Just wanted some input into a new situation i experienced the other week at work.
I was a new passer class 1 been with my employer for 6 months and its been a really good experience ive learnt alot of stuff sometimes the hard way but now i’ve really got the hang of it.
Anyways i would say im a very considerate driver compared to some of the things ive seen other drivers doing and i dont speed or if laden only for a second or so not even on the motorways i stay to 56 mph, i stay a safe distance behind the vehicle in front to give me a safe stopping distance and always tey to anticipate traffic lights changing.
Anyhow the gaffa pulled me to one side the other week and showed me my tracker and then proceeded to give me a little bollocking on over turning mainly on roundabouts basically i wasnt advised but the truck has rhis fitted which is fair enough but the speeds were like 10mph upto 20mph and that was thw only issue no speeding no braking.
Im now ■■■■ scared of going round roundabout and bends but with nothing in the cab to give me an indication of the tolerance i need to keep to im a bit lost.
I dont go tear arseing about and drive to the conditions and know the truck and how it handles.
Anyhow anyone else got any input into this can they really pull me up on something i cannot see that im doing ive got a speedo that shows me and ive got sensors for bikes and cameras that show me but ive got nothing that shows me this cornering or braking concern?
How do you ‘over turn’ on a roundabout?
I’m assuming you mean over steer rather than throw the truck on it’s side going too fast…or do you mean just that?
Because I reckon I know how THAT is done.
You see this is where all this modern Tech in trucks dog sht is counter productive. You say you are a good safe driver…no reason to disbelieve you, and now this prick has turned you into a nervous less confident driver who by his own admission is now cacking himself out on the road.
Excellent management skills eh?
If it was me I’d be telling him to go and ■■■■ himself…but DON’T you do that ffs …as you have not got the experience to back it up.
Just keep doing what you did,.and that will suffice to become a good driver.
Sometimes I despair as to how this 'kin job has become.
Maybe see if you get get doubled up for the day with someone who drives exactly as they require to get tips and advice etc. We use fleetboard and I could never get into bonus territory (8-9 is £100 pm, 9-10 is £200 pm) so I asked to go out with one of the driver trainers & have since had consistent mid-high 8’s but cannot for the life of me get 9’s. It does ■■■■ other hgv drivers off though when I’m using my retarder in good time to slow for a roundabout, It’s not them loosing out on money though if they use their brakes a smidge too much.
Thanks robroy no not ditched it thankfully but have seen a couple that have on my travels, your rihht ive not got enough experience to say he’s wrong or right YET
Thanks Paddy thers no bonuses attached to the driving of their trucks like some of the companies around, and since ive been trying to be slower ive had a few hand signals from other drivers for i would guess being to cautious which isnt ideal and makes you think whats right, i had been thinking of asking the gaffa to come out to assess my driving and show me how he wants me to drive.
Good idea mate…do just that.
Drive as normal and ask him where you are going wrong then you know, …rather than keep going out feeling unsure and nervous.
As for the hand signals…disregard them.
If given from truck ‘drivers’ they are more than likely the tear arse artist types trying to get through their self inflicted stress laden days as fast as possible, on their way to their first heart attack …
In fact personally I love winding those idiots up.
Good luck with it all anyhoo…, and btw you are wrong, you can never be TOO cautious in charge of 44 tonnes.
Sorry yes its a driving behaviour tracker in real time provides them with all information regarding the way the truck is being driven.
And yes he pulled me up for driving too quickly around roundabouts and some bends although it seems that the bends are ones that are slow manoeuvres like turning into yards etc not normal driving so must work on geforce.
I had my 33ft trailer do a little snaking today on a wet roundabout. I wasn’t hooning it either.
A driver this morning flashed me loads on the A31 approaching a roundabout on retarder. He should have been grateful he was behind One Stop and not Tesco.
@sdhgv your right, nicely go back to the boss and suggest that you have some guidance / training / double up to better understand what they’re taking about.
I think what you’re talking about is harsh steering. Guessing, but are you relying on the vehicles safety features to slow you on the turns, rather than you going in at a slightly lower speed.
You don’t say what your loads are.
Whilst slow speed, almost all ro7ndabout roll overs occur at low speed. The difference between safely making a turn, the iffy limit and loss of control is often just a few mph.
Ask nicely for some assistance and let’s hope it’s not someone who relies on 5he tech as well!!! And unde up show8ng you bad habits
This could be the trailer ABS roll stability feature triggering when it senses lateral acceleration above its threshold value and this has been logged in its memory. Maybe there have been so many instances within the fleet that someone is delving deeper. Sometimes drivers complain that the trailer brakes are ‘dragging’ on roundabouts. I know from experience that short trailers with positive rear steer will roll more than expected on roundabouts even when lightly loaded. The development of this is an attempt to prevent the rollovers which mystified the industry back in the '70s when it was believed that there was a critical speed at which this could happen; 12 mph being suggested. It was even thought that it was possible to be driving too slowly. Locally we have a couple of turns either with a double adverse camber on a slope or a very bumpy road surface which throws you around in the seat even at an absolute crawl.
while tech is great if its used or set up poorly it becomes a nightmare ie computer says good computer says bad and that becomes the norm, how did we in the past ever get the job done without it …!
imho there are way too many variables in hgv driving and to quantfy them into an algorithm is not really possable
all its doing is hacking drivers off getting rebukes for essentally minor infractions and providing a micromanagers paradise
Most lorries now have telematics. My biggest bugbear with my current outfit, is their system can be “tweaked” by the management. We used to be paid bonuses depending on our driver score. I never had an issue at all until a new fleet manager started… All of a sudden, I’m tipping lorries over on roundabouts. Apparently, 8mph in a 32 tonner is too fast, but perfectly ok in an artic. Not all animals are equal, buddy. Unless there is a genuine threat to your employment, I’d recommend asking them to politely insert themselves. We’re no longer paid bonus based on the telematics…
…as you have not got the experience to back it up.