Knights of the road or

[extrucker1]

Raymond......

The fact that the overtaking LGV is along side, shows that it is going faster than you.

It may have run out of a speed advantage momentarily, and if you are negotiating a hill, it may falter and pull in behind you.

You would not drop the engine revs in this situation.

However prolonged running side by side by 90kph speed limited LGV's should be avoided if at all possible.

This is for safety reasons and the benefit of others on the motorway.

The best way to do this is for the overtaken LGV to drop it's speed slightly.

Invariably the overtaking truck soon regains his previous speed advantage and pulls away.

Do you really want to drive with a LGV along side you for mile after mile.... could be foreign registered!!

hi mate, are you still driving lgv s. if the poor bloke driving the slower vehicle has to keep slowing down to let the faster vehcles pass him, he will never get anywere. why it unsafe for two hgv s t0 be next to each other?. as long as i have a safe gap between me and anything in front, why cant another vehicle be next to me?. funny how car drivers dont moan about hgvs speeding on single carigways, where they should be only doing 40 mph. on motaways with three or more lanes, cars can always use the outside overtaking lane cant they. regards ray. happy xmas.

 

[Gafferbill]

hi mate, are you still driving lgv s. if the poor bloke driving the slower vehicle has to keep slowing down to let the faster vehcles pass him, he will never get anywere. why it unsafe for two hgv s t0 be next to each other?. as long as i have a safe gap between me and anything in front, why cant another vehicle be next to me?. funny how car drivers dont moan about hgvs speeding on single carigways, where they should be only doing 40 mph. on motaways with three or more lanes, cars can always use the outside overtaking lane cant they. regards ray. happy xmas.

Raymond........ Gave it up!

As an owner/driver facing mega bucks for a replacement unit, and after 30yrs, I thought that was enough so I sold up.

I am glad to still be here though, and I am very safety conscious .......mates have died driving trucks.

We get mesmerised into thinking vehicles only move forwards when at speed.

In an accident or incident, they swerve left or right and usually brake heavily.

I like space around my vehicle so I can see what is happening at all times.

I would sooner drop 2/3kph from 90kph, to gain that space as soon as possible.

However, only when a truck is taking too long to pass.

It does not effect journey times as much as you might think.

Car drivers always moan about trucks ....... that's what they do!

Seasons Greetings.

 

[Andrew._374353608]

How often do you hear of HGV's shielding caravans from high winds on crossings such as Dartford and come to that Coaches doing the same

Last part of post deleted

Parksy (Moderator)

Andrew.

 

[ShadySadie]

Reflections on a thread.

In my first post I said clearly that other HGV drivers and motorists were affected by two thoughtless drivers.

I've been advised further on that I could have taken a break! Would you take a break just after you've stopped for a break?

Please do tell how as a car, van, LGV or any other driver how you are supposed to know how many miles the truck shuffle will continue for when you cruise up to a truck that pulls out to overtake another.

I kept station and calm whilst other drivers took risks, another HGV driver vented his fury by sounding his air horns and flashing a brace of lights at the two trucks ahead. I doubt from my experience of trucking that the drivers ahead would even have been aware of that. But according to the sages of this forum I'm the one with a problem.

Comments made about HGV drivers having times to keep to, yet the two drivers in the main incident were holding up other HGV's and those drivers were getting very agitated as were other drivers.

My day had started after a great nights sleep in my own bed, my morning bathing and dressing routine and breakfast with my family. Then we headed for the motorway via my office for a meeting that took about 15 minutes. A 500 mile journey towing a trailer has then been criticised as being to much for the Old Girl Sadie. One long journey in a week compared to HGV drivers weekly routine and for some sleeping and eating in their cabs plus the physical rigours of their job. I was accompanied on my journey and had someone to share some of the driving, that wasn't the issue but our HGV truckers here don't seem to care about that when trying to protect their ilk.

56mph or thereabouts for an HGV is not much less than 60mph, but on hills and when building speed back to their limit, they are not always travelling at 56 mph when others are easily able to maintain 60mph.

I posted that I doubted that if the situation we witnessed had lead to an accident that the drivers could have lived with that. Some years ago a friendly caring HGV driver we knew who did continental runs had a driver commit suicide by swerving in to the front of his truck. Physically uninjured but he had to give up his driving job due to what he seen! I clearly said that I had no idea what had happened in a fatal motorway crash the other day, albeit that it was vary sad. BBC radio news are not in a position to say if the car ran under the back of a tuck or if the truck ran over the car.

But one of our "friends" here is allowed to decide what happened and use and incident on the M1 to try and further his attempt to mock and belittle my experience, driving and judgement. . The worst most corrupting obnoxious outrageous post I think I've ever seen here.

The incident I referred to was a report from the M6 but our friend does not seem to be interested in seeing or posting truths or understanding.

In future could the busy moderators of this forum please read threads with more care rather than let members posts be corrupted by other members for whatever pleasure they must be trying to gain from attempting to bully and corrupt the forums stability.

Having taken the time to read the whole thread again and noting the views of the pro HGV drivers I now have more of an understanding as to the attitude of the drivers we saw last Thursday.

Negative or Positive? Read it yourself gents and judge for yourselves!

 

[Parksy]

I too have re read this thread

If you're so upset and intent on holding lorry drivers to account for the standard of their driving or the fact that you were held up at some stage of a journey by HGVs then I'd suggest that you google trucknet, register on it and post your comments on there. This is a caravan forum.

Quite frankly Sadie all you ever seem to do on this forum is antagonise others, minutely cross examine anyone who has a viewpoint different from your own and gennerally cause unpleasentness and argument on this forum.

You seem to enjoy taking the Moderators of this forum to task whilst breaking the rules of this forum by launching repeated personal attacks on other forum members.

When someone disagrees with you on any subject you quickly resort to sexist comments to try and justify your position or accuse them of personally attacking you. POT KETTLE BLACK

Don't worry yourself about busy mods reading the threads with more care Sadie.

I've carefully read many of your comments on this forum and have allowed comments to pass from you that would not have been allowed from others.

Since you are still complaining I will read your future threads with extreme care and with a closer eye on forum etiquette.

My first instinct when I saw this topic from you was to delete the lot because I had the feeling that the thread would lead to insult and abuse.

I should have followed my instinct because this has happened.

I've no doubt that you will fire off yet another tirade but don't waste your 'monitor ink' on my account Sadie, I've got better things to do today than to sit at my desk watching you goad and wind members up.

The delete button will still be there another day.

 

[hgv dave]

thank you parksy for injecting some common sense and what you said should serve as a warning to anyone who thinks that this forum is just a site to wind up people......i know that i fell for it,but then again i did start one about bmw drivers which to be truthfull i did and still belive in what i said,but it did get a big response both for and against the points that i put

thanks again to the mods on this forum who i belive do not get enough gratitude for us users

hgv dave

 

[Guest]

Read this again thread again.

Living in France we see a lot of HGV's of a variety of nationalities doing silly things and plenty of good HGV drivers.

Leaving Dunkerke ferry port numerous times and heading towards Calais on the A16 we've witnessed far to many British truck travelling far to closely and partaking in rolling road blocks on what is a fairly level road.

Many times we've seen the practice of SOME British trucks often from the same company travlling in convoy so close that they could nearly be hitched together at times traveling down through France and Spain. We call them "one mappers". (The driver at the front is the only ome with a map 🙂

The fact of HGV overtaking manouvres starting at the foot of a hill and trucks having different power levels was mentioned.

No one has explained yet how the driver overtaking does the equation and comes up with the idea that his truck has more power to get to the hill top first or that he has a lighter load.

Most here know that most French autoroutes are only twin lane and carry less taffic and higher speed limits. Not that it bothers SOME HGV drivers.

Good posts SS and at least you were prepared to raise questions. Shame that few actual answers were given and more than one person has made it personal, and one who should know better.

As a balance, we've also seen the practice of UK "one mappers" in caravans to often. Two or three or more UK caravans who travel nearly close coupled on French and European roads.

They can also make a nuisance factor.

We caravan with friends and family, but always leave a few minutes gap when starting off and have phones to keep in touch if anyone has a problem.

 

[g_374369443]

Euro, regarding "how one trucker knows he has more power to over take on a hill section"

easy answer really. simply because,one truck might have already been slowed down by the truck in front at an earlier incline, but was unable to pull out,or only realised too late that he had a good advantage. So the next time they head up an incline he tries to over take.

Hopefully that example meets with your satisfaction,as clearly many other questions were also answered,but not to your satisfaction.

 

[emmerson2]

The simple answer to this problem is to remove the speed limiters, and put real live policemen back on our roads. When did you last see a patrol car?

(I mean a proper Traffic car, not the panda cars and Highway Officers)

 

[DEANO3528]

Well what a bigoted and rather blinkered view: This must be a wind-up.

This sounds like the rantings of the anti-4x4 brigade who have decided it's now open season on Lorry drivers.

I'm afraid your diatribe is typical of a motorist in a hurry, as many of them appear to be. "I'm in a hurry, so I am the most important person on the road."

Madam you have no idea at all and without the full facts of a lorry drivers job I suggest you keep those bigoted and blinkered views to yourself.

My mate lost his job a while back and decided to go into driving heavies, despite my advice to find a decent job.

He started back from the xmas break on Monday starting at 1:30 in the morning with a reefer (Refridgerated trailer) to Spalding. For those that are unaware, this little fenland town has more fruit & veg and flower distribution centres than possibly anywhere else in the country.

There were 5 or 6 headed up there I believe as supplies were nearly out due to xmas.

But hey, we don't need lorries do we? Let's fly the stuff in or use the railways. LOL

Continual usage of terms such as "Rolling roadblock" give further proof of your anti stance. Were you by any chance the instigator of those ridiculous lane restriction on the M42?

British HGV drivers are trained to a very high standard and are taught to take control of the road around them, as car drivers generally cannot be trusted to drive correctly.

This can often be seen at slip roads where the car doing 75mph goes from lane 3 to the exit slip in one last minute gambit. On the other hand, just watch them on the entry slip as they drive down at 55 and try to drive into the side of you or cut in front. Usually the lorry can't move out due to the cars hemming him/her in or won't move out as the car has the facility to join the flow of traffic at the legal limit; after all, the entry slip is in fact known as the acceleration lane, allowing vehicles to get up to the speed of traffic already on the carriageway. Lorry drivers get fed up moving out for cars and vans joining from the left, just to be left stranded in lane 2 because the car/van drivers' bad driving style means they have accelerated once on the carriageway instead.

Now I mentioned the high standard of training in this country, but unfortunately due to the high influx of eastern european drivers on the roads in British trucks things have gone downhill. Apparently the test in some countries consists of driving a tractor and trailer down the road and voila! thanks to the EU, a piece of paper is issued stating the person is now capable of driving an HGV on the wrong side of the road!

The reason I stopped HGV driving was twofold if I'm honest. I considered the speed limiter more dangerous than not having them.

Also the standard of car and van drivers was continually dropping and i'm sorry to say it still is.

The above cause stress levels to rise as the lorry driver watches his clock ticking around.

I was cruising back up the M25 from Twickenham just before xmas with the bosses Rover 75 with empty car transporter on the hook. By the M40 split I noticed in lane 2 a red Mondeo that wouldn't move over even when lane 1 was empty.

I was in no great hurry but was keeping up a good rate of progress and by chance that same Mondeo was still in Lane 2 when for some reason i caught him up around South Mimms. i expect he hadn't moved over at all.

'Normal' drivers need to be aware that HGV's need room to manouevre, so shouldn't keep cutting into a lorry's braking space (and then complain they are being tailgated), try to pip them to the roundabout and then complain they have been cut up( as the trailer takes a different route to the unit and other traffic) or complain that the lorry indicates late before pulling out (because from expreience, I can tell you that the moment the lorry's indicator winks on, the car behind will suddenly accelrate to 'shut the door' on us).

Anyway that's my view on the subject, so feel free to flame me because my view doesn't agree with yours (another sign of the true 'anti').

Finally, emmerson you have the solution. That is how the roads should be policed: Dangerous driving is so much more than just doing a couple of miles over the speed limit. Speed limiters were so obviously the idea of some desk jockey with no idea of what was actually required.

 

[mcghee]

i think you've hit the nail right on the head there deano. the main problem on britain's roads these days is the fact that every driver seems to think 30 seconds of their time is worth more than 30 seconds of anyone else's.

 

[Gafferbill]

Well what a bigoted and rather blinkered view: This must be a wind-up.

This sounds like the rantings of the anti-4x4 brigade who have decided it's now open season on Lorry drivers.

I'm afraid your diatribe is typical of a motorist in a hurry, as many of them appear to be. "I'm in a hurry, so I am the most important person on the road."

Madam you have no idea at all and without the full facts of a lorry drivers job I suggest you keep those bigoted and blinkered views to yourself.

My mate lost his job a while back and decided to go into driving heavies, despite my advice to find a decent job.

He started back from the xmas break on Monday starting at 1:30 in the morning with a reefer (Refridgerated trailer) to Spalding. For those that are unaware, this little fenland town has more fruit & veg and flower distribution centres than possibly anywhere else in the country.

There were 5 or 6 headed up there I believe as supplies were nearly out due to xmas.

But hey, we don't need lorries do we? Let's fly the stuff in or use the railways. LOL

Continual usage of terms such as "Rolling roadblock" give further proof of your anti stance. Were you by any chance the instigator of those ridiculous lane restriction on the M42?

British HGV drivers are trained to a very high standard and are taught to take control of the road around them, as car drivers generally cannot be trusted to drive correctly.

This can often be seen at slip roads where the car doing 75mph goes from lane 3 to the exit slip in one last minute gambit. On the other hand, just watch them on the entry slip as they drive down at 55 and try to drive into the side of you or cut in front. Usually the lorry can't move out due to the cars hemming him/her in or won't move out as the car has the facility to join the flow of traffic at the legal limit; after all, the entry slip is in fact known as the acceleration lane, allowing vehicles to get up to the speed of traffic already on the carriageway. Lorry drivers get fed up moving out for cars and vans joining from the left, just to be left stranded in lane 2 because the car/van drivers' bad driving style means they have accelerated once on the carriageway instead.

Now I mentioned the high standard of training in this country, but unfortunately due to the high influx of eastern european drivers on the roads in British trucks things have gone downhill. Apparently the test in some countries consists of driving a tractor and trailer down the road and voila! thanks to the EU, a piece of paper is issued stating the person is now capable of driving an HGV on the wrong side of the road!

The reason I stopped HGV driving was twofold if I'm honest. I considered the speed limiter more dangerous than not having them.

Also the standard of car and van drivers was continually dropping and i'm sorry to say it still is.

The above cause stress levels to rise as the lorry driver watches his clock ticking around.

I was cruising back up the M25 from Twickenham just before xmas with the bosses Rover 75 with empty car transporter on the hook. By the M40 split I noticed in lane 2 a red Mondeo that wouldn't move over even when lane 1 was empty.

I was in no great hurry but was keeping up a good rate of progress and by chance that same Mondeo was still in Lane 2 when for some reason i caught him up around South Mimms. i expect he hadn't moved over at all.

'Normal' drivers need to be aware that HGV's need room to manouevre, so shouldn't keep cutting into a lorry's braking space (and then complain they are being tailgated), try to pip them to the roundabout and then complain they have been cut up( as the trailer takes a different route to the unit and other traffic) or complain that the lorry indicates late before pulling out (because from expreience, I can tell you that the moment the lorry's indicator winks on, the car behind will suddenly accelrate to 'shut the door' on us).

Anyway that's my view on the subject, so feel free to flame me because my view doesn't agree with yours (another sign of the true 'anti').

Finally, emmerson you have the solution. That is how the roads should be policed: Dangerous driving is so much more than just doing a couple of miles over the speed limit. Speed limiters were so obviously the idea of some desk jockey with no idea of what was actually required.

Speed limiters were not fitted to trucks to please the driver.

They were fitted following research that showed 90kph was a good compromise between safety and maintaining progress, whilst allow the engine to operate efficiently.

Do you not think that a 44ton truck at 90kph is going fast enough!

LGV drivers hold a licence that is granted to them by their local Traffic Commissioner.

They are expected to drive at a much higher standard than holders of an ordinary license or risk loosing their entitlement.

These higher standards mainly refer to driving safely within the constraints of a speed limiter.

A driver who cannot accept this clearly needs to examine his own style of driving.

 

[Gafferbill]

You might like to consider how trucks come to get on our roads here in the UK.

Here is the story of one such truck.

Someone, such as John, decides to buy a articulated truck and use it for hire and reward.

The truck will cost him at least

 

[Stevederbys]

I've not fully read this thread, just skipped through it, but I would just like to add the following:

What would your opinion be if ALL vehicles were fitted with limiters? This situation would be repeated alot more, just look at what already happens in lane 3.

Also, as an ex tramper (away all week in the truck), it might only save me 5 mins in a day, but that 5 mins can be the difference of getting to a truckstop with hot food, showers and toilets for the night, or a lay by on the side of a dual carriageway with no facilites. Because when the tacho says your out of hours thats it, yes some do go over to reach the truckstop, but they would get short shrift if they get pull by VOSA, and could risk losing their licence.

 

[Guest]

Euro, regarding "how one trucker knows he has more power to over take on a hill section"

easy answer really. simply because,one truck might have already been slowed down by the truck in front at an earlier incline, but was unable to pull out,or only realised too late that he had a good advantage. So the next time they head up an incline he tries to over take.

Hopefully that example meets with your satisfaction,as clearly many other questions were also answered,but not to your satisfaction.

"If in doubt, keep it out".

ie. unless you'rr sure you can complete a manouvre in good time you should not put your truck in to the manouvre! I belive thats what they teach HGV drivers these days.

I don't think that is a fully qualifying answer Gio!

 

[Guest]

Stephen. In your position would you have given any thought to other HGV drivers who may not make their time schedule due to you or another HGV driver being unable to complete an overtaking manouvre quite quickly?

 

[triker1]

HI to all,i have read all of the posts here and whilst I agree with Sadie re the truckers failure to pull over (i have a 12 mile follow behind to trucks on the M74) The following comes to mind,this goverment (and past ones too) have changed various vehicles speed limits, I.E. Coaches to 60mph and now restricted to the two inside lanes (faster up/down hills than trucks) trucks over 7.7 tons 56 mph, wite van man 70 mph,cars solo 70 mph,towing,well this varioes depending on the road you are on,m/way and dual carriageways 60 mph,A roads 50 mph,40 mph on B roads,But note all of the above is only legal if you have the right spped indicator sticker on the the rear of your caravan/trailer !!!

I also think that Sadie is correct re caravans/trailers using the outside (overtaking)lane when it is safe to do so,especially when being blocked by slower moving vehicles trucks,cars, and those selfesh people who do not return to the nearside lane as required by the law.

It is through the total breakup of the counties traffic police that the tailgating by all is allowed ! you see it on tv all the time cops when they are on patrol stopping cars for a multitude of offences but very rarely stopping trucks.

I have watched truckers watching tv,on the phone,on their cb's,reading maps.car drivers too.

But there is NO excuse for truckers to stay out to pass for miles on end,this is pure selflessnish,

Not all truckers are bad and the same applies to all road users but a bad few spoil it for the many.

MY FINAL WORDS TO ALL IS GET A GRIP,THIS IS LIFE AND GET ON WITH IT !!!!

Drive carefully,dont stress yourself,take care and you will get there in the end,

A Very Happy New Year to All in 2009

 

[xtrailman]

I got about 5 posts down the topic list when i realised that i have never read such rubbish about lorry drivers.

over my years driving,with or without a van on the back, i can honestly say that i have had more issues with old men ,and women drivers,rather than lorry drivers.

 

[GrahamSouthBrum]

I wonder what comments will be passed on here WHEN not if the govenment decide to put speed limmiters on all vehicles.

It has already been circulated that they are looking into it on a voluntary basis, so mark my words it is going to happen sooner or later then we will get some rolling road blocks

 

[Dustydog]

Why is life today always "just in time"?

If the drivers were given more time they could easily reach their destination without worrying about the tacho or missing breakfast.

There is another thread on this forum, "Speeding drivers and caravanners on site Beechwood Grange York".

Surely it is these speedsters who need the vent of your wrath not the poor underpaid HGV who is forced by his greedy lords and masters to meet deadlines that are often totally unrealistic.

Cheers

Alan

 

[g_374369443]

"If in doubt, keep it out".

ie. unless you'rr sure you can complete a manouvre in good time you should not put your truck in to the manouvre! I belive thats what they teach HGV drivers these days.

I don't think that is a fully qualifying answer Gio!

So really Euro, you were not actually looking for an answer to your question!!

Although your response is definitely scrapping the bottom of the barrel! Unless that is you could tell me what "time scale" are we talking about? is it a fictitious one that applies solely to HGV's!

 

[ProfJohnL]

Sadly Alan,

Time is money! It is a sad fact that for every minute that a lorry is not moving a payload, the haulier is loosing potential earnings, and in today's situation that can be the difference between profit and loss.

I do not agree with the situation and I like you think that realistic time schedules should be set for drivers, not the short times that mean they have to cut corners or speed to maintain the owners schedule.

 

[seth1]

Im a bit behind here,and also not read all the threads,mainly because of time.this has got to be a wind up,what a sad life when all you have to worry about is the speed of HGV,s,and supposedly dissrupting lanes on the motorways.anyone with a problem with HGV RSL speeds which leads to lane"HOGGING" should take it up with vosa as we now refer to it,these people dictate the governed speed.

I think a nice day out for you-Shadie sadie would be a day in a bender and you could show all those professionals how to drive them ,and see how frustrating it can be when car drivers dowdle along not a care in the world,stop at rounderbouts when nothing is comming,pull in front of the lorrie when your already on the brakes because they,ve missed their turnoff or cant be bothered waiting behind the lorrie.

I seem to remember one of your earlier posts,"tramping across france, 80 mph in your high powered 4x4 up hill down hill",

Always in a rush.

Im the first to admit it,ive got about as much patience as a bulldog,so keep myself to myself,and only post on stuff i know about,but you are mad,the stuff you come out with is mental,its unbelievable,when youve actually done the job,grasped the understanding of it ,then you can preach.

Im sorry for being so blunt,but the gob runs away(not mine that is).

 

[Thorpedo]

Although this topic refers to Truck drivers I suspect that the problem is caused by the personality of the driver, who in these cases happen to be driving Dirty great trucks.

The same driver would probably be just as discourteous/ dangerous if he/she was driving 15 year old Citeon 2cv (mobile deckchair).

Problem is if a truck pulls out on you or blocks a lane you remember it because it seemed so dramatic, but if a Ford focus does the same you soon forget because it just isn't memorable.

I'd have them all hung drawn and quartered because I'm a perfect driver - grrrrrin.

 

[Parksy]

I'd very much appreciate it if this debate can be conducted in a civilised manner.

Everyone is allowed to have and express an opinion but please don't launch personal written attacks on fellow forum members or indulge in name calling.

In spite of one or two instances when this topic has swerved dangerously near to the edge of the marked carriageway it has continued chugging along so put points of view across by all means but let's agree to differ instead of any nastiness creeping in to the debate.

Thank You