Imagine the motorway at peak times with no trucks....
Traveling along the M1 on Friday I witnessed a lorry pull over from the nearside lane and clip the back end of a Polo who was in the middle lane.
The Polo spun round, hit the front of the lorry and was pushed along sideways before sliding of into the barrier on the hard shoulder.
The lady driving the car will have been terrified by no means for the ride she experienced.
I have witnessed this happen 3 times in the last two years and was once forced onto the central reservation myself on the M6 by a lorry pulling
over.
One blink of the indicator and they pull straight over. Just who do they think they are, using a 40 ton lorry to force other road users around? Its
tantamount to using the lorry as a lethal weapon.
It's time for the freight to go back on the rails and reduce these inconsiderate truckers.
Anyone ever noticed how they won't move out of the inside lane to let you join the motorway from the slip road?
Just getting it off my chest....
please dont tar all truckers with one brush
have you ever driven one ?
Yes, I have. They should be banned off the roads.
Imagine the motorway at peak times with no trucks....
imagine going to tesco, and there being no food
coming down a slip road you have the choice of speed he will be on the limiter at
55 mph , its up to you to get on
in an ideal world goods back on the railways , mmmm no rails left ???
thats not going to happen
I've seen a lot of decent lorry drivers, and a small number of appalling ones...
I've had them pull to the outside lane when I've come out on a slip road (when they can), or give me space and flash their lights to tell me
it's OK.
The ones I'm wary of are the foreign left-hand-drive ones who can't see you when they want to pull out - they ARE a hazard.
David
[Edited on 10/3/07 by David Jenkins]
There have been a lot of accidents involving left hand drive lorries.
I think that these are the main culprits.
That's what I'm thinking. Lots of drivers coming from the continent these days who have no idea how to drive in the UK and in trucks that wouldn't get past MOT. Police appear to be on it though, it was all over the news a couple of months back.
quote:
Originally posted by blakep82
imagine going to tesco, and there being no food
couple of things that annoy me....
left and right hand lorry drivers getting into the left hand lane at a roundabout and then turning right.
the state of some of the lorries that park up near work. Saw one last week with almost slicks on. Thats a 38t lethal weapon as soon as it rains 
^tesco is local to me
left and right hand lorry drivers getting into the left hand lane at a roundabout and then turning right
Ah but if they did'nt do this they wouldn't make it round the roundabout. They're allowed to straddle the two lanes or take the space
they need as long as they do it in good time on the approach.
quote:
Originally posted by blakep82
^tesco is local to me
LOL we used to have 3 in Greenock, one mcdonalds was even in the sports centre... we only have 1 mcdonalds now
Actually, colleague at work got his car written off last weekend... Lorry sideswiped him, car spun and crashed into the central barrier....
"sorry mate, didn't see you- must have been in my blind spot...."....
Sadly, the quality of lorry driving seems to be getting worse. Driving up the A1 a fortnight ago, overtaking a lorry when without indicating it just
pulled out- (I was literally alongside its rear wheels- luckily I braked pretty quickly) I'm sure it's still have some Nissan Cinnabar red
stuck onto its rear bumper.... No excuses that time- not in the blind spot- just plain jz driving...
Though I was slightly more annoyed with the lorry driver who decided because his lorry could drive 2mph faster than the lory in front he'd do a
five minute overtaking manoever, bringing the dual carriageway A1M to an astounding 45mph at some points. What a gimp..... Personally I'd ban all
lorries from overtaking, they're all speed limited, so they all do the same speed- why the need for overtaking- just a particularly antisocial
and dangerous pissing competition between fat assed wazzocks
It's their right of way they are already on the main carriageway, it's your responsibility to filter in to them not force them over or try to beat them. Read the Highway Code.
quote:
Originally posted by BenB
just a particularly antisocial and dangerous pissing competition between fat assed wazzocks
Instead of having lorry cabs 15 feet in the air, put them the same height at car drivers.
We have a Waitrose & Tesco within 200yds of a rail line. Waitrose carpark is actually built on what was once a siding!!! 20 lorries a week, when 4
freight carriages would do!
ATB
Simon
quote:
Originally posted by BenB
Personally I'd ban all lorries from overtaking, they're all speed limited, so they all do the same speed- why the need for overtaking
quote:
Originally posted by coozer
They should be banned off the roads.
Imagine the motorway at peak times with no trucks.
. Rush hour is a strictly car based
experience. quote:
Originally posted by JoelP
I see a crap driver every 300 yards.
please don't label all us truckers the same.
and deffo don't do it whilst sit on a chair or eating or using the pc as without us there wouldn't be any of them.
I love reading discussions about Lorry Drivers...
I have to admit I was a anti-lorry brigade paid up member with T-SHirt and Video. I drive between 45-50K as part of my job. I am a technical engineer.
I have been doing this job for 9 years. I have had NO endorsements for the last 17 or so years and am an Advanced Driver.
Just recently however I have paid particular attention to the numer plate country origin. This will indicate how much more consideration you need to
give particular vehicles (not just lorries). Now I'm not sexist and most women will openly admit to not being able to control the vehicle they
are in as good as a man (sweeping statement but hear me out), but it's a fact.
Now, that guy driving the lorry obviously didn't intend to punt that Polo... it may have been that the lorry was left hand drive and half asleep.
My feelings are with the Polo driver... but the fact remains that if we (as car drivers) are more alert, concentrate more and above all respect the
guys that have schedules to meet (me included) the roads would be a safer place.
The fact remains that we are still not allowed on the motorways as part of learning process and women tend to not be so confident at driving, if we
all improved our driving by going on an driving awareness course or even taking an advanced driving test the standard of driving on the roads would
significantly improve. 9 out of 10 of the lorry drivers are excellent drivers it's the 1 that gives the others a bad name... it also applies to
car drivers!
How many of us have had any further driver training other than to pass the original test? I have, any more?
Steve
After nearly being run into by two HGVs (one tailgaiting me, whilst the other pulled accross) with the family in the car I can appreciate what you
mean.
It used to be years ago that they were the Knights of the Road. Now there are a significant number of arse holes who just give you abuse if you
don't treat them like they own the road. Unfortunatly its the arse holes like the one that ran over the scooter on the motorway then drove off
that ruin what was once a really good reputation.
The Polo was probably doing 50 in the middle lane if it got clipped as he was moving over anyway My wife took a two hour motorway lesson with BSM
after she passed her test. I was driving when they built and opened the motorways but I now seldom use them. Lane discipline is non-existent and
drivers coming on seem to expect you to move not them filter in as I said earlier. People get on and then get a red mist and turn it into a race
track.
Yup, More motorway experience and driver awareness is definately the answer!
Just look how bad the roads are now at weekends.. 1/2 the traffic but because its all the sunday drivers the traffic is as bad if not worse!
The people who drive alot just get on with it during the week because they are aware of whats going on and they all want to get where there going as
easily as possible.
I probably drive about 25K a year.. and yes I'm a white van man 
but only to and from servicing jobs and after having driven crap fully loaden
underpowered vans I can completely sympathise with the Lorry drivers.
What does mistify me is when i'm swinging a bit of time steadily driving home at 65-70mph in the inside lane I have trucks catching me up 
whats that all about... 53mph limited my a*se
Nice to see a healthy discussion raised there...
As I mentioned above I've driven a truck in the past along with other large road vehicles and trucks are the ones that pi€€ me off the most when
I'm driving these days.
I see plenty of other ar€eholes on the road as well but they generally don't clog the roads, make me brake hard or cause as many accidents as
I've seen in the last year.
Nearly every time there's a hold up because of an accident there is a lorry involved... 5 hours to get from Leeds to Manchester on the M62 a
while ago due to a truck on its side over the central reservation with its cargo of gob stoppers strewn around the place.
When I saw the accident with the Polo I was from around 20m away in outside lane and she was past the truck, he pulled over and clipped her back
quarter. I think he would have been able to see her out of the windscreen, never mind the mirrors!
quote:
Originally posted by mistergrumpy
left and right hand lorry drivers getting into the left hand lane at a roundabout and then turning right
Ah but if they did'nt do this they wouldn't make it round the roundabout. They're allowed to straddle the two lanes or take the space they need as long as they do it in good time on the approach.
One thing about the speed of trucks. Whilst they are all limited to 56mph, the arctics always seem to be able to go 1-2 mph faster than the rigids.
When you're going from Land's End to John O'Groats that makes a fair difference, so most will try to overtake where possible. Also,
anyone ever spotted an Irish truck? They AREN'T restricted at all, and are generally the more powerful trucks too, so can do 70+ mph.
Also, as others have said there are just as many if not more crap car drivers than there are truckers. As a white van man I see many who drive in
quite iffy ways but they tend to be school run type mums, or older people who think "Well, I've been driving for 40 years, so I know all
there is to know" whilst doing 45 down A roads where I could maintain a steady 65 mph in a slow badly handling van.
One final point, you always see accidents involve trucks, do they not also (nearly) always include cars? They can't all be the truckers fault.
Go on.. let it all out Hicost!
Most white vans are more than capable of occupying the middle and third lanes these days with the Newer DCI and turbo engines.. most more so than
small engined cars.
And those that are a bit slower tend to hog the lane because if they pull in when they start to slow up a hill etc they'll never get let out
again when they pickup speed.
Oh.. and some of the Nova's left aren't just owned by boy racers anymore and have been tinkered with and well looked after and will give
alot of cars a run for there money!
I think everyone should be made to drive at least a 7.5 tonner for a month or so, it'll make them better drivers. Seriously. Driving a large
vehicle teaches you to be more aware of potential obstructions and to look further ahead on the road. Someone suugested truck cabs would be better
down at the same level as cars, yeah that'll be perfect until the first tit in his repmobile stomps on the brakes because he was too busy on the
phone than paying attention to what was in front of him, and he gets an artic up the arse because it's driver couldn't see what was ahead.
The average car driver seems to have no comprehension whatsoever that a fecking great truck can't stop/accelerate/change direction like an F1
car, if you cut one up it's more likely to hit you, and expecting it to change lane to get out of your way because you're too lazy to
position yourself properly in a vehicle far more capable of doing so is just feckless.
Don't get me wrong, truck driversw aren't all perfect but the bad ones are a much smaller proportion than the bad car drivers. But what do I
know, i drive a white van these days so I must be the lowest of the low
quote:
Originally posted by hicost
I thought the law was changing soon and white vans are to be restricted to 56mph or something.
Mines doing more than that parked outside now.
5mph over the limit It's not that slow a van then
quote:
Originally posted by hicost
You see, you said everything I wanted to say in a very small space.
The fast lane is a fast lane, not a "I may be not let back in lane"
quote:
I thought the law was changing soon and white vans are to be restricted to 56mph or something.
quote:
Originally posted by hicost
I thought the law was changing soon and white vans are to be restricted to 56mph
quote:
Originally posted by hicost
The main problem with vans in the fast lane (overtaking lane) is you cannot see around them or through them. So you cannot read the road ahead. Regardless of how fast they go, they are just blocking the vision in the fast lane.
Whilst I agree my van is not one of the slowest out there, it is by a wide margin the slowest thing I have ever driven. It's more the bad handling that I object to, as with most vans, as this is what prevents them maintaining a steady pace. Oh it's a Transit Connect by the way.
I have a certain respect for them here as I was taught by a truck driver who drove a car carrier for more than 25 years(my dad). I have driven a bit
and spent quite a few trips in it and saw alot of things you just dont see in a car or van. There is no speed limiting on the trucks here and I have
seen trucks with 40 foot vans doing more than a ton. I would say most owner operator trucks are the best maintained and most powerfull. Alot of
accidents I see ( I do about 70k km a year and most on the heaviest traveled highway in north america) are - if involiving a truck are people pulling
out infront of the heavy truck so they dont have to run behind one, or passing one and then slowing down so then the truck has to try and pass again.
2 or 3 mph may be the difference in running in one gear or another and a differnce in your fuel usage and take home pay. People who will drive behind
one seem to love to draft but in doing so they are completely hidden from the driver of the trucks. I see many trailors here know have big stickers
on them saying both that the truck makes wide left turns and "if you cant see my mirrors I cant see you" Here trucks are not allowed in
the 3rd lane and only overtaking in the second . Unfortunatly the second/middle lane is usually the slow lane. There seems to be 3 speeds for
trucks here 100km as the posted speed 115-120 the normal traffic flow and then the rare nutcase running to whatever his truck will do- but they are
a small percentage. Buisiness practice of just in time delivery is much to blame for aggressive truck driving now as they are given an set hour or
closer to be at there destination with company fines for not being there.
Dale
I've spent a fair bit of time in big lorries (my dad used to drive) and once did a trip (as a passenger) from Southern California to Canada in
the 18-wheeler towing my boat. You've got to have respect for people that drive for a living and have to put up with the
stupid/inconsiderate/malicious antics of other road users.
Having said that... a few years ago on Christmas Eve on the M6 I saw a subcompact car move (safely and legally) from the middle lane to the slow lane
so they could leave at the next exit. This seemed to annoy the Eddie Stobart lorry they pulled in front of. The Stobart lorry pulled off onto the
hard shoulder, drove alongside the subcompact, and forced them back into the middle lane and away from the exit. I got the lorry's number plate
and reported it to Stobarts and the police, but neither of them could care less.
I've guess you've got to expect that a percentage of any group of drivers don't belong behind the wheel.