foreign trucks

[mastermac]

just watched tv about foreign trucks in this country and about the drivers of them getting the blame for any accidents that they cause due to bad vision from there mirrors causing a blind spot. i,ve been hearing about this problem for several years so why are these trucks still running on our roads.

never mind blaming the drivers surely vosa or other traffic bodies should have adressed this issue by now.

 

[Alex_374296729]

Not watched the prog, but they do not speakie English, so involves interpreter, it is easier to nick UK drivers.

 

[Chrisbee]

To be fair Dave, I drive my right hand drive vehicle on their roads every summer whilst towing a caravan.

I use the M20 at least twice a day and reckon about 80% of the trucks are registered abroad. I always try to make sure the driver has seen me in his mirror before I overtake and always make sure the truck is not gaining on the vehicle in front which means he either has to brake or pull out in front of me. Out of choice I prefer lane 3 empty as well. Once I'm as sure as I can be it's safe to overtake, I pass as quickly as possible.

I have often seen cars sat in the blind spot of these trucks for miles without actually passing them and wonder how aware the car

driver is of the danger they are putting themselves in.

If you expect the truck to pull out you have a better chance of survival if it does.

Chrisbee

 

[mastermac]

crisbee

so you now the score with these foreign trucks as i do. don,t hang around on there offside as they can,t see you. but should this be the situation and does everyone know it like you and i

should these drivers be put into this situation as i say should,nt have been done about it.

p/s you shouldn,t have a blind spot you have windows and at ground level. thats there blind spot next to them and below.

dave

 

[Chrisbee]

Although these trucks have a blind spot any vehicle in it has entered through a visable spot. If the driver is alert and any good he should know what's beside him. When I took my HGV more years ago than I like to admit I was taught to check both mirrors every 5-8 seconds.

Chrisbee

 

[mastermac]

these days crisbee u/k trucks don,t have a blind spot normal mirrors both sides plus wide angle mirrors both sides plus a step mirror nearside to see whats next to them.

the point i,m trying get to is why are these foreign trucks on our roads when they are potential death traps to unwise motorist a simple legislation to adress this blind spot is all that is needed. just can,t understand the delay and the amount of accidents and deaths because of it.

maybe our goverment is too busy with other issues i,e smoking bans taxing gas guzlers etc

 

[ThePlotter]

I saw the programme which stated that there are around 400,000 foreign trucks on our roads partly because they fill up on cheap diesel and unlike elsewhere they do not pay our road tax and when caught breaking the law they get no action from their own authorities.

I suffered being hit by one of these trucks two years ago I was doing 70mph in centre lane of the M1 overtaking what was a lorry from Budapest he didnt see me and pulled out (not sure why as there was nothing for him to overtake)his o/s front hit my n/s rear spinning me through 360 degrees across all three lanes as luck will have it I hit nothing although the centre armco came close.At least he said sorry!

 

[Chrisbee]

In the same programme they also said the goverment were not adopting the so called "Britdisc" for foreign trucks as it is not practical to charge foreign vehicles to use our roads. Would someone please tell the Austrian goverment before I arrive at their border in the summer.

Chrisbee

 

[ShadySadie]

As far as we are aware, all UK HGV drivers sit tests to get a license. Unlike certain foreign drivers who a cross an officials hand with cash and get car licenses "upgraded" to full HGV licence.

 

[Chrisbee]

Returning to Kent on the M25 anticlockwise on the downhill at Reigate last night a trailer was on it's side blocking lanes 1 & 2 of a 4 lane section. Prior to the incident was about 4 miles of matrix signs indicating that lanes 3 & 4 should be used, the last 2 showing 1 & 2 closed by the red cross.Whilst patiently queuing I got the impression that foreign truck drivers thought the empty lanes had been created so they could pass the rest of the traffic at maximum speed, forcing their way into lane 3 when they reached the cones. Where the motorway has been widened the hard shoulder is discontinued under bridges although an emergency route has been constructed "bankside" of the bridge pillars. These are clearly marked as such but each one was completly blocked by parked foteign trucks.

Were a "Britdisc" system in operation, some of the police officers standing around at the scene awaiting a recovery vehicle could have made themselves usefull by stopping road rage incidents, collecting revenue from lawbreakers, making the road safer and education drivers about the need to keep emergency routes clear.

The Highways agency officers had the situation under control, the police were surpless to requirements and should have been doing something useful.

Rant over.

Chrisbee

 

[giovanni_5060838]

"As far as we are aware, all UK HGV drivers sit tests to get a license. Unlike certain foreign drivers who a cross an officials hand with cash and get car licenses "upgraded" to full HGV licence."

How about trying to drive an artic for 50 miles or so without proper intuition. Might give you a better understanding of how unlikely it is that the majority of foreign HGV drivers just "pay a backhander" to get a license !

If that was the case,we would not need to worry,as they would struggle to get out of poland or slavenia,before doing that much damage that they were locked up!!

 

[JasonR_374341560]

Why exactly would you need "intuition" to drive an HGV ?

 

[S-MaxJon]

I work on the motorways and trunk roads as an engineer.You do see alot of RTC's involving LHD HGV's usually caused by the drivers pulling out and not seeing other vehicles and thus swiping them.

I had driver training by an ex Motorway police man and his advice was - if you can't see their faces in the offside mirror keep well clear of them by hanging back and overtaking when you have at least 2 lanes of width.

 

[giovanni_5060838]

"Why exactly would you need "intuition" to drive an HGV ?"

should have been tuition.

But intuition is good too, so you can second guess the prat that shoots by in the middle lane then pulls in right infront of your

bumper whilst he tries to brush off speed so he can exit the m/way... so intuition is usefull.

 

[Chaps]

Not quite on topic here but just wanted to say that we've been really impressed with the courtesy shown to us by truck drivers when towing our caravan on the A1 to and from our Easter break. Almost all flashed us back in when we wanted to move back to the inside lane when we'd moved over to allow vehicles on from the slip road - not because we were wantonly overtaking at speed, god forbid! - which was very reassuring to us as new towers.

 

[JasonR_374341560]

I know first hand from friends in the haulage industry that the "pay to get" HGV license is far from a one off.

Where Giovani gets it that you can't drive an HGV artic without full tuition is beyond me.

A bit of experience in a truck and anyone with a little go about them can drive an HGV artic, that does not make you safe.

Friends have had to reverse trucks for continenetal drivers and un hitch them as the drivers hadn't a clue.

One guy had a fairly newly arrived immigrant proudly show him his british license that he he'd exchanged for his Polish one that he'd bought from back door service and $50 US.

 

[giovanni_5060838]

"I know first hand from friends in the haulage industry that the "pay to get" HGV license is far from a one off."

Thats actually secondhand.

Unless that is, your friends payed for their license!!!

Although until not so long ago, Brits could buy a pass [hgv] from northern ireland,and then get the dvla to upgrade their license.That a was well known scam......

 

[giovanni_5060838]

"Friends have had to reverse trucks for continenetal drivers and un hitch them as the drivers hadn't a clue.

One guy had a fairly newly arrived immigrant proudly show him his british license that he he'd exchanged for his Polish one that he'd bought from back door service and $50 US."

Never read so much garbage.!!!One can only assume your "friends" deal with some right dodgy firms!

I assume, "your friends" reported this driver to vosa?

you know the newly arrived fully conversent in english polish driver? Having said that with so many continental drivers turning up on there door steps who cannot reverse! maybe they should have reported that to VOSA too.

Tell you what, tell me the company they work for,and i will ask the RHA for advice on who to report it too.surely its worth investigating,for road safety!!!!!!!

When talking about polish drivers[as you are] they are working for a contractor or company be it british or german.

To believe your story,one has to assume that these companies,have no worries about doing checks.

What with insurance and operating costs in the road haulage game being a tad more dearer than running your average car, if there was a large number playing this type of game, then we would know firsthand, not hear say rubbish.

Why?

Insurance thats why,and the insurance brokers in the haulage game tend to be far far more stingent than your normal car type.

So maybe a few get away with it, but the majority cannot,and as we have numerous hgv drivers coming into our yard on a dailey basis, polish slavacks and turks, still have yet to see one than who cannot reverse.

Which brings us nicely to the fact how on earth can anyone firstly employ a driver who could not reverse proper,and go by unnoticed.cannot think of a single company these days that does not take out a new hgv driver without a test run of their skills.

And what sort of dodgy company risks stupidly high premiums when insuring dodgy drivers!

 

[mastermac]

giovani

working for a major truck dealer i recently had a foreign driver deliver a trailer for M O T preperation. when i asked him to back into an appointed, slot told me he was unable to, yet he had just drove it 15 miles down the motorway. must also be noted this was a major operator. p/s i originated this thread and was aimed at the problem with the trucks and not the drivers. if it was aimed for drivers i could tell you stories to make you,re hair stand on end

 

[giovanni_5060838]

yes dave, i could also tell you stories that would make you hair stand on end too. but the vast majority of them involves drivers local to these isles....

Evan so this would not mean the majority of hgv drivers from these shores could be tarnished by the same brush,so the same applies to those not from these shores.

Of which the vast majority are safe responsable drivers.

 

[JasonR_374341560]

Dare I ask if this Giovanni character is for real?

His comments and accusations are once again rather offensive.

Over our working lives we came across numerous cases of working "visitors" to the UK with inflated qualifications and know others who have the same experience. Why would one doubt that licenses can be bought in countries where bribery has been common place.

The company who had the Polish driver proudly explain how he'd come by his HGV license have nothing to do with the transport industry and the guy had been here some time, they were receiving a delivery of chemicals and had to explain to the driver how to position the vehicle before reversing.

In the case where a driver obtained a legal British license I understand that there is difficulty in questioning how the original was come by (god forbid that one is accused of racism) and I understand that as there have been many problems the government have taken some steps to stop drivers obtaining British HGV licences with illegally gained foreign ones. Also told same by a HGV driving instructor and former vehicle inspector but of course he may have got it a bit wrong!

Whilst people in education and health services say it is not their jobs to police peoples entitlement to services they provide or even question if they are here legally when they have doubts Giovanni expects people in haulage or workers receiving deliveries to police drivers!

How many foreign or immigrant drivers or even British have obtained licences by illegal means or have not had proper training is something I'm unaware of.

The potential carnage that an HGV could cause is surely more relevant than Giovanni's irrelevant comments, authorities and haulage industry are aware of problems. We have illegal's with false papers and passports, those that evade border controls, give false information after destroying ID's if they actually had them but Giovanni questions the concerns over driver training and licences whilst others here fear for theirs and others safety on the road.

Before Giovanni replies he should also remember that using the terms Xenophobia, Islamapobia and Homophobia are now being recognised as dishonest terms geared to gagging people from making valid criticism.

 

[mastermac]

gio

did not in any way implie that my horror stories were about foreign drivers.

 

[giovanni_5060838]

Jason...

My main concern is whether someone is actually just making up a load of B...

Now i offered my services to you, that i wouldapproach the RHA with the info you could supply..You supplied nothing, just as i expected.

You made it clear early on as to what you meant and who it applied to,alas it sounded like pure fiction at the time and indeed more so now.

Your first hand info turned out to be purely second or even third hand.

Now if what you claim is true, then it sounds like the company should be investigated,and as you mentioned chemical deleveries,well thats another story,which starts of with the fact that the vast majority of haulage firms have ADR qualified drivers for the movement of chemicals,hazardard or not that the general practice.

So now we have a driver with no liscence and no ADR qualification delievering around britain!!!!!!

Yea right.....name and shame,or stop the bull.

 

[KenWashington]

Ladies and gentlemen, some of the language is becoming a tad abrasive, and if not moderated (no pun intended) may lead to someone crossing the line. No personal comments aimed at another user, please.

 

[hgv dave]

Jason...

My main concern is whether someone is actually just making up a load of B...

Now i offered my services to you, that i wouldapproach the RHA with the info you could supply..You supplied nothing, just as i expected.

You made it clear early on as to what you meant and who it applied to,alas it sounded like pure fiction at the time and indeed more so now.

Your first hand info turned out to be purely second or even third hand.

Now if what you claim is true, then it sounds like the company should be investigated,and as you mentioned chemical deleveries,well thats another story,which starts of with the fact that the vast majority of haulage firms have ADR qualified drivers for the movement of chemicals,hazardard or not that the general practice.

So now we have a driver with no liscence and no ADR qualification delievering around britain!!!!!!

Yea right.....name and shame,or stop the bull.

hi all

ive read some comments on here about foreign hgv drivers

some of the newer countries in the eu dont have the same tests and driving standards of the uk yet but because now these countries are now part of the eu the rest of the eu have to accept that the driver has the same rights to drive on our roads and hopefully bring the driving tests inline with the rest of the eu

as for some foreign drivers not being able to reverse a trailer,well this may only be my theory but when you have been use to reversing with the steering wheel on the other side of the cab,it might take some getting use to,i know of one haulage firm who has taken on a few polish drivers and at weekends they are allowed to practice reversing in the firms yard

there is one point i would like to make,now i dont include the members of this forum in this comment because by being on this forum you are responsabile caravaners,but how many caravans have you seen turned over on motorways because the driver has not loaded the van correctly,how many caravans have you seen passing you doing 70mph on motorways and how many caravaners have you seen making a pigs ear out of trying to reverse onto a pitch on a camp site?

how does that proverb go about people in glass houses?

there are good and bad in all things,problem is the bad get the most publicty

hgv dave