now im back tramping im seeing some stuff which seems not quite right as in
drivers jumping straight back into lane one after passing and not waiting for the invite.
as above but no indicators or anything to say thanks
as above but not flashing you in when you overtake
loads of younger drivers with the "one foot on the dash cos i have cruise control
loads on the phone
left ■■■■■■ with dvd film playing cos cops cant see it
loads doing 50 on motorways
some looking down at me cos mines a bit of a shed looking(its all legal and all works fine ,serviced every 6 weeks etc taxed insured etc.)
and all this “indian” type stuff as in arrows/the round thing with feathers etc.
all the flash motors with lit up seat covers or the BIG scania logo lit up.
Each to their own but i thought lorry drivers were a bit of a brotherhood were we looked after each other .
seems thats all lost nowdays, shame that
rant over but when i started you only had to ask an 20 other drivers were there to offer help and advice
I nearly got my cab removed today so that somebody could get his coca cola there a bit quicker, if he’s reading i do apologise for being fully freighted, sticking to the speed limit and slowing down to go round roundabouts.
I don’t understand the feather thingys either. 
welcome to what is now … normal 
Its everyman for himslef out there now, the brethrenship between drivers ended years ago it very sad but very true.
jammymutt:
Its everyman for himslef out there now, the brethrenship between drivers ended years ago it very sad but very true.
I think this just about sums everything up. The most frustrating part I find is the drivers that insist that as soon as the trailer is an inch past the overtaken vehicle it is their right to come in. I don’t flash people in until they areat least a safe distance, yet the vast majority of drivers don’t wait this long.
On another note, what has happened to drivers watching other drivers into tight spaces? Its amazing how many drivers will watch but be very quick on the horn if anything gets close to them!! Kind of ironic
Or as jdc said other drivers watching you into a tight space, after getting into somewhere tight only to find the driver next to you decides to pull out 
jammymutt:
Its everyman for himslef out there now, the brethrenship between drivers ended years ago it very sad but very true.
only if you allow it to happen. if someone is crawling past me, i slow down and flash them in. a few weeks ago, there was a guy doing something on his curtainsider in the layby i stop in. one curtains loosened off, barn doors open, jumping in and out. i offered a helping hand. i stop to let wagons out if i can do safely (car or truck).
i refuse to let the old traditions die out. call me an idealist if you want but i think wee should be looking out for each other. the world is against us so who else can we rely on if not each other?
I don’t notice it so much on nights …At the end of the day it’s an individuals attitude .
I just let them get on with it and don’t worry about it .
i find the majority of drivers helpful and friendly, its the miserable ‘goods in’ people etc i dont like
Well i for one agree with scanny77 and will follow the traditions i found when i first started in transport 35 years ago,
I am finding within the car transporter side thaat 99% of the drivers have time to help if your stuck which is good for me as a newbie in that aspect of transport.
When i tramped in my early days you parked up at night on a daytime carpark and had to be off by 8 am at the latest but you made new friends with other drivers and even went for a beer or two,now its all 24/7 stuff no one has time or inclination to do that.
Ahhhhhhhh well the past is in the past i suppose.
Thanks for your comments etc.
The comradeship on the continent will also die out as the younger drivers are happy to sit in the blinged up Scania or Volvo with a DVD and a can of diet coke with a bag of Mcdonalds chicken lips.
The routiers and road houses must be used or you will find a new breed of anti social drivers fighting to park in a rat infested lay by.
Having said that, the catering establishments in the UK should be closed on health grounds, either filthy or garbage food served by people who dont give a toss
jammymutt:
On another note, what has happened to drivers watching other drivers into tight spaces? Its amazing how many drivers will watch but be very quick on the horn if anything gets close to them!! Kind of ironic
I understand what your saying here ,but sometimes with the way some drivers are these days its hard to know if someone will take offense if you have to get out your cab and watch them reverse.
I guess most drivers think there capable and would sooner struggle like a bugger than have someone watch them, I personally don’t mind, i don’t mind stoppng half way and getting out and having a quick look either, …!
Well im def not afraid to ask for help and assistance.
I’m 6 ft tall built like a brickhouse, been there done that got a few teeshirts but still not big enough that i cant learn something new or take sensible advice, after all when you “know it all” its time to die 
gezt:
Well im def not afraid to ask for help and assistance.
I’m 6 ft tall built like a brickhouse, been there done that got a few teeshirts but still not big enough that i cant learn something new or take sensible advice, after all when you “know it all” its time to die
cue MIKE C 
gezt:
Each to their own but i thought lorry drivers were a bit of a brotherhood were we looked after each other .
seems thats all lost nowdays, shame that
It is a big shame it seems now the only person who will talk to you is the one who has done everything and been everywhere, the one who you try to avoid eye contact with in the cafe but he finds you
As for the cruise control when left hookers do it they still have there right foot on the floor ready to brake but when these stupid idiots over here do it there right foot is off the floor so when something does go wrong how long will it take them to get to there brake pedal,
And it would seem looking at the insides of a lot of wagons there are a lot of poofter drivers out there.
i dont think that its all the fault of the younger drivers,ive come across obnoxious driving behaviour by older drivers too,as for the pint or two i never drink during the week now and on a night-out i wouldnt dream of it,after all aint that just as bad as D and D? after-all youve got the keys to a potentialy lethal weapon,you might be required to move your truck after youve got back from the pub,the modern driver is a lot more concious of this and thats why you wont find him in the pub while ‘at work’ and lets be honest most drivers who use the pubs while out tramping aint having 1 or 2 pints more like 10! 
as for fithy msa’s and other facilities,as a nation we are the filthest most un-apreciative nation in the world when it comes to respecting uttilities provided,the continentals would never dream of trashing there own facilities,there streets are a lot cleaner too theres good and bad drivers across the board young and old
Got to say I agree with you Gezt. Started back on tramping myself on Monday and I noticed the same things.
Being back on boxes I also noticed how impatient folks seem to have become. I can understand the OD’s wanting a quick turn around but not the hourly paid drivers.
As far as the brotherhood and tradition are concerned I’m not one for letting it die out either Scanny, Its alright saying that’s the way things are these days, but if it is, then I’ll happily live in my own little world and be traditional.
I reckon if we lead by example some of it’s got to rub off on some folk hasn’t it?
Plus it makes the working week a lot more pleasant if you’re having a natter and giving and receiving help in return. Might just be me but that’s how I remember friendships being formed. When you had four blokes sheeting four loads, by the time you got to securing that last dolly you knew everything about one another.
I don’t see why that principle can’t be applied to doing up the straps on a tautliner or offering someone the water out your kettle if you just made a cuppa rather than tipping it away.
I tried striking up a conversation with a few drivers this week whilst waiting to load but quite a few only seemed interested in sitting in the cab and looking at the clock.
Ok some of ‘em were foreign and didn’t understand a bloody word I was saying 
or maybe thought I was just plain mad as a box of frogs cos I was talking to them but I was just trying to be pleasant.
And so I shall remain……
See yer all around
chrisy boy:
i dont think that its all the fault of the younger drivers… theres good and bad drivers across the board young and old
Here here. I am only 23 and i always flash in (with safe distance), ask people if they want me to be some more eyes for them on tights reverses etc. Even if i dont get a thanks i think i have at least helped someone.
Andy
I think you are taking the younger driver thing a bit too literally.
I probably should have put newer drivers, some of whom are old men and women.
Drivers are not shown the ropes anymore by an experienced driver. This apprenticeship stretched from knowing the best parking places and cuppa stops to how to wind up a security man on a gatehouse goon tower. I know things have changed a lot since I used to go with the old drivers. one of them was over 30 and he had shot someone in Aden 
The idea of flashing someone came from the days of acetylene lamps and vibrating mirrors on a vibrating stalk in the smog. Modern mirrors allow you to position a truck perfectly and to see where you are on an overtake.
How many new drivers flashed someone in on their test or how many slagged someone off in front of the examiner for not doing so?
kls:
i find the majority of drivers helpful and friendly, its the miserable ‘goods in’ people etc i dont like
Hi. Im new to this site and have been driving heavies for about 5 years.
Regarding the above, how in gods name can people at goods in just sit there and ignore you for ages. I mean, if you arent happy in your job , get the hell out but dont make me suffer because of your problems.
Im just getting up the courage to shout “Hello, can anybody see me” cos most of the time i feel invisable.