I will put my hands up and admit to having done what the wagon driver did and pulled out in front of a car on the m’way. Either due to me leaving it too late to indicate before pulling out to pass the wagon in front or misjudging the speed of an approaching car. We all make mistakes. Only some of us have the decency to wave an apology as the car passes you.
As for doin 90, well thats up to the driver. I’m not gonna judge Toytown, if my 1litre Polo did 90 without the rev limiter kicking in, I would probably go that fast if the motorway was clear.
I think you should shut your can of worms and worry about something a bit more important instead of nit-picking about each others faults or driving technique. It’s all a bit petty if you ask me, all this I stick to the speed limit - so should you.
Toytown, Wink,52mph as opposed to 56mph over 10hours is a difference of 35 mins ,could mean you get home or not.
I’m with PaulB on this one. Obviously a bit higher speed makes a diffference but not much !
I bet on an average day it wouldn’t make 10 mins difference in total.
I did used to run on the limiter all the time, but NEVER EVER held another truck on my offside for miles. If he was struggling @ 1mph gain, I would let him go (costing me a valuable few seconds )
This really was my whole point in the original post. As somebody said, the standards have gone downhill over the years & just watching some of the clowns makes me into a younger Victor Meldrew
I would also like a quid for every time I see a “driver” on a roundabout release the clutch on a truck as if he’s in a race car (often supermarket trolleys, but not always !!) What happened to smooth progress & a “feel” for the vehicle — maybe again it’s a case of trucks feeling more & more like a car.
Things have changed for the better over the past 20 years, but I do think that pride in the job has gone for many, possibly due to the ratrace it is now
I will put my hands up and admit to having done what the wagon driver did and pulled out in front of a car on the m’way. Either due to me leaving it too late to indicate before pulling out to pass the wagon in front or misjudging the speed of an approaching car. We all make mistakes. Only some of us have the decency to wave an apology as the car passes you.
WELL SAID !!!
Of course we have ALL done it, nobody is perfect & over the years I made some very stupid errors of judgement.
But as you said, a raised hand would have been met with a flick of the lights to say - “no probs m8”. Instead he decided to ignore my presence in any way, which I took as arrogance at it’s best !
Can of worms it certainly is, but nobody’s getting nasty & it makes a bit of weekend chatter for those that want to join in. If I had been concerned about what might be said to me, i would hardly have admitted doing 90.
There’s always going to be somebody that shouts “illegal” etc. - fair comment.
In my defence, which of these two vehicles would you rather be in or near …
1: An old beat up car that is “just” roadworthy doing 70 mph on a very wet road in heavy traffic (100% LEGAL)
2: A reasonably capable, good handling car with modern safety features & good tyres / brakes etc doing 85mph (true speed). (100% ILLEGAL)
I’m not saying that speeding is right, just that comparing the legal & illegal above IMHO does make a mockery of speed limits. Had I been driving Donna’s old Renault 5, I would have probably been doing 65 but NOT felt anyywhere near as safe.
Could you drivers tell me why you never signal your intentions 'til the ‘last’ minute now? Why don’t you give yourselves plenty of time to pull out to overtake by signalling early? I was always taught (even before indicators) to always give plenty of time to show what your intentions were going to be before carrying out a manoeuvre.
Also, why, when someone takes the trouble to ‘flash’ you in do a lot of you totally ignore them?
Viking:
Could you drivers tell me why you never signal your intentions 'til the ‘last’ minute now? Why don’t you give yourselves plenty of time to pull out to overtake by signalling early? I was always taught (even before indicators) to always give plenty of time to show what your intentions were going to be before carrying out a manoeuvre. Also, why, when someone takes the trouble to ‘flash’ you in do a lot of you totally ignore them?
A bit of a separate subject this is, but what really annoys me are those drivers who make it as difficult as possible to overtake them, ie. by not easing off, and then have the nerve to flash you in once your trailer is 0.5" past them. On these occasions I will totally ignore the flash and continue in the lane I’m in until I’m happy with the gap between them and me, then will indicate and pull in.
If the vehicle I’m overtaking eases off and flashes me in once past then I will pull in when I think it’s safe to do so and acknowledge their flash as a way of thanks for easing off.
If I’m being overtaken I always ease off unless going up hill (or about to) with weight on, but I rarely flash the overtaker back in because I don’t believe it to be necessary. If you can’t judge the length of your vehicle safely then you shouldn’t be driving it. Additionally, 99% of wagon drivers pull in before a safe gap has been created anyway.
A bit of a separate subject this is, but what really annoys me are those drivers If you can’t judge the length of your vehicle safely then you shouldn’t be driving it. Additionally, 99% of wagon drivers pull in before a safe gap has been created anyway.
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Judging length does’nt come into it…it’s good manners to let others know it is safe to pull back in…unless I’m being old-fashioned.
Viking:
A bit of a separate subject this is, but what really annoys me are those drivers If you can’t judge the length of your vehicle safely then you shouldn’t be driving it. Additionally, 99% of wagon drivers pull in before a safe gap has been created anyway.
Judging length does’nt come into it…it’s good manners to let others know it is safe to pull back in…unless I’m being old-fashioned.
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Why is it “good manners” ?
Car drivers don’t do it, neither do vans nor bikers, so why trucks ?
It’s nothing to do with manners afaic. More along the lines of ‘ooh look at me and how powerful my spot lights are; don’t they look cool!!!’
I believe the idea of flashing someone in came from the days when trucks were fitted with mirrors the size of a beermat and suspended on a flexible stalk Going over Shap at 5 or 10 mph for the run down the other side out of gear
AA patrol men use to salute motorists, A man with a red flag used to walk in front of cars. Things have moved on.
I don’t flash every truck in, unless I think it might help him. I dont expect to be flashed in either
Bikers still nod at each other though or shake their leg in Europe
I was medically retired a few years ago, and, reading a lot of the posts, I am glad I am not in the job any more.
It is quite obvious from the questions asked, and the comments made, that a lot of you have’nt had anywhere near enough training, and have’nt got the road sense to be in charge of HGVs.
I started in the job when I was fifteen and came up the hard way the same as countless others…but by god, I knew my trade.
I was medically retired a few years ago, and, reading a lot of the posts, I am glad I am not in the job any more.
It is quite obvious from the questions asked, and the comments made, that a lot of you have’nt had anywhere near enough training, and have’nt got the road sense to be in charge of HGVs.
I started in the job when I was fifteen and came up the hard way the same as countless others…but by god, I knew my trade
Now that can of worms I opened has well & truly been stirred up Viking
Like in the non virtual world, theres some bloody good drivers here & probably some “super truckers”, muppets & loudmouths. BUT I don’t take things personal, that’s what chat it all about.
I don’t agree with Rob’s idea of not flashing in, but that said, just by his ramblings it’s pretty obvious he CAN do the job & isn’t wet behind the ears. i don’t suppose for one minute we’re gonna have a slanging match because we disagree.
I do still flash trucks in when I get overtaken in the car, not to prove how powerful my fancy lights are because I don’t have any, I do it because I choose to & no other reason.
I will also:
Move into lane 2 to let trucks (and cars) out of a sliproad
Let trucks pull out to overtake if they are gaining on the one in front at a good rate
WHY ? - again because I CHOOSE to & a little bit of consideration costs me maybe one or two seconds. Judging by the amount of times I see a truck gaining on the one in front of him & have to flash him more than once, it seems many of them are not as alert as they could be (which I blame on the comfort & boredom of driving a modern truck @ 50 or 56).
Just my views again - which i do not ram down others throats.
)
What happened to smooth progress & a “feel” for the vehicle — maybe again it’s a case of trucks feeling more & more like a car.
Going over Shap at 5 or 10 mph for the run down the other side out of gear 