Is truck "elephant racing" against the law?

[R0G]

4keymonsta said:

So you are driving along a 2 lane stretch of road approaching a vehicle that you want to overtake at say +2mph. At what distance from that vehicle would you move out into lane 2?

For 2mph I would not bother unless the roads were super quiet but if I did then I would be pulling out just prior to the two second gap which on a motorway would be about a 5/6 lane line gap
I would not be pulling back in until I could see at least a 5 lane line gap between my rear end ond the front of the one I had overtaken

[4keymonsta]

Through pure boredom a 5 second google has revealed that..

TRUCK STOPPING DISTANCE @ 10 MPH. PER SECOND (done with posh mathmatics)

Fig. 2

SPEED STOPPING DIST SAFE FOLLOWING DIST SECONDS
10 mph 14 ft 44 ft 3.0 sec
20 mph 44 ft 100 ft 3.5 sec
30 mph 88 ft 175 ft 4.0 sec
40 mph 146 ft 263 ft 4.5 sec
50 mph 220 ft 365 ft 5.0 sec
60 mph 306 ft 482 ft 5.5 sec
70 mph 409 ft 614 ft 6.0 sec

Iveco tractor and trailer Laden* 42 tonnes (ABS) 27.00 meters, tested at 30mph on http://www.rospa.com/roadsafety/adviceandinformati...

So I should use the '5 second rule' and then move into lane 2?

Edited by 4keymonsta on Saturday 25th February 19:17

[R0G]

Forget thinking about stopping distances in terms of distance as they rarely work and certainly don't work in relation to different types of vehicles

Following a fully weighted 44 tonner with a fully weighted 44 tonner is very different from following a car with a fully weighted 44 tonner - the gap needs to be much greater in terms of seconds when behind the car

[Digby]

I would still like an answer as to what exactly the issue is with having to wait for a while.If the answer is that the car driver wishes to do his maximum speed at every possible opportunity and needs to be somewhere by a certain time etc, then that scenario is often doubly applicable to an HGV driver.If it's the sheer pigheadedness which offends, try driving a truck! You get that in spades from car drivers.Plus, as was mentioned earlier, I spend my working day overtaking so many cars, that I simply could not keep count.On an average day, I may only pass half a dozen truckers.

[ezi]

Digby said:

I would still like an answer as to what exactly the issue is with having to wait for a while.If the answer is that the car driver wishes to do his maximum speed at every possible opportunity and needs to be somewhere by a certain time etc, then that scenario is often doubly applicable to an HGV driver.If it's the sheer pigheadedness which offends, try driving a truck! You get that in spades from car drivers.Plus, as was mentioned earlier, I spend my working day overtaking so many cars, that I simply could not keep count.On an average day, I may only pass half a dozen truckers.

I'd imagine it isn't exactly brilliant for an emergency vehicle, a two lane road being held up by two HGV's holding up both lanes could cause all sorts of problems.

[jmorgan]

I imagine that they would sort it out. Same as the car driver on cruise control who do not see the blues going. And have seen that that happen.

We can all think of things that are not nice, either way. So moot point.

[Digby]

ezi said:

Digby said:

I would still like an answer as to what exactly the issue is with having to wait for a while.If the answer is that the car driver wishes to do his maximum speed at every possible opportunity and needs to be somewhere by a certain time etc, then that scenario is often doubly applicable to an HGV driver.If it's the sheer pigheadedness which offends, try driving a truck! You get that in spades from car drivers.Plus, as was mentioned earlier, I spend my working day overtaking so many cars, that I simply could not keep count.On an average day, I may only pass half a dozen truckers.

I'd imagine it isn't exactly brilliant for an emergency vehicle, a two lane road being held up by two HGV's holding up both lanes could cause all sorts of problems.

They weave their way through static traffic in narrow, congested and pedestrian, HGV, car, bike and roadwork filled streets in London every day.If it ever happens on a DC (never seen it myself in 25 years of driving) I am sure they will cope.

[Digby]

4keymonsta said:

This is probably half of the problem, they are all better than us....;)

I used to work for News International and was also a negotiator for several years in various estate agents, I know what it is like to be looked down apon

[whoami]

4keymonsta said:

As I said I look into the distance a long way to plan my overtakes, sometimes a good couple of miles

Have you considered a career as a sniper...?

[Nigel Worc's]

heebeegeetee said:

And I do wish you'd stop referring to your trip up the coat of Belgium and Holland as being representative of the continent of Europe.

I've recently come back from Lexium les baines, or something like that, driving through france, luxembourg, Belgium, and of course England.

So fook off, I probably spend more time in mainland Europe than you do, and I like the way lorries are restricted, and I hope it comes over here ..... soon !

[Digby]

Nigel Worc's said:

heebeegeetee said:

And I do wish you'd stop referring to your trip up the coat of Belgium and Holland as being representative of the continent of Europe.

I've recently come back from Lexium les baines, or something like that, driving through france, luxembourg, Belgium, and of course England.

So fook off, I probably spend more time in mainland Europe than you do, and I like the way lorries are restricted, and I hope it comes over here ..... soon !

..And minimum speeds for cars of 60 mph on motorways.Quicker than soon!

[jmorgan]

Already implemented on fleets of vans. Easy step to peg the cars at 62..... or 62.000001

Think of the fuel saving and the environment. At least that is what the eu will say.

[heebeegeetee]

Nigel Worc's said:

I've recently come back from Lexium les baines, or something like that, driving through france, luxembourg, Belgium, and of course England.

So fook off, I probably spend more time in mainland Europe than you do, and I like the way lorries are restricted, and I hope it comes over here ..... soon !

And it still won't stop you moaning.

For myself, I take much satisfaction in my ability to get from a-b without needing anyone or anything to be banned, and I take satisfaction from my having no trouble with trucks or any other challenge that may come my way.

It's the numpties who can't cope with anything, who can't stop moaning and who keep calling for someone or something to be banned 'cos they (the numpties) can't figure the challenges out.

The best of it is, is you just have *no* idea how easy your task is. Your vehicle is shockingly easy to drive, yet *still* you need something to be banned because you can't cope.

Makes no odds to me. When the lorry ban comes in I'll enjoy reading all the moaning from the people who ust can't figure out why traffic flow has worsened, just like they have done with speed limiters.

[Digby]

jmorgan said:

Already implemented on fleets of vans. Easy step to peg the cars at 62..... or 62.000001

Think of the fuel saving and the environment. At least that is what the eu will say.

I did say minimum

[heebeegeetee]

Digby said:

Plus, as was mentioned earlier, I spend my working day overtaking so many cars, that I simply could not keep count.On an average day, I may only pass half a dozen truckers.

This is what the muppets don't realise.

I can recall driving all day in Germany in an HGV and barely get to overtake one car. Over here that has never been the case. For 30 years I have had to overtake far too many cars in the UK. It beggars belief that there are people who cannot see that UK drivers are not as competent as many of their European counterparts.

I'm going to laugh at the moaning that will go on if a lorry-overtaking ban happens. You'd think they'd learn from being totally wrong about the effects of speed limiters on trucks, but no, far from it, they're going to make exactly the same mistakes again.

As someone who only really drives for pleasure nowadays, I'm going to enjoy reading the bleating that will go on.

[Digby]

I have often fancied one of those matrix signs on the back of the truck..

<<<< don't blame me for being in this lane, blame him or her

Would cost a few quid in replacement bulbs though, due to the amount of use it would get.

[Digby]

[redacted]

[Nigel Worc's]

heebeegeetee said:

And it still won't stop you moaning.

For myself, I take much satisfaction in my ability to get from a-b without needing anyone or anything to be banned, and I take satisfaction from my having no trouble with trucks or any other challenge that may come my way.

It's the numpties who can't cope with anything, who can't stop moaning and who keep calling for someone or something to be banned 'cos they (the numpties) can't figure the challenges out.

The best of it is, is you just have *no* idea how easy your task is. Your vehicle is shockingly easy to drive, yet *still* you need something to be banned because you can't cope.

Makes no odds to me. When the lorry ban comes in I'll enjoy reading all the moaning from the people who ust can't figure out why traffic flow has worsened, just like they have done with speed limiters.

I held a HGV licence until 1995 when DVLA realised I still had it despite being insulin dependant.

I haven't driven a HGV in anger since 1989, I've never driven a restricted lorry, and I've never ever used a tacho ....... because on the odd occasion my "employer" needed me to drive a lorry, we were exempt (crown immunity) all those kind of regs.

It is my experience that I drive around europe almost without being held up by lorries, in the UK I'm held up/slowed down often by lorries.

The difference is immediate when you enter the country, that hill out of Dover ..... the lorries can't help themselves !

Lorry drivers say "why should we be stuck behind a slower lorry, in answer I'd say "why should I be stuck behind you " ?

If you're travelling at speed, during the day, even on three lane sections you can see the traffic slowing/congestion caused by lorries overtaking each other.

MLM's etc aren't as much of an issue, in my experience.

I try to avoid peak time driving, just becasue there is no point in mixing it with commuter traffic, I'll leave earlier or later.

Nightime motorway driving can be almost as frustrating, as you get mile after mile of lane closures for overnight works ..... and you're stuck behind the poxy lorries again.

[heebeegeetee]

[redacted]

[Nigel Worc's]

heebeegeetee said:

Nah, it's far simpler than that.

Sum up: The worst drivers moan the most. The end.

The reason that people like 10 pence and Nigel moan so much is 'cos they can't bloody drive.

What test do you wish me to pass ?