Discussion
Living in Inverness I very rarely drive on motorways nowadays but they certainly dont worry me unduly nor do HGVs on motorways.
In years gone bye when i drove recovery trucks i would frequently leave Inverness and have my first stop at Sandbach services as I would be running low on fuel by then and would drive to the Greater London Area, drop off a vehicle and head straight back north as someone else would be waiting to set off again with another vehicle, not wise and this is why the recovery industry had to be forcibly regulated as it wouldnt regulate itself partly due to being pushed harder and harder by the big Motoring organisations to constantly make the service quicker for there members.
My only concern with HGVs is that drivers train using a two axle unit an two axle or even single axle uladen trailer, all up weight 10-12 tons, the minute they get there pass certificate they can jump in a tri axle unit and tri axle trailer loaded at 44 tonnes and at the first junction learn the difference between stopping 12 tonnes and 44 tonnes.
In years gone bye when i drove recovery trucks i would frequently leave Inverness and have my first stop at Sandbach services as I would be running low on fuel by then and would drive to the Greater London Area, drop off a vehicle and head straight back north as someone else would be waiting to set off again with another vehicle, not wise and this is why the recovery industry had to be forcibly regulated as it wouldnt regulate itself partly due to being pushed harder and harder by the big Motoring organisations to constantly make the service quicker for there members.
My only concern with HGVs is that drivers train using a two axle unit an two axle or even single axle uladen trailer, all up weight 10-12 tons, the minute they get there pass certificate they can jump in a tri axle unit and tri axle trailer loaded at 44 tonnes and at the first junction learn the difference between stopping 12 tonnes and 44 tonnes.
DoubleD said:
av185 said:
DoubleD said:
It's usually idiots in the fast lane.
Quite worrying some still think you can't travel 'fast' in the inner lane.Suppose this partly explains MLMs.
TWR said:
Do they frighten you? Why?
Do HGVs on Motorways cause you concerns? Why?
How many miles do you do without a Break? is it wise?
Winter is ahead of us, what precautions have you taken?
Motorways don't frighten meDo HGVs on Motorways cause you concerns? Why?
How many miles do you do without a Break? is it wise?
Winter is ahead of us, what precautions have you taken?
HGV's don't frighten me (I'm well 'ard)
A couple or 3 hours is enough without a break
Both car and bike are serviced on time every time (car is done annually rather than based on mileage due to low annual mileage. But I make sure I have cold weather washer fluid and if there is going to be heavy snow I have taken a shovel with me, but don't routinely
TWR said:
Do they frighten you? Why?
No. A roads are more likely to see you have a head on with an overtaking Audi with far larger impact speeds.TWR said:
Do HGVs on Motorways cause you concerns? Why?
No. They can be a pain in the arse, particularly when they play elephant races, or just indicate and start pulling out... that's just rude.Had an HGV pull out on a VW polo who was in the 2nd lane inside me. I had to brake to make room for the Polo, who would have other wise been squeezed between me and said HGV.
TWR said:
How many miles do you do without a Break? is it wise?
I stop when I feel tired, need fuel, or arrive where I'm going.TWR said:
Winter is ahead of us, what precautions have you taken?
I bought a new plastic windscreen scraper. If it snows I might even slow down a bit.chilistrucker said:
PositronicRay said:
No
No
2-3 hrs
Make sure the car is well prepared, plan the journey, check the forecast, don't drive when tired.
ETA, are you a nervous driver OP?
Pretty much this.No
2-3 hrs
Make sure the car is well prepared, plan the journey, check the forecast, don't drive when tired.
ETA, are you a nervous driver OP?
Edited by PositronicRay on Sunday 4th December 10:34
Sadly I do think there has been a drop in standards over the last few years of HGV/LGV drivers. I'm not certain of the reasons and don't imagine its down to new drivers coming into the industry as i'd imagine the test is a lot more stringent than it was when I passed in 1993. It could maybe be the influx of cheaper drivers we've had coming in over the last few years? Peanuts and.......
I watched a HGV driver join a 4 lane section of motorway last week. Middle of day so reasonably quiet and everything flowing well. He joined the motorway and moved straight into lane 2. Lane 1 was completely empty but he just sat there in lane 2 for no apparent reason? I seem to see this a lot these days.
Elephant racing boils my piss. 1 driver has the right to overtake another. The thing is unless you drive or have an understanding of wagons there is a bit more to it than that. Often a driver will catch a slower/heavier wagon on a climb up a bank, driver 1 in the quicker truck starts the overtaking move but unfortunately what often happens is both trucks may reach the top of the bank and level ground again before the overtake has been executed. If driver 2 in what was the slower truck gets back up to speed, (and is a plum) then gets back up to full speed matching the overtaking truck often you'll see them just leaving the overtaking truck hanging out to dry in the overtaking lane.
Bad enough on a 3 or 4 lane motorway, but on 2 lane stretches, (the M11 being a good example with its sets of banks) it is very frustrating for the faster flowing traffic.
When this happens it is very annoying. When I was driving wagons and if I was the overtaking truck I'd end up backing off and slotting back in behind the first truck, a tad annoying but better than getting into the whole ridiculous elephant racing scenario with the "plum" in the first truck. Quite often though, even though you'd just pulled back in to free up the flow again you'd still get the odd car passing you with a beep of the horn and some polite Gareth Hunt type hand gestures.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Elephant racing is bloody stupid, especially if both trucks have drivers that are not prepared to relent and use a bit of common sense.
I do often wonder though how things would unfold if all cars were limited to 70 mph
TWR said:
Do they frighten you? Why?
Do HGVs on Motorways cause you concerns? Why?
How many miles do you do without a Break? is it wise?
Winter is ahead of us, what precautions have you taken?
NoDo HGVs on Motorways cause you concerns? Why?
How many miles do you do without a Break? is it wise?
Winter is ahead of us, what precautions have you taken?
No
On the bike, a full tank of fuel. In the car, been known to do a tank in that in one hit too (circa 400 miles) genereally 150-200 is enough in one hit.
Put new tyres on it.
DoubleD said:
I can't remember the last time I saw a lorry involved in a crash on a motorway. It's usually idiots in the fast lane.
I can. The last major delay I had on a long drive.Weather conditions were worsening with sleet / rain and hail. Ended up sitting on the M6 for an hour because a lorry driver had put himself into the embankment.
TWR said:
Do they frighten you? Why?
Do HGVs on Motorways cause you concerns? Why?
How many miles do you do without a Break? is it wise?
Winter is ahead of us, what precautions have you taken?
NoDo HGVs on Motorways cause you concerns? Why?
How many miles do you do without a Break? is it wise?
Winter is ahead of us, what precautions have you taken?
Only sometimes, although most of them are driven properly and I've got bigger things to get wound up about.
Drive until I want a wee or a break. I know when to stop. I once drove non stop for 10 hours. Thats the longest Ive done.
None. We don't live in Siberia.
Drove up to Edinburgh once and got stuck in lots of jams and slow moving traffic all the way up ( yes, even the first half of the M74)
Lots of it was due to HGVs not being able to overtake the MLMs and then the 58mph brigade being forced in to the outside lane to overtake. Plus the normal Monday Morning stuff from Brimingham to Manchester.
Got to the client site and was given a sarcastic - "Afternoon - you took your time"
Apologised and explained about the traffic- and this was greeted with
"Oh f
k. I hate that fking road, its frightening. If I have to go that way I just get on there, get to the middle lane as soon as possible and stay at 50"
I forgot to put my irony meter in my toolbox that week - good job as that would have blown it up.
cool story and all that.
Lots of it was due to HGVs not being able to overtake the MLMs and then the 58mph brigade being forced in to the outside lane to overtake. Plus the normal Monday Morning stuff from Brimingham to Manchester.
Got to the client site and was given a sarcastic - "Afternoon - you took your time"
Apologised and explained about the traffic- and this was greeted with
"Oh f
k. I hate that fking road, its frightening. If I have to go that way I just get on there, get to the middle lane as soon as possible and stay at 50"I forgot to put my irony meter in my toolbox that week - good job as that would have blown it up.
cool story and all that.
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