Accident on M5 south of Bristol

[ProfAlGoogle]

Technically Todays lorry drivers have it a lot harder with the high etc gizmo's,trackers, mobile phones, etc to track there every move, but when it comes to vehicles there is no comparison. In my day, no power steering, and when combined with quarter lock would see you standing up in the cab to turn the wheel, no arm out of the window reversing with one hand, crash gear box, you had no choice, other than to double de clutch or you missed the next gear, many a time on an unfamiliar lorry I have come to a standstill and had to start again! Personal preference, there is no point in doubling up on a modern fully syncromeshed gearbox, all you are doing is causing unnecessary wear on the clutch and other related components.
Winter time was freezing inside the cab with the screen freezing over on the inside, and oh the joy of undoing a dolly on a cold winters morning when it would be frozen solid when it had rained during the night,frozen air lines,Diesel freezing in the filters (no additives in the fuel in those days) then came the summer, with the engine right at the side of you with no insulation or sound deadening, where the temperatures would sore to sauna like conditions, no sleeper cabs with all there mod cons, fridges, air con, cruise control!!!!
But my days behind the wheel were good days with true "Knights of the road"

 

[Parksy]

You described conditions inside my old Foden S10 with the split screen perfectly Cookie. We used to scrape the frost off inside and out in the wintertime after a night parked up on a bomb site and the firm gave all drivers thermals to ward off the cold before we had night heaters. The ex BR Foden tractor unit had a fibre glass cab which was the worst of all worlds and I was glad when I'd earned my stripes and was given a DAF 2800 with a night heater.

 

[ProfAlGoogle]

Happy days Parksy, think I have mentioned before I passed my class 3 on an old Bedford TK, then back to the yard to be given as it was known then as the "gaffers favourite" or punishment motor! an old Albion Chieftain, with all the other drivers smiling from ear to ear, six speed crash gearbox, no heater, and at 20mph it sounded like Concorde taking off from inside the cab!
Cut me teeth on that one and many more like it, then in the 70s took my class 1 in an old D series Ford with a four in line 30ft trailer, my best "oldie" I would have to say must be the Scammel Crusader with split screen, as I thought at the time a proper truckers waggon lol, .........................................................memories... priceless

 

[Parksy]

They were the best days of our lives but we didn't know it at the time

My first 'lorry' after transit vans was a 7.5 ton D series Custom Cab, the first time that I ever tried air brakes. I nearly went through the screen on my first go, the footbrake was a long metal pedal which was all or nothing because the dual valve was always sticking.
The seats in the Ford were very comfortable which was just as well considering how long it took the underpowered truck to get anywhere. I used to start at 03.30 am to get to Amstrad in Shoeburyness for around 07.30am from the Midlands via the M1 and then trunk roads through Barnet and Hatfield before the M25 was thought of. I jumped at the chance to sit my HGV3 in a Bedford TM with the Detroit Diesel. I was given an old TK to drive which had the six cylinder engine and 2 speed axle splitter, it left cortina's standing at traffic lights

Happy days indeed!
I never took much notice of caravans back then except to try to pass them when possible (he said trying desperately to get back on topic

) They certianly didn't do 60mph or even 50mph behind old Austin Maxis which caravanners seemed to favour back then.

 

[Dustydog]

Back in the 50's the police were suffering very high rates of car accidents. They invented a system of driving based on their Roadcraft book.
This same system is used by the Institute of Advanced Motorists whose tests are usually undertaken by a Class 1 police driving instructor.
Observation is the key ingredient, near, mid and distant all being relevant. Maximium safe use of speed giving a good progressive smooth rie comes next.. Breaking the speed limit is an instant failure.
This kind of falls in line with Cookies thoughts.
Any overtaking manoeuvre, even on motorways is a risk. Slip streams , cross winds etc can all upset your outfit at the worst time. If the conditions warrent it I may sometimes nudge over 60 just to pass the HGV more quickly avoiding the usual suction feelings that can arise.

John's point on speed is interesting to say the least. The corollary has to be no speed no accident . But would we ever get anywhere

As a motorcyclist of over 40 years I can say quite emphatically my biggest fear is the idiot waiting to pull out of junction.You just don't know if they have seen you.
Back to the OP I always find it a great shame such accidents happen.

 

[Surfer]

When I did my police driving instruction for high speed pursuit I passed with flying colours. You had to know the whole book off by heart and you did a written test on it. This was back in the sixties. Afterwards you did the practical test involving pursuit and you had to do a running commentary at the same time. You had to have a pass mark of at least 85% to qualify.

 

[ProfAlGoogle]

Seems we trod a similar route parksy, I started out with a 35cwt twin wheel Ford Transit for a local nut and bolt company, then got a job for a local haulier driving a Bedford TK with a tilt body to keep the unladen weight below the 5ton limit for a car licence, with a payload of 3tons giving an all up weight of 8tons, and with air brakes that used to whistle when you took your foot of the brake lol, and of course the handbrake that worked on the prop shaft, when applied would rock the waggon back and forth.
No tacographs, just the old log book to be filled in during the day, if memory serves me right maximum duty time of 10hrs a day, with two, twelve and a half hour spreads per week allowed, and anything from up here in Nottingham to south of the water in London was a night out................................................ I could go on and on lol.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Cookieones,

It seem unlikely we are going to agree on these topics.

Our views are out in the open and if anyone is really interested they can of course read them, do their own research and make their own minds up about them.

 

[ProfAlGoogle]

Cookieones,

It seem unlikely we are going to agree on these topics.

Our views are out in the open and if anyone is really interested they can of course read them, do their own research and make their own minds up about them.

Agreed John

 

[Parksy]

Cookieones,

It seem unlikely we are going to agree on these topics.

Our views are out in the open and if anyone is really interested they can of course read them, do their own research and make their own minds up about them.

Agreed John

Alls well that ends well then gentlemen and you won't be levelling pistols at 20 paces in dawns early light with seconds holding your coats.

Seems we trod a similar route parksy, I started out with a 35cwt twin wheel Ford Transit for a local nut and bolt company, then got a job for a local haulier driving a Bedford TK with a tilt body to keep the unladen weight below the 5ton limit for a car licence, with a payload of 3tons giving an all up weight of 8tons, and with air brakes that used to whistle when you took your foot of the brake lol, and of course the handbrake that worked on the prop shaft, when applied would rock the waggon back and forth......................

I bet that you made the little parcel shelf thingy behind the seats into a bed for cheap nights out, I know that I did and with some old bits of curtain from home for the windows it was almost (but not quite) a sleeper cab. I'd never fit onto that little shelf these days

 

[ProfAlGoogle]

At 6ft 2" that was a non starter for me Parksy, knew one or two guys who used to put a board across the front seats!

 

[Parksy]

In those days I was 8 stones wringing wet and at 5’4" I had no trouble.
I've shrunk about an inch and doubled my weight now I'm old but at least I have no trouble with caravan fixed beds and at 5’3" I tower over Herself who is about 4’10".