Thanks for all the response

The guys with the loud diesel trucks have modified their exhaust...like removing the silencer ring or going to a larger diameter pipe, or removing the muffler.. which makes them just about as annoyying as straight pipes on a gasser.

If you meant that nasty "rattle" that diesels are famous for, well, that's a different story. The Cummins in your neighbors Dodge is very poorly designed. A friend has one and he can't turn the radio up loud enough to drown the %#$^ thing out. It's noisier than a D9 Cat. The later models with the computer controlled injection are a little quieter.

The big rigs have much better designed engines in them and are therefore quieter. Diesels can be almost totally free of rattle; stand next to a late model Mecerdes sometime and you'll see what a well-designed diesel sounds like.

Most of those big rigs on the highway today are making 60 mph at 1650 rpm or less. I am driving a Mack right now that actually does 60 mph at or near 1300 to 1400 rpm. Since most diesels develop maximum torque at or near 1500, not much need to turn them much more than 1800 to 2000. Some of these damn pickups are turning close to 3000 rpm. Those buyers need a bit of education; that being that the longeviety of the diesel is in the fact it can perform the same work at 1650 rpm as a similar size gasser at 3000 rpm. Thus longer wear and better fuel economy. Costs a lot of money, just to make noise.

I had a 1985 Chevy 3/4 with 6.2 diesel. Turned 1800 rpm at 60 mph. It would climb the same hill at 60 mph with 3000 lbs in box as my 350 gas would. Difference was diesel was giving close to 30 mpg while gas was around 17 mpg. Everyone remarked about how quiet it was, they were even more surprised that I got close to 500,000 miles on that engine. Truck rusted out, diesel is still going in another truck, unless it blew up in past 6 months.

That idle after start up in morning, diesel pickup is designed to idle fast until warm up. The idle is still quite noisy regardless. They don't need to be on road, that is the buyers and dealers that order them in. Those guys are the stupid bunch. You go in and try to spec out a diesel pickup turning 1650 rpm at 60 mph. It's a painful experience.

Must be some sort of mating call or attention getting thing with some people.

I do not mind the diesel trucks so much, but I AM D--- SICK AND TIRED OF ALL THAT )*^(*&%* NOISE FROM HARLEY DAVIDSONS. They go to added expense to put straight pipes on those things, and they are really annoying.