at 7:00 - 8:00 in the morning?

Without defending the idiots (epitome of stupidity) the incredibly poor design of that particular merge is primarily to blame. I mean if the dangerous stupid actions become the norm shouldn't the design account for that reaction? My limited.experience is that the right-hand merge lane is often bumper to bumper at 20 mph way up the hill long before even the poor signage indicating the merge. So, if you're not familiar with the merge you're stuck in the left lane at 60+ mph. Also, in OP's example didn't the trucker have a legal duty to drive in a manner to be able to avoid any obstacles ahead of him i.e., is it smart to drive 60+ mph in the lane next to a 20 mph lane? There's a lot of stupidity to go around that merge. I'm surprised there aren't more bad accidents there.