How do you approach a queue behind overtaking trucks?

[Riley Blue]

Pica-Pica said:

This is advanced driving, you would not find yourself in that position - through observation earlier on.
However, as implied just now, there is a way of presenting your vehicle in position and pace as to be perceived as not aggressive but suitably placed to ‘nip in’ unobtrusively. Situation dependent, of course. Some may let you in, and like to feel magnanimous - as long as suitable thank you is given.

TD;LR Drive according the traffic density and spacing at the time.

[PhilAsia]

My understanding is that you are not allowed to undertake to gain an advantage, ie, push in later after undertaking. I have been in Asia for the last 30 years and cannot be bothered to check the latest HC though.

I would hang back in lane one without undertaking, or follow in lane two depending on the assessed amount of time taken for the overtake, pace and volume of vehicles.

[Pica-Pica]

Riley Blue said:

Pica-Pica said:

This is advanced driving, you would not find yourself in that position - through observation earlier on.
However, as implied just now, there is a way of presenting your vehicle in position and pace as to be perceived as not aggressive but suitably placed to ‘nip in’ unobtrusively. Situation dependent, of course. Some may let you in, and like to feel magnanimous - as long as suitable thank you is given.

TD;LR Drive according the traffic density and spacing at the time.

Or: Judgement.

[Red Devil]

Riley Blue said:

hyperblue said:

s p a c e m a n said:

3. Stay in lane 1, fly up and down the next junction and beat them all?

Bonus points if the “junction” is a lay-by.

I... um... may have done just this in my youth, heading westbound on the A272 at New Cheriton. The layby is the other side of the road and long enough to slam on the anchors if something was approaching round the bend. It was the stupidest of moves, the Moggy Traveller I was driving was probably little faster than the tractor and trailer I was passing.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/yBw9bUPeLfSg8ftL9

The visibility is almost non-existent until the winter months when the leaves are off the trees...

[Riley Blue]

Red Devil said:

Riley Blue said:

hyperblue said:

s p a c e m a n said:

3. Stay in lane 1, fly up and down the next junction and beat them all?

Bonus points if the “junction” is a lay-by.

I... um... may have done just this in my youth, heading westbound on the A272 at New Cheriton. The layby is the other side of the road and long enough to slam on the anchors if something was approaching round the bend. It was the stupidest of moves, the Moggy Traveller I was driving was probably little faster than the tractor and trailer I was passing.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/yBw9bUPeLfSg8ftL9

The visibility is almost non-existent until the winter months when the leaves are off the trees...

'My youth' was around 50-55 years ago. The trees have grown a lot since then.

[mac96]

Riley Blue said:

Red Devil said:

Riley Blue said:

hyperblue said:

s p a c e m a n said:

3. Stay in lane 1, fly up and down the next junction and beat them all?

Bonus points if the “junction” is a lay-by.

I... um... may have done just this in my youth, heading westbound on the A272 at New Cheriton. The layby is the other side of the road and long enough to slam on the anchors if something was approaching round the bend. It was the stupidest of moves, the Moggy Traveller I was driving was probably little faster than the tractor and trailer I was passing.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/yBw9bUPeLfSg8ftL9

The visibility is almost non-existent until the winter months when the leaves are off the trees...

'My youth' was around 50-55 years ago. The trees have grown a lot since then.

I used to dream of overtaking a slow truck through a lay-by like that. Then I saw Duel, and started seeming like a bad idea!

[Somewhatfoolish]

mac96 said:

Riley Blue said:

Red Devil said:

Riley Blue said:

hyperblue said:

s p a c e m a n said:

3. Stay in lane 1, fly up and down the next junction and beat them all?

Bonus points if the “junction” is a lay-by.

I... um... may have done just this in my youth, heading westbound on the A272 at New Cheriton. The layby is the other side of the road and long enough to slam on the anchors if something was approaching round the bend. It was the stupidest of moves, the Moggy Traveller I was driving was probably little faster than the tractor and trailer I was passing.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/yBw9bUPeLfSg8ftL9

The visibility is almost non-existent until the winter months when the leaves are off the trees...

'My youth' was around 50-55 years ago. The trees have grown a lot since then.

I used to dream of overtaking a slow truck through a lay-by like that. Then I saw Duel, and started seeming like a bad idea!

If one were throbbingly inclined, then the way to do it would be to attempt it on a slip road, then you have an easy "off" if you've misjudged it. Plenty of slip roads where it'd be possible.

Sometimes local knowledge can be useful for alternative routes around junctions. One big obvious one is junction 8 on the M1 where it's often quicker to go on the A414 "feeder slips" in both directions (and you skip a HADECS camera too!)

[tog]

hyperblue said:

Bonus points if the “junction” is a lay-by.

Double bonus points if it's a petrol station.

[this is my username]

Had this situation yesterday. The problem then became that the vehicles opting for "A" just weren't making it past the truck due to the number of drivers opting for "B" and cutting in.

Fortunately I'm too old to get excited about these things.

[al78]

PhilAsia said:

My understanding is that you are not allowed to undertake to gain an advantage, ie, push in later after undertaking. I have been in Asia for the last 30 years and cannot be bothered to check the latest HC though.

I would hang back in lane one without undertaking, or follow in lane two depending on the assessed amount of time taken for the overtake, pace and volume of vehicles.

That is effectively what you are supposed to do when a lane ahead is closed and two lanes have to merge into one i.e. use all available road space in both lanes and merge in turn at the constriction. That makes maximum use of the available road space and is the fastest method of getting everyone through the constriction. Unfortunately UK residents are clueless about zip merging which is why a free-flowing M25 frequently grinds to a halt at the junction with the M4 because drivers in L1 have no concept of leaving a gap in front of them and allowing a vehicle to merge in front from the slip road. It makes sense to me that when confronted by a rolling convoy of HGVs on a dual carriageway, this could be thought of as a moving constriction and zip merging prior to overtaking would be the most efficient way of collective overtaking, assuming drivers don't think a speed differential of walking pace is a good idea.

[wyson]

FMOB said:

Just stay in lane 1 until the elephant race is over, it could be quite a few miles until there is a winner and then overtake when there is a gap in lane 2.

The fact everyone sits in lane 2 going nowhere is daft, it is just a stressful way to drive with the random braking, trying not to get caught out and cause an accident.

This. Sit back, let them sort themselves out, make progress once clear.

[Robertb]

I would move into lane 1 and sit diagonally behind the car I caught up with in lane 2 if that makes any sense, then I pull back out when I need to.

[milesgiles]

Never understood how close can old people up for minutes in this scenario and not get a ticket

[PhilAsia]

milesgiles said:

Never understood how close can old people up for minutes in this scenario and not get a ticket

Are you picking words out of a bucket?

[giantdefy]

PhilAsia said:

milesgiles said:

Never understood how close can old people up for minutes in this scenario and not get a ticket

Are you picking words out of a bucket?

[Countdown]

Mad Maximus said:

A unless your a complete throbber.

I was going to say tat BUT

OP didnt move from L2 to L1 to overtake lots of cars with a view to cutting back in behind the Lorry. He was already in L1 and it's surprisingly common IME for L1 to be moving quicker than L2 for various reasons (mainly because people in L2 or L3 are doing the 90mph brake-accelerate-brake-accelerate conga)

if OP came up to a slow moving vehicle in L1 I think it's perfectly reasonable to indicate, wait until a gap appears and then move into L2, rather than waiting until everybody in L2 has passed

[Richard-D]

Generally 'A', but if you find yourself in position 'B' for any reason (intentional or otherwise) I think that's fine so long as you indicate and wait to be let out.

[Majorslow]

Most agree you shouldn't get yourself in this position in the first place, but, if you do you could consider chucking the indicator on "asking" to be let in. Very often someone will let you.

However as most will not, and don't keep a decent gap between themselves and the car in front, better be patient and do "A"

But, as an advanced driver, leaving the appropriate gap you in turn will get loads of throbbers doing "B" to you

Maybe the law should be changed so that on D/C's with 2 lanes ( and M/W's with only 2 lanes) HGV's shouldn't be allowed to overtake owing to the rage and queues that build up behind them.

The A34 is a nightmare with it's hills and HGV's taking a couple of miles to over take when one is doing 1 MPH faster than another. This road does suggest they don't in places but is ignored at times

Or we all allow more time for our journeys and not worry about it?

[PhilAsia]

Majorslow said:

Most agree you shouldn't get yourself in this position in the first place, but, if you do you could consider chucking the indicator on "asking" to be let in. Very often someone will let you.

However as most will not, and don't keep a decent gap between themselves and the car in front, better be patient and do "A"

But, as an advanced driver, leaving the appropriate gap you in turn will get loads of throbbers doing "B" to you

Maybe the law should be changed so that on D/C's with 2 lanes ( and M/W's with only 2 lanes) HGV's shouldn't be allowed to overtake owing to the rage and queues that build up behind them.

The A34 is a nightmare with it's hills and HGV's taking a couple of miles to over take when one is doing 1 MPH faster than another. This road does suggest they don't in places but is ignored at times

Or we all allow more time for our journeys and not worry about it?

If you are "leaving the appropriate gap" and "you in turn will get loads of throbbers doing "B" to you", then you should be comforted by the knowledge that one car means an additional three seconds journey time. Twenty "throbbers" cause one (1) additional minute added to your journey time.

So, allow a minute or two extra.

[bergclimber34]

I think in my experience driving on single carriageway roads in recent years, truck drivers will stop at nothing to save minutes, so will often use roads they really shouldn't, this is very frustrating and leads to a lot of incidents.

All because they cant be "arsed" to go one junction down on a motorway and enter the bypass when it starts, we are all going to have to get used to stuff like this as they are by far the most important thing on the road, we must remember that!