Not a good day at the office.

To be honest, if there is a truck that is not as fully laden as the one in front, as that is easy to see, and is indicating to pull out, I would flash my head lights and let them out in front of me.
 
I'm not a great lover of trucks or tractors, when we drove to Ely last Friday we caught up with a convoy. Two tractors nose to tail followed by two Artics also nose to tail and very close to the tractors. We had to follow them for 10 miles at 35-40 mph, nothing we could do, too much traffic coming the other way, not enough space between lorries or tractors to pull into. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Mike
 
To be honest, if there is a truck that is not as fully laden as the one in front, as that is easy to see, and is indicating to pull out, I would flash my head lights and let them out in front of me.
I give trucks a wide berth after being pushed in front and underneath one down the M6 for nearly 3/4 mile. Would rather have them in front of me that close behind me or at the side.
 
I'm not a great lover of trucks or tractors, when we drove to Ely last Friday we caught up with a convoy. Two tractors nose to tail followed by two Artics also nose to tail and very close to the tractors. We had to follow them for 10 miles at 35-40 mph, nothing we could do, too much traffic coming the other way, not enough space between lorries or tractors to pull into. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Mike
Just have to accept it and turn the radio up.
Why do tractors need to go that far - surely anything other than a mile or so justifies a proper vehicle. Just don't get it.
Some of the farm vehicles are massive nowadays - not just the combines, but some of the others. See one regularly that has three massive wheels and sticks out on the opposite side of the road.
 
In my business we worked with trucks all the time so I got to know the drivers and learnt a lot about what it must be like to drive one, never having driven one myself.
Problem is, people on the road who do not know what it is like to drive one.
Obvious physics, load = breaking distance, you cut one up and it will be on top of you.

Worst trip I ever had, Germany, on a two lane autobahn to Kiel in a company Opel Vectra that maxed out at 180 Kph and getting big Mercs coming up behind me, flashing their lights at 200 plus, slow lane was one big convoy of trucks, no way I was pulling over, sod the car drivers behind me.
 
In my business we worked with trucks all the time so I got to know the drivers and learnt a lot about what it must be like to drive one, never having driven one myself.
Problem is, people on the road who do not know what it is like to drive one.
Obvious physics, load = breaking distance, you cut one up and it will be on top of you.

Worst trip I ever had, Germany, on a two lane autobahn to Kiel in a company Opel Vectra that maxed out at 180 Kph and getting big Mercs coming up behind me, flashing their lights at 200 plus, slow lane was one big convoy of trucks, no way I was pulling over, sod the car drivers behind me.
Your dead right Mike. I'm not saying truck drivers are all excellent because they are not tho many would like to think they are.
Car drivers cut me up day in day out taking away your braking distance in an instant. Drives me round the bloody twist to be honest. When you politely gesture asking why, you get bewildering looks or two fingers, and I my be sticking my head above the parapet here but the high majority are woman.
 
Your dead right Mike. I'm not saying truck drivers are all excellent because they are not tho many would like to think they are.
Car drivers cut me up day in day out taking away your braking distance in an instant. Drives me round the bloody twist to be honest. When you politely gesture asking why, you get bewildering looks or two fingers, and I my be sticking my head above the parapet here but the high majority are woman.
Why do they do it? I don't understand why - to save two or three seconds (if that) on their journey? They've clearly never seen the consequences of actions like theirs - cars shortened to half their length or with the roofs cut off and worse. Its not a pretty sight. Its not their self professed skill that saves them its luck and other much better drivers around them.
 
Two lorries with drags!
Thats where the 3.0SI wins :)
That's all good Ian as long as there's a gap between them if needed. If they don't leave a gap, and many don't, you need to be bloody quick to get past 2 at once on an A road. I honestly think trucks aren't all limited as a lot have turned over at the many roundabouts on the Lincoln by-pass, and that can only be down to speed.

Tony.
 
And talking of the bloody by-pass the worst and scariest thing in recent years is foreign (LHD) truckers, who when they get close to the roundabout cannot see what is entering the roundabout and pull out blindly and just make everything come to a standstill, which invariably causes some close encounters.

Tony.
 
There's stretches of the A34 south of Oxford that I'm sure @GazHyde is familiar with that has overtaking restrictions for trucks
There was a trial run for a while but that's over now and never heard anything more about it. One particular stretch they tested it on is where there is usually an accident when it rains (2 already this year I know of so far).

I don't think one trucker paid the slightest bit of notice of it and the pile ups at the bottom continue :(
 
That's all good Ian as long as there's a gap between them if needed. If they don't leave a gap, and many don't, you need to be bloody quick to get past 2 at once on an A road. I honestly think trucks aren't all limited as a lot have turned over at the many roundabouts on the Lincoln by-pass, and that can only be down to speed.

Tony.
We are all limited by law Tony. The only ones you may find faster are the Northern Irish and your one man bands who put pull the fuse to knock the limiter out. A common fault with lorry drivers on islands are to keep up with the traffic flow..so a car enters at island at 20mph if clear, no problem. The lorry follows and the load shifts causing the lorry to go over. My mate did exactly that a few months back on the Norwich bypass in my truck. Fortunately only the trailer went over. He lost his job.
Screenshot_2016-03-11-07-03-48.webp

Our loads are very unstable and heavy and have to be well strapped down or the top stillage can jump off.
20160109_103150.webp

I train people constantly to try and avoid these things happening but we work long hours. Some of the drivers have the attitude of wanting to be back home before the shift has even started. It's people that these that course the accidents. I tell them if you don't want the hours move on! No one is making you do this! I'm getting grumpy now! :mad:
 
Absolutely mate, some people will meet themselves coming the other way one day !!

Tony.
 
I think a stretch of the A34 northbound still has overtaking restrictions up the hill climb... To stop elephant races. One of my hates... Container trucks heading to Southampton, as its first in the line gets off loaded first.. So the race the bottom of the A34 and then the M3..

And yes.. This truck is limited to 56mph .. Hold on I am doing 70 in traffic and you are glued to my bumper ... Hmmmm 56 my a***
 
Absolutely mate, some people will meet themselves coming the other way one day !!

Tony.
And that Tony is the problem. They endanger themselves and everybody else around them. I don't get it, we are paid a salary but anything over and above is paid at an hourly rate, it takes as long as it takes!
 
I think a stretch of the A34 northbound still has overtaking restrictions up the hill climb... To stop elephant races. One of my hates... Container trucks heading to Southampton, as its first in the line gets off loaded first.. So the race the bottom of the A34 and then the M3..

And yes.. This truck is limited to 56mph .. Hold on I am doing 70 in traffic and you are glued to my bumper ... Hmmmm 56 my a***
Yes but as said above Paul the unscrupulous will pull the fuse to eliminate the limiter to get around quicker. If they are on a downhill run with weight on, any lorry will shoot through the limiter if allowed. Both these acts will get you massive fines and possible loss of vehicles from there operators licence, and just so in my eyes.
 
I think a stretch of the A34 northbound still has overtaking restrictions up the hill climb...
Not sure what is in place south of Newbury currently, but there isn't one between Newbury and Oxford. They ran it on the infamous Ilsley section for a few months. Not sure if it was judged successful or not, I'm guessing not. Unusually, I would actually commend the highways agency if the speed limit was lowered for that section of road as it's incredibly dangerous.
 
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