Reply to Mr Stephenson re stupid lorry drivers

gavin_5121842 · Dec 9, 2006

I'm an HGV driver aswell and i am very dissapointed at Practical Caravan for printing this utter tripe!!

Perhaps they could use some of the comments from this thread to print in their extracts from the forum, though i doubt it very much,

Gavin

gavin_5121842 · Dec 9, 2006

I merely followed the information given by VDO, whom I gather are one of the world's leading suppliers of tachographs.

I quote:

How much memory space does the DTCO have?

With average use the activities of approximately 28 working days can be stored on the driver card. The capacity of the DTCO mass memory is enough to record the activities of approximately 365 days.

Speed recording is limited to 24 driving hours and is only recorded in the mass memory of the "digital tachograph".

I do accept that using 'driving hours' then assuming an 8 hour shift, a maximum of 3 calendar days of speed information can be stored. I also note that the EU Directive controlling all this makes absolutely no mention anywhere of speed control. It is merely looking at working hours, which is fair enough but has no relevance to using a tachograph as a speed defender, methinks.

So, as a layman it would appear to me that a truck driver could possibly drive at whatever speed his vehicle could achieve, and only be penalised if he/she was caught by an external speed detection device. Even downloading as you state, weekly, is not covering the whole information. I also note from a number of sources that introduction of the digital tachographs is a result of 'inaccuracies' in the current analogue instruments. I am not able to fully ascertain what that actually means, but I assume that the checks so far have not revealed accuracy of data that would like to be seen, or why change?

I am sure many Companies and drivers follow the rules. After all, if they had no doubts they wouldn't feel the need to write on the back of their vehioles 'driven carefully, if not call....'

Your 5 'worst' speeding offences are stored for a year. I have been told that you cannot be prosecuted for these 'offences' unless you are 'caught',(camera, radar gun etc).

However if you are involved in an accident, your speed will be used against you if applicable.

RogerL · Dec 9, 2006

Complainers need to separate HGV vehicles from HGV drivers.

I've always found HGV drivers to be the most considerate and courteous category of drivers, bar none. From time to time, one of their number has been inconsiderate, but far less often than any other group.

I have, however, found HGV vehicles to be exceedingly obstructive but simply because they're all limited to the same speed which causes bunching and long delays behind an overtaking HGV.

It's hypocritical to complain about the volume or timing of HGV traffic when they're simply delivering goods which we collectively, as consumers, want to purchase.

VIP2006 · Dec 9, 2006

For me HGV Drivers are the salt of the earth. I agree like every section of society there are exceptions and like the section called caravanning a lot is to be desired with regard to road manners and consideration for other road users.

I use my van for around 12 weeks per year and if I do 2000 miles towing in those weeks then I am lucky.

After discussing the matter of HGV drivers opinion of caravanners I found it was very varied ranging from snails to pure idiots when considering speed and consideration of other road users. I mainly travel at between 50 and 55 mph and leave the overtaking to others. Lorry drivers can look farther ahead than us, have to keep to whaever targets they have, whereas we are in the main driving for "pleasure". I put this to some HGV drivers and they say that whilst they do not like caravanners to go to slow they appreciate it when we are travelling at around the same speed as themselves. they also said that they have no time for idiots who speed when towing and when they weave in and out of traffic.

Lol1 · Dec 9, 2006

Sligtly off topic, but as we are hounding one particular group of drivers...(yawn), can I ask if there are any taxi drivers in the house? And, if the taxi/private licence car driver, tows the same way he does, in his normal day to day job?

Lol1 · Dec 9, 2006

Sligtly off topic, but as we are hounding one particular group of drivers...(yawn), can I ask if there are any taxi drivers in the house? And, if the taxi/private licence car driver, tows the same way he does, in his normal day to day job?

PS, it's a wind up. I figure my time is coming soon.......

Guest · Dec 9, 2006

I believe HGV Artic driving standards have dropped in the UK in recent times.

BUT,

you have a lot more foreign trucks on your roads ;-)

In general I find Brit truckers the most courteous when at home in France! Most truckers in the UK seem to respect a caravan rig being a bit slower and large like there own rigs.

There are a few to mant that use their rigvsize to intimidate cars, they have a job to do and deadlines to meet so try and give them plentime and space, keep out of their way and we'll all get on fine!

Bazz1 · Dec 10, 2006

What happened to having some patience, you always get a thank you wave from the lead trucker. Standards could be improved though as with all drivers of all types of vehicle, the lack of use with direction indicators is poor to dangerous, especially at round a bouts. where the artic is allowed to use the outer circle to get his load round but no signals. All the car drivers do is hopfully stop in time and aviod the result of not doing so.Bazz.

gavin_5121842 · Dec 10, 2006

I drive 75,000mls a year in a HGV and i've never seen an artic or any other HGV going round a roundabout on the outside lane,especially without indicating. They may indeed 'straddle' two lanes, but are always aware of some idiot trying to sneak through on the inside.

Gavin

Icemaker · Dec 11, 2006

I read recently that all lorrys from 7.5 ton and above are going to be restricted to 56 mph from next year, this means that all them post office vans and hire trucks as well as local delivery trucks will allso be in the que on the motorways. But it is going to get better, in contrast to kevin h comment theire is capacity on the railways and it has been identified where this capacity is, this year we took 300 thousand extra lorry journeys off the roads and on to the railways, every container train carries 40 containers and through manchester every single day we see around 20 of these trains. a new company has now secured the funding to build a line on the existing dissused track bed over woodhead which will link the channel tunnel up to liverpool passing through manchester on its way, they propose to have terminals along the line for offloading lorrys which will have benn driven on to low platform carriages so the lorry can then continue its "local" trip. see http://www.central-railway.co.uk/ for more details. the last we heard in the industry was that the money is now available and planning has been applied for so it should go ahead, it is estimated that it will be so expensive to use the motorways for trucks that they will have no alternative but to use the rail service and why would they not want to when the train will be doing double the lorrys speed. the haulage industry is slowly waking up to the revitalised railway and a number of haulage contracters now have theire own liveried trains including the biggest of all contracter eddie stobart who has recently hired a locomotive and staff from DRS in carlisle, see http://www.eddiestobart.co.uk/News/News_Article.php?id=19

It goes without saying that we will allways need trucks and the majority of truck drivers are in my opinion very highly qualified and proffesional in theire trade but to think the railways are not comming back is rather silly, yesterday i did one trip from manchester to southport and one from manchester to blackpool, on the two return trips i carried in excess of 1500 passengers and was on time at all stations, the new age of the train really is upon us.

vauxhall2 · Dec 11, 2006

I've always found HGV drivers to be the most considerate and courteous category of drivers, bar none. From time to time, one of their number has been inconsiderate, but far less often than any other group.

and i second that rogerL

Lord Braykewynde · Dec 12, 2006

Sligtly off topic, but as we are hounding one particular group of drivers...(yawn), can I ask if there are any taxi drivers in the house? And, if the taxi/private licence car driver, tows the same way he does, in his normal day to day job?

Many a true word spoken in jest Lol ;O) hehheh!

iand1967 · Dec 24, 2006

I've always found HGV drivers to be the most considerate and courteous category of drivers, bar none. From time to time, one of their number has been inconsiderate, but far less often than any other group.

and i second that rogerL

i also happen to think truckers are very safe and courteous drivers and you dont hear them moaning when some gloyt pulling a caravan joins the motorway at 35 mph because there car is not up to the job causing the intire 1st lane to slow down .caravaners want to get there own house in order before they start flinging mud

chenzhen · May 19, 2016

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Reply to Mr Stephenson re stupid lorry drivers

gavin_5121842

gavin_5121842

RogerL

VIP2006

Lol1

Lol1

Guest

Bazz1

gavin_5121842

Icemaker

vauxhall2

Lord Braykewynde

iand1967

chenzhen

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