Car drivers to be allowed to drive lorry
Discussion
Good lard! that won't end well.
Saying that, me and a mate were driving lorries in our early 20s as we passed our car tests in the early 80s plus we drove vans for a living.
OK most of the lorries were 7.5 tonne but the hire company would sometimes cock up and give us bigger stuff. Never artics though
I was 20 when working on a farm and was put straight onto driving huge tractors with very big trailers. No lessons, we just worked out what to do.
Threading the tanker trailer backwards through a busy carpark to the milk filling station was fun, well until my mate reversed the tanker over a Mini.
Told the farmer and he said 'I think it's time we get insurance'
Different times and a different country.
Saying that, me and a mate were driving lorries in our early 20s as we passed our car tests in the early 80s plus we drove vans for a living.
OK most of the lorries were 7.5 tonne but the hire company would sometimes cock up and give us bigger stuff. Never artics though
I was 20 when working on a farm and was put straight onto driving huge tractors with very big trailers. No lessons, we just worked out what to do.
Threading the tanker trailer backwards through a busy carpark to the milk filling station was fun, well until my mate reversed the tanker over a Mini.
Told the farmer and he said 'I think it's time we get insurance'
Different times and a different country.
Mr Tidy said:
No, I'm sure he means 7.5 tonne.
If you passed your car test before 1 January 1997 you automatically got entitlement to drive 7.5 tonners.
I've rented a few for house moves over the years and while they are a rather different experience they aren't that difficult to drive.
Not quite 100% true. If you are later restricted to a 3 year renewal (on medical grounds) then, despite passing your test before Jan 1997, you are limited to 3.5tIf you passed your car test before 1 January 1997 you automatically got entitlement to drive 7.5 tonners.
I've rented a few for house moves over the years and while they are a rather different experience they aren't that difficult to drive.
So if you can't get people to do a job that requires training and a special license, you lower the bar and let anyone do it?
Might be an answer to the doctor shortage.
https://en.uncyclopedia.co/wiki/Open-Heart_Surgery...
What could possibly go wrong?
Might be an answer to the doctor shortage.
https://en.uncyclopedia.co/wiki/Open-Heart_Surgery...
What could possibly go wrong?
We followed an EU directive to ban people from driving over 3.5t without a further test
Prior to that people could drive upto 7.5t without taking a further test
We are no longer in the EU
The plan is to return to that prior position, not allow everyone to drive 44t artics
Seems very reasonable
Prior to that people could drive upto 7.5t without taking a further test
We are no longer in the EU
The plan is to return to that prior position, not allow everyone to drive 44t artics
Seems very reasonable
NMNeil said:
So if you can't get people to do a job that requires training and a special license, you lower the bar and let anyone do it?
Might be an answer to the doctor shortage.
https://en.uncyclopedia.co/wiki/Open-Heart_Surgery...
What could possibly go wrong?
It doesn't require training and a special license for people who passed their test before 1997 though. So it's not lowering the bar, just equalising it.Might be an answer to the doctor shortage.
https://en.uncyclopedia.co/wiki/Open-Heart_Surgery...
What could possibly go wrong?
Of course the shortage of lorry drivers could be addressed by better pay, conditions, hours, cheaper/subsidised training, but all these cost money, whereas allowing more people to be able drive lorries by default costs nothing.
Despite being told how beneficial free markets are, as the market will always find the appropriate level, when it comes to wages/labour costs, the weapon of choice is to try and flood the labour pool where possible.
QJumper said:
NMNeil said:
So if you can't get people to do a job that requires training and a special license, you lower the bar and let anyone do it?
Might be an answer to the doctor shortage.
https://en.uncyclopedia.co/wiki/Open-Heart_Surgery...
What could possibly go wrong?
It doesn't require training and a special license for people who passed their test before 1997 though. So it's not lowering the bar, just equalising it.Might be an answer to the doctor shortage.
https://en.uncyclopedia.co/wiki/Open-Heart_Surgery...
What could possibly go wrong?
Of course the shortage of lorry drivers could be addressed by better pay, conditions, hours, cheaper/subsidised training, but all these cost money, whereas allowing more people to be able drive lorries by default costs nothing.
Despite being told how beneficial free markets are, as the market will always find the appropriate level, when it comes to wages/labour costs, the weapon of choice is to try and flood the labour pool where possible.
sheepman said:
7.5t...basically a large van.
If people think its so dangerous allowing this they should revoke the entitlement on peoples licences pre 1997.
1985 Saviem 7.5 tonnes with 150hp 6-cylinder engine: happily cruise at 65mph and still to this day legally permitted to do 70mph on motorways. But that was before all this road-speed governed 56mph EU nonsense was imposed.If people think its so dangerous allowing this they should revoke the entitlement on peoples licences pre 1997.
60mph is quite fast enough for the biggies over 7.5 tonnes. But these faster little whippets were great. We have given away so much to bureaucracy
When I finished my apprenticeship with Scottish gas they made me drive a 7.5 tonne lorry. That was 1992. They said it was in case of emergency I could be asked to drive any vehicle in the yard.
I was hit about 4/5 weeks ago by an HGV articulated lorry in Glasgow.
He was taking a right turn at traffic lights and I was turning left next to him. He took a massive swing and took out bumper, rear quarter, rear door, drivers door and wing mirror.
He got out and burst into tears.
3rd day in the job and from Ghana and didn’t want me to report it as he’d lose his job.
Oh well.
My missus ended up feeling sorry for him and we didn’t bother pursuing it as it was our old CRV dog mobile that only does about 1k a year and we will run it into the ground anyway.
I was hit about 4/5 weeks ago by an HGV articulated lorry in Glasgow.
He was taking a right turn at traffic lights and I was turning left next to him. He took a massive swing and took out bumper, rear quarter, rear door, drivers door and wing mirror.
He got out and burst into tears.
3rd day in the job and from Ghana and didn’t want me to report it as he’d lose his job.
Oh well.
My missus ended up feeling sorry for him and we didn’t bother pursuing it as it was our old CRV dog mobile that only does about 1k a year and we will run it into the ground anyway.
Earthdweller said:
We followed an EU directive to ban people from driving over 3.5t without a further test
Prior to that people could drive upto 7.5t without taking a further test
We are no longer in the EU
The plan is to return to that prior position, not allow everyone to drive 44t artics
Seems very reasonable
This. Prior to that people could drive upto 7.5t without taking a further test
We are no longer in the EU
The plan is to return to that prior position, not allow everyone to drive 44t artics
Seems very reasonable
Boring click bait.
Normal “grandad rights” resumed, which was never an issue unless you’re some kind of pant wetting remainer looking for an internet win.
For the record, and for the usual trolls, I voted remain, on reflection, and having some reliance on low volume/weight pan European logistics then this…..
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/transport-goods-in-and...
…..is more of a concern.
The threat of restrictions for “white van man” wanting to cross European borders has been about for a while.
Their very existence, especially on G.I.T logistics, or in my case, low volume/bespoke jobs is dependent on avoidance of “HGV” restrictions.
I’m sure it will sort itself out soon enough, the amount of polish and Romanian 3.5T G.I.T vans about would suggest a cordial conclusion will be forthcoming.
Fairly sure this is already being discussed here in SP&L - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
AlexRS2782 said:
Fairly sure this is already being discussed here in SP&L - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Can threads be merged ? shambolic said:
When I finished my apprenticeship with Scottish gas they made me drive a 7.5 tonne lorry. That was 1992. They said it was in case of emergency I could be asked to drive any vehicle in the yard.
I was hit about 4/5 weeks ago by an HGV articulated lorry in Glasgow.
He was taking a right turn at traffic lights and I was turning left next to him. He took a massive swing and took out bumper, rear quarter, rear door, drivers door and wing mirror.
He got out and burst into tears.
3rd day in the job and from Ghana and didn’t want me to report it as he’d lose his job.
Oh well.
My missus ended up feeling sorry for him and we didn’t bother pursuing it as it was our old CRV dog mobile that only does about 1k a year and we will run it into the ground anyway.
Really should report it, next time it'll be a mother and child in a pram or a cyclist he wipes out. Very noble of you to accept massive damage to your car and shrug but if he's driving like that he really should be looked into to make sure he's competent and capable before he kills someone.I was hit about 4/5 weeks ago by an HGV articulated lorry in Glasgow.
He was taking a right turn at traffic lights and I was turning left next to him. He took a massive swing and took out bumper, rear quarter, rear door, drivers door and wing mirror.
He got out and burst into tears.
3rd day in the job and from Ghana and didn’t want me to report it as he’d lose his job.
Oh well.
My missus ended up feeling sorry for him and we didn’t bother pursuing it as it was our old CRV dog mobile that only does about 1k a year and we will run it into the ground anyway.
I'd say at least half of older HGV drivers (been doing the job for ever, not just oldies recently got into hgv driving) started out driving vans and 7.5 tonners, i was one such.
It was an ideal stepping stone where you learned what larger vehicles were like to drive what different loads were like to deal with learned your way about and most importantly found out whether hgv driving was the job for you before you sank about 2 months gross wages into getting a class 1 licence.
Note back in those days you could go straight to class 1, and that too has been re-instated since the alleged driver shortage became a thing, better to have a grounding of routes and what a wide/high (if not especially long) vehicle feels like before going straight from a car to an artic.
It was an ideal stepping stone where you learned what larger vehicles were like to drive what different loads were like to deal with learned your way about and most importantly found out whether hgv driving was the job for you before you sank about 2 months gross wages into getting a class 1 licence.
Note back in those days you could go straight to class 1, and that too has been re-instated since the alleged driver shortage became a thing, better to have a grounding of routes and what a wide/high (if not especially long) vehicle feels like before going straight from a car to an artic.
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