Crashed Artic

[Boomerang]

speed limiters

shhh!!... thats a secret...

cruise control on... get in grooves... eat lunch!

I wish car drivers realised the fact that anything over 7.5 tonnes is limited to normally 56 mph, my rig is limited to 53 mph, therefore we have not got the acceleration or the speed of a car, especially with a few tons on board. For me to pull into the middle lane to let sluggish car drivers (for want of a better word) off a slip road is often just too damn dangerous. If I can maybe drop off 1 or 2 mph to let them out I will but that is not always safe either, because if the car doesn't speed up I'm f****d as I've slowed the traffic behind me and now I'm going far too slowly to attempt to overtake without some slick Rick in an Audi doing a ton going under the back of me

[M35A2]

Whilst I hope the guy is alright, this all too familiar with artics....and other motorists as well

1. Not paying attention
2. Driving too close to other vehicles knowing they're not going to stop [although some other motorists create these scenarios - but mainly artics right up the backside]


most fatal accidents I have seen whilst on the road in the past years have had lorries involved some way or another. I know u guys are under pressure but think of the weight.



I see so many Lorries trying to speed up to close the door as you join the motorway onto the M60 from the M61/A666 only realising that they have to slam their brakes on to avoid piling into the back of the traffic already slowing down or stopped. All for shutting 1 vehicle joining in front of them [and yes the vehicles on the slip road are signalling and half onto the motorway but have to quickly veer back into the slip road]. It happens nearly every day!!!

Right, what you have to understand is that us Truck drivers are on the road 5 or 6 days a week, every week, every year. There isn't anything we haven't seen or experienced.

What you have to remember is when pulling onto a Motorway, or any other main road, the traffic already on the main road has priority. The reason there is a gap in front of a truck is because it's there for a reason. It's there for the stopping distance in case we have to brake. Pulling 44 tonnes takes a lot of room to stop. I see it at every junction like Matt said. Cars, determined to get in front of the truck, WHY?? All you have to do is pull in behind, then overtake, like your supposed to. If the vehicle going up the slip road adjusts it's speed to the traffic on the motorway, then there isn't a problem, is there?? If we do pull out, the dead heads that we have let out will stay half way up the trailer, and keep us in the middle lane at 56MPH (in my case 52MPH) instead of slowing down a bit to let us back in. Then there is manners. If we pull out to let someone onto the motorway, 99% of the time we don't get any thanks for doing so, even though we have moved such a large vehicle on your behalf. What really pi**es me off, is these car drivers that pull onto the motorway, not looking until the last minute, at a speed LESS than what the truck is doing. Then the truck has to slow down to let you on. If you were taking a driving test, and pulled out and caused a vehicle to slow down you would fail your test, as you have made the other driver alter his or her's position.

I find it hard to believe a truck trying to speed up to close the door on a motorway, as 95% of trucks are limited to 56MPH (52MPH in our case) and will already be doing 56MPH. If they are speeding up, then the car on the slip road is doing less than the speed of the motorway traffic, and as the car is supposed to adjust it's speed to the traffic it is joining, it's in the wrong.

I accept that there are some nob jockys that drive waggons, and they are just as likely to p*ss other trucks off, as they will car drivers.

Before anyone has a go at a truck driver, I suggest you get someone to take you out for a day in an artic to see for yourself what problems we have to put up with. We are professional drivers, who have earned the right to drive the vehicles we drive via a stiff road test, extensive training and at great expense. Everyone who has not driven an artic or heavy vehicle cannot pass judgment until you have done the job yourself, as you are commenting from a car drivers perspective, and not a truck drivers.

If you think driving in Central London at rush hour is bad in a car, then put yourself in our position. We have to think about blind spots, taxis, busses, motorcyclists, push bikes, padestrians, weight limits, height limits, different speed limits, whether our vehicle has to take all the road to negotiate a bend etc,etc.

I don't know about the other truck drivers on here, but I have been doing the job so long, that I know what a car driver is going to do, before he does, just by the way the car is being driven. And just as well, because if I didn't have a "6th sense" there would be a lot more dead car drivers, because some of the things I see people try and do, just beggers belief.

Over and out!!

[mark g8awo]

Right, what you have to understand is that us Truck drivers are on the road 5 or 6 days a week, every week, every year. There isn't anything we haven't seen or experienced.

What you have to remember is when pulling onto a Motorway, or any other main road, the traffic already on the main road has priority. The reason there is a gap in front of a truck is because it's there for a reason. It's there for the stopping distance in case we have to brake. Pulling 44 tonnes takes a lot of room to stop. I see it at every junction like Matt said. Cars, determined to get in front of the truck, WHY?? All you have to do is pull in behind, then overtake, like your supposed to. If the vehicle going up the slip road adjusts it's speed to the traffic on the motorway, then there isn't a problem, is there?? What really pi**es me off, is these car drivers that pull onto the motorway, not looking until the last minute, at a speed LESS than what the truck is doing. Then the truck has to slow down to let you on. If you were taking a driving test, and pulled out and caused a vehicle to slow down you would fail your test, as you have made the other driver alter his or her's position.

I find it hard to believe a truck trying to speed up to close the door on a motorway, as 95% of trucks are limited to 56MPH (52MPH in our case) and will already be doing 56MPH. If they are speeding up, then the car on the slip road is doing less than the speed of the motorway traffic, and as the car is supposed to adjust it's speed to the traffic it is joining, it's in the wrong.

I accept that there are some nob jockys that drive waggons, and they are just as likely to p*ss other trucks off, as they will car drivers.

Before anyone has a go at a truck driver, I suggest you get someone to take you out for a day in an artic to see for yourself what problems we have to put up with. We are professional drivers, who have earned the right to drive the vehicles we drive via a stiff road test, extensive training and at great expense. Everyone who has not driven an artic or heavy vehicle cannot pass judgment until you have done the job yourself, as you are commenting from a car drivers perspective, and not a truck drivers.

If you think driving in Central London at rush hour is bad in a car, then put yourself in our position. We have to think about blind spots, taxis, busses, motorcyclists, push bikes, padestrians, weight limits, height limits, different speed limits, whether our vehicle has to take all the road to negotiate a bend etc,etc.

I don't know about the other truck drivers on here, but I have been doing the job so long, that I know what a car driver is going to do, before he does, just by the way the car is being driven. And just as well, because if I didn't have a "6th sense" there would be a lot more dead car drivers, because some of the things I see people try and do, just beggers belief.

Over and out!!

hear hear

[Boomerang]

hear hear

Just remember, hard times don't last, but truckers do ! 10-4

[BUSHWHACKER]

I don't know why, but I feel compelled to post this. hehehe........http://rushmidi.com/wavs/smokey-bandit.wav






p.s. you'll need you speakers on!

[Maverick]

To follow on with the fact that people don't respect other drivers, I agree, every time I return from North Yorkshire or Scotland to Hampshire I have to adjust my driving and become much more aggressive behind the wheel.

When it comes down to lorry drivers, in all my years towing up and down to above said areas, I've had run ins with a couple but in the 13 years I've been doing the journey the bad experiances can be counted on one hand. Most of the time lorry drivers will let you know you have passed them, signal you to pull out if needed, and such like. My main gripes are that they are limited to 56mph and some now 52, and when one driver starts to overtake another just before his limiter kicks in, then just because I'm towing also and can't use the outside lane I have to sit in the middle lane waiting for a the lorry in the inside lane to ease off a bit to let the other lorry overtake (the longest it has taken was 5 miles and yes I was starting to swear (but I didn't do any hand signals, they out weigh me big time)).
I now work in a Gatehouse so see alot of lorry drivers (and some of them make use look sane), and I take my hat of to most of them. The main gripe they have is their transport managers, followed by idiot car drivers who dive in front of them taking up their braking distance.
Given that they are now under pressure due to the influce of foreign drivers (which makes my job hell as well) I think we should give them a break, and remember there is such a thing as an accident, yes they all can be avoided but mostly they can be avoided after the event, thats why we call them accidents.

PS according to one of my regular drivers from Belgium there is a whole streatch of main road in Belgium where you don't have to touch the steering wheel, the ruts take you round all the bends, cruise control and automatic steering eh.

[the careful driver]

I wanted to read the rants but then I stopped

Hey, I'd just had a hot bath together with a friend very dry but mucho goodo Dandelion Wine and was feeling altogether in a New Year mood.

Why notto?

Especially for the poor lad who caught it at the beginning of the thread, life is a bit short, lets make the most of it and wishing happy 2006 to all.

XXX

European Pete

[da SLUG man]

and before anyone worries... i've given my mate lifts in truck a few times and he said i'm like a different bloke driving it!