Winter kit for lorries
Discussion
Listening to the news this morning it sounded like Scotland had come to a standstill because of the snow/road conditions. They made it sound as if all the hold ups/jams had been caused by jack-knifed lorries.
This set me thinking; all the motoring organisations are always telling the ordinary motorist what to carry in the car in case of bad conditions and there are threads galore on here about what tyres to have on your car.
Do lorry drivers or their company get inundated with similar information?
If they do why do we get news reports of jack-knifed lorries creating these enormous jams.
Surely if they were fully kitted for winter with the appropriate kit and/or tyres on the vehicle this shouldn’t happen?
This set me thinking; all the motoring organisations are always telling the ordinary motorist what to carry in the car in case of bad conditions and there are threads galore on here about what tyres to have on your car.
Do lorry drivers or their company get inundated with similar information?
If they do why do we get news reports of jack-knifed lorries creating these enormous jams.
Surely if they were fully kitted for winter with the appropriate kit and/or tyres on the vehicle this shouldn’t happen?
Try towing a trailer that weighs five times as much as your car, and is at least three times as long.....see if you can stop yourself facing the way you came 
With regards to winter tyres etc..we know about them because they have been spoken about on here. How many of the general motoring population would think to fit winter tyres?
Compound that with snow generally only disrupts life for at most three weeks and it's a lot of money to spend out on something you would only use for three weeks of the year, add the cost of all the wheels you'll need to put the tyres on (coz you wont be discarding your "normal" tyres).
How many of these lorries find themselves in a jacknife situation because of car drivers behavior?
With regards to winter tyres etc..we know about them because they have been spoken about on here. How many of the general motoring population would think to fit winter tyres?
Compound that with snow generally only disrupts life for at most three weeks and it's a lot of money to spend out on something you would only use for three weeks of the year, add the cost of all the wheels you'll need to put the tyres on (coz you wont be discarding your "normal" tyres).
How many of these lorries find themselves in a jacknife situation because of car drivers behavior?
Lots of weight & not much more contact with the road than your average car, with a bendy bit in the middle.
Roll some toy trucks down the slope in your bath, this will demonstrate the physics very easily!
That and a set of "Winter Tyres" for a lorry would be a few thousand and probably wear out in a few weeks!
Roll some toy trucks down the slope in your bath, this will demonstrate the physics very easily!
That and a set of "Winter Tyres" for a lorry would be a few thousand and probably wear out in a few weeks!
Munter said:
I'm sure our prozzy culling friends
A thread on PH about lorry drivers just isn't the same without comments like this is it!The fleet I work with carries on as best we can in this weather with no extra precautions (other than drivers attitude to conditions and gritting of yard) taken. Putting winter tyres on every tractor and trailer would be hugely expensive and a logistical nightmare to arrange. Jack-knifing can occur in dry conditions too - not just snow/ice.
Fun Bus said:
Munter said:
I'm sure our prozzy culling friends
A thread on PH about lorry drivers just isn't the same without comments like this is it!5lab said:
does anyone make ESP for lorries yet, that works on the trailers as well? I guess this would invole an upgrade of the rear ends (which from memory last a lot longer than cabs?) but wouldn't this be able to avoid a jackknife situation by using individual wheel braking etc?
Drivers may change trailers half a dozen times a day, depending on what they are doing. It would need every trailer manufacturer to come up with a common method which would be adopted by the industry and sadly can't see that happening anytime soon. The industry is too fragmented for there to be a common method across all trailer/tractor units.
Amused2death said:
5lab said:
does anyone make ESP for lorries yet, that works on the trailers as well? I guess this would invole an upgrade of the rear ends (which from memory last a lot longer than cabs?) but wouldn't this be able to avoid a jackknife situation by using individual wheel braking etc?
Drivers may change trailers half a dozen times a day, depending on what they are doing. It would need every trailer manufacturer to come up with a common method which would be adopted by the industry and sadly can't see that happening anytime soon. The industry is too fragmented for there to be a common method across all trailer/tractor units.
However from my experience trctor units, rigid trucks and trailers are specced usually with cost in mind and as the systems are optional its something that would be left off of the list, as its not deemed essential.
Maybe they should take some kindling with them. My father was telling me the other day that in the winter of 1981 (I think) he passed lots of lorry drivers who'd been forced to stop on the motorway hard shoulder because their diesel was turning to slush. Many of them had lit fires under the tanks to try and liquify the diesel again.
Fairly common in colder climes but I was surprised it ever got cold enough to warrant fires in England. Does modern diesel have additives to avoid this? Can't say I've heard of any such problems occurring recently.
Fairly common in colder climes but I was surprised it ever got cold enough to warrant fires in England. Does modern diesel have additives to avoid this? Can't say I've heard of any such problems occurring recently.
Edited by Risotto on Monday 29th November 16:23
There is a small % of truckers who just don't have the skill or brains to drive in snow, much like for the larger majority of car drivers, as an example I was in convoy with two artics going north up the M11 a few years ago in crawling snowy traffic (the bit where it starts the new time trial) and both the trucks in front came to a slithering stand still.
I was ok and just managed to overtake and just carried on (f
k em!) one guy rang me and asked how I was managing to carry on, "Diff lock mate" I said, "You wot?" came the reply. 
They had no idea what or where it was and they had been driving for 15 years.
Truckers = fat rapey thickos.
I was ok and just managed to overtake and just carried on (f
k em!) one guy rang me and asked how I was managing to carry on, "Diff lock mate" I said, "You wot?" came the reply. They had no idea what or where it was and they had been driving for 15 years.
Truckers = fat rapey thickos.
Risotto said:
Maybe they should take some kindling with them. My father was telling me the other day that in the winter of 1981 (I think) he passed lots of lorry drivers who'd been forced to stop on the motorway hard shoulder because their diesel was turning to slush. Many of them had lit fires under the tanks to try and liquify the diesel again.
Fairly common in colder climes but I was surprised it ever got cold enough to warrant fires in England. Does modern diesel have additives to avoid this? Can't say I've heard of any such problems occurring recently.
This is not as popular a method of defrosting diesel as it used to be. The switch to plastic for some brake pipes, replacing metal ones is one reason. A former lorry driver I know told me about a trucker who lit a fire under his nice new cab and melted all the brake pipes, leaving him even worse stuck than he had been!Fairly common in colder climes but I was surprised it ever got cold enough to warrant fires in England. Does modern diesel have additives to avoid this? Can't say I've heard of any such problems occurring recently.
Cock Womble 7 said:
GTIR said:
Truckers = fat rapey thickos.
Watch it, Cabby 
Had my first HGV Class 1 lesson today and have come home more knackered than when I've been delivering kitchens all day. The level of concentration required is immense.
heads in cars/vans/7.5tonners doing stupid stuff? As I'm sure Barry and the other truckers will agree, when you get used to driving the big stuff it's just a case of having the best seats in the house for the automotive pantomime.
Marcellus said:
Apartently all Ocado vehicles are fitted with snow chains for the winter (I may be proven wrong with this but to my knowlegde it's correct)
I find that very hard to believe.Imagine the H&S issues!
Mind you, judging by their whole business model I'm not surprised they'd waste money on stuff like that.
Great business idea - "Lets sell Waitrose products and deliver it direct to customers doors!"
"So, we will be working with Waitrose?"
"No. We will sell Waitrose products at a premium and charge for delivery"
"Brilliant!. What about snow chains?"
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