OP you need to leave appx 3 seconds of distance between you and the vehicle in front of you. Especially on the highway. This is how those 50+ car crazy pileups happen, a conglomerate of people who fail to leave sufficient room for emergency/defensive driving. It doesn't just give you room to react, it gives the vehicle in front of you or to the sides of you room as well.
The SUV did not yield right of way to a working vehicle and placed construction/road workers lives at risk.
The hoopty was following too close.
You were following too close.
The 18 wheeler seemed in a tough situation... he had vehicles flying onto him from the left. A vehicle on the right...and you riding him on his ass.
People could have died.
Thankfully nobody did, and everyone can simply adjust their driving behavior.
This is also a problem I see with major highways that have zero shoulder...it's a terrible problem.