Work Vans + Road Rage

[smileymikey]

I drive a liveried firms van and its a real worry. Our company will throw us to the wolves if anyone complains. Its not unusual to end up in front of several managers and be taken off the road while its investigated. To make matters worse another part of the company are involved in a project that is truly pissing of an entire town. Unfortunately we have to spend a lot of time driving around the town in question. Ive got so much repressed rage at other road users by the time I get into my own car at the weekends, Im the angriest driver on the planet lol.

[Glassman]

I also don't understand the mentality of those who publish pictures of a firm's van on social media for silly things, like 'he overtook me on the wrong side of the road', for example. Why not just contact said firm and ask them to have a word with the driver?

[CooperS]

Glassman said:

I also don't understand the mentality of those who publish pictures of a firm's van on social media for silly things, like 'he overtook me on the wrong side of the road', for example. Why not just contact said firm and ask them to have a word with the driver?

Probably don't like direct confrontation. Much easier to vent than do something. As I say I dont think any good will of come by me pursuing the incident directly or just using Facebook to rant.

Unfortunately for those who have these momentary lapses a good reputation is hard built but easily lost.

[Glassman]

CooperS said:

Probably don't like direct confrontation. Much easier to vent than do something. As I say I dont think any good will of come by me pursuing the incident directly or just using Facebook to rant.

Unfortunately for those who have these momentary lapses a good reputation is hard built but easily lost.

I did exactly that and politely suggested that they send him on a track day to get it out of his system. The boss appreciated that someone else could have taken the matter differently and I think that had a more profound effect on him than publicly shaming the business.

[Hoofy]

Glassman said:

CooperS said:

Probably don't like direct confrontation. Much easier to vent than do something. As I say I dont think any good will of come by me pursuing the incident directly or just using Facebook to rant.

Unfortunately for those who have these momentary lapses a good reputation is hard built but easily lost.

I did exactly that and politely suggested that they send him on a track day to get it out of his system. The boss appreciated that someone else could have taken the matter differently and I think that had a more profound effect on him than publicly shaming the business.

Do you know if the driver was actually spoken to?

I had a lorry tailgate me on a motorway before finally overtaking me (don't think they understand what average speed cameras do). I spotted the massive recognisable national brand logo plastered on the side so contacted them the next day. They said they'd speak to the driver but who knows if they really did.

[NickCQ]

Glassman said:

He had a very smug and arrogant look about him as he walked across my path which did annoy me. I dropped my window down and told him to hurry up (I wasn't polite) ... I called him a knob and carried on about my business.

They walk among us!

Sounds like someone crossing the road triggered your insecurity and you lashed out?

I tend to assume anyone that has to drive a van for a living is generally a little bit angry so I give them a wide berth.

[Car-Matt]

The mentality of some of the drivers in liveried up vans is hilarious and a bit mental to be fair.

I had the cheek to flash a van a few weeks ago as he came down my left on a left turn only feeder, i was going straight over an island and he proceeded to cut me up and force me to brake heavily with cars behind us, i didnt even use the horn just a quick flash to signal my displeasure.

He then slowed to a crawl, sped up, slowed, dropped to the side and tried to ram me off the road whilst hanging out of the window foaming at the mouth, all in 40mph city centre rush hour traffic.

I recognised the livery as a local food company to me, although both of us were 70 miles away from our locality it was mildly unfortunate for him as i phoned the company , spoke to the Sales Director and voiced my concern about the image his company may have on the roads. He was a thoroughly decent chap and promised to deal with it and let me know the outcome. The outcome was loss of job for the individual, unfortunate all round for both the company and the guys family/dependants.

If you're in uniform or a liveried vehichle you cant afford the red mist

[Plug Life]

So that damn indicator got broken again? Oh no...

[lyonspride]

I usually Youtube these twits (but only in very bad/extreme cases), put their company name in the keywords and video title, it only take about 2 weeks for it to start appearing at the top of Google search results for that company.

Best to try the Police first though, with video footage they're likely to at least speak to the driver, because they know if the media gets hold of it, there will be a st storm.

[Gooose]

I have a works van for quite a large company in Wales, and I meet idiot drivers everyday, I can’t say a thing because it only takes one member of the public to complain and my bonus will be gone. There have been a few instances where things have got heated with colleagues of mine and even if the other person is in the wrong they soon act like kids, threatening to tell on you, it’s like a school playground out there!

Posting videos on YouTube and facebook of crap driving is just a bit sad in my opinion, grow a pair and knock on the companies door if you have a problem

[Nickbrapp]

Some dozy woman contacted the company I worked for at the time to say she had seen 2 of our vans “racing” on the M4 near Swansea. The woman who answered the call said, all the vans are limited to 70 and then put the phone down

These where caddy’s so 70 was the limit obvs

[TooMany2cvs]

Nickbrapp said:

Some dozy woman contacted the company I worked for at the time to say she had seen 2 of our vans “racing” on the M4 near Swansea. The woman who answered the call said, all the vans are limited to 70 and then put the phone down

These where caddy’s so 70 was the limit obvs

Because it's impossible to "race" within the limit, of course...

...assuming that is a 70-limit stretch of M4.

[Ninja59]

Done it multiple times I can see both sides of the coin as it were.

In many cases i can understand time pressures and other pressures that exist in "doing a job". More so if it is HGV's on limited time.

But, and it is a big but, some of the standards of driving that liveried vehicles I have personally witnessed leave a lot to be desired. It is pointless having an incident for the sake of a few minutes of safer, more relaxed driving.

For me this weeks was a liveried fiesta being driven in a 30mph zone with speed humps. Problem is the driver despite no parked cars on either side, just felt it was "correct" to drive straight down the centre with me oncoming. He forced me stop, when he did not respond as to his road positioning I tooted. Only then did he correct it, followed by waving two fingers at me.

It was quite easy to report him within minutes. He possibly thought nothing of it (or that nothing would come of it), but on the odd occasion I will make a point about poor, more so "unsafe" driving as there is no need for it when it endangers other road users. End of.

I have only ever had one truly negative experience in reporting bad driving which goes to a medical supply company. They tried to argue it, I gave them an opportunity to rethink their response. So I then decided to upload it to youtube...as said with the correct keywords it dam easy utilising youtube to get something to rank in search results.

The best result from reporting bad driving after a courier van nearly rammed me off the road, twice was an unexpected hamper basket!
Courier company was Fedex no less, i doubt you would get any response from Yodel.

[Johnnytheboy]

Nickbrapp said:

Some dozy woman contacted the company I worked for at the time to say she had seen 2 of our vans “racing” on the M4 near Swansea. The woman who answered the call said, all the vans are limited to 70 and then put the phone down

These where caddy’s so 70 was the limit obvs

We've had that, two very sensible middle-aged drivers accused of racing on a dual carriageway in Dorset in fairly elderly Peugeot vans. The "racing" was down to the fact they "kept changing lane".

[lyonspride]

Gooose said:

Posting videos on YouTube and facebook of crap driving is just a bit sad in my opinion, grow a pair and knock on the companies door if you have a problem

Companies only care about their image, that's why YT and FB are so much more effective.

Anyone who gets in a livered up works vehicle and drives like a tw@, deserves all they get.

[Gooose]

lyonspride said:

Gooose said:

Posting videos on YouTube and facebook of crap driving is just a bit sad in my opinion, grow a pair and knock on the companies door if you have a problem

Companies only care about their image, that's why YT and FB are so much more effective.

Anyone who gets in a livered up works vehicle and drives like a tw@, deserves all they get.

But half the time they don’t drive like a tw@, but the balance of power is in the publics hands and they know it, going over 70 down a hill on the motorway when your van says it’s limited to 70, put a complaint in.
In a wrong lane on a roundabout so you pull in in front of someone, obviously showing you're the alpha male in the mind of the person you pulled in front off, put a complaint in.
Drive down a country lane and ask the other person to reverse because the pull in is a mile of reversing for you, they put a complaint in. The company I work for get these on a daily basis.

[Leptons]

I drive my liveried Van the same way as I drive my Un-Liveried cars. If I’m road raging you there’s probably a good and justified reason for it.

You can Put me on You-Tube all you like you sad little men

[Douglas Quaid]

The word is have. May have. Would have. May of and would of aren’t English. Come on man, read some books. You can’t expect people to take you seriously if you can’t use basic English.

[cmvtec]

Only once I've needed to do this, and it was with a coach driver who came within inches of clipping the back of my car whilst performing and overtake on a 40mph dual carriageway, then started easing back over into the inside lane whilst he was still alongside me, causing me to take evasive. He then got out of his cab at a green traffic light (albeit in slow moving rush hour traffic) and started to mess around with the storage boot below the bus.

I dialled the number on the back of the coach that I then followed for a couple of miles, spoke to the owner of the outfit and he seemed genuinely aggrieved with the driver. It turns out I vaguely knew this guy via a family member and he later confirmed he does take stuff like this seriously.

[tharriso]

Had a phone call off a random complaining one of our van drivers had brake checked her on the motorway.

There were a few other issues with him in the file and that was the one that put him over the line for dismissal.

He then spent months making an embarrassingly bad attempt to claim unfair dismissal. I did not care as I had consulted our legal insurers at all stages so was confident that he had no case and we would not be paying him anyway.



I can think of three occasions where I have seen two vans from the same company happen to meet on the motorway then start clowning about - shaking hands / passing stuff between the vans / having a banter. Not giving a toss about the cars they are holding up behind. Fancied complaining to their employer each time but never bothered.