Who's the ****, me or the trucker ?
Discussion
Righty ho chaps, give me your opinions !
Whilst travelling down the A417/419 today (an almost motorway grade NSL dual carriageway)I needed to pull into a layby (to do a two hourly blood sugar check, although the reason doesn't really matter).
Upon entering one I come up behind a lorry blocking the layby, he's alongside a ford escort van which has no driver in it, and there is another lorry a cars length in front of the van, parked nicely.
A concrete barrier to my right, and an nsl dual behind me, lorry doesn't move but his hazards come on, so I pop along to see what the problem is.
Brain of Britain, the trucker, tells me he's on his break and won't be going anywhere so I'll have to wait. I tell him to not be so daft, he can't block the road, move his lorry, he retells me that he is on his break, it is illegal for him to move the lorry, so I'll have to wait, he winds his window up and locks the door.
I've put the hazards on my van in case anything else comes in, I'm in a bit of a dangerous position really, do my blood sugar check, and this clown isn't moving, he really does think he can do this.
I use the phone in the layby to notify the HA that I have an issue, and what the issue is, the lady is really nice, "oh another one", she asks for the lorry details saying she'll pass it to the Police and they'll be along to deal with him, but it may take half an hour or so, until then she wants me to stay out of my van, and under no circumstances am I to try and reverse back onto the carriageway (not that I needed telling to be honest).
After about 15 minutes, he starts his lorry and drives off. I move my van to a parking space and ring the HA to tell them, the chap who answered the phone said "ok, y0u can be on your way, no need to wait for the Police, we'll notify them he's gone, and they'll deal with him if they wish".
So, is this normal practice ?
The HA have obviously come across it before, but I never have.
It could be a new annoy the other road users tactic, maybe they've got fed up with elephant racing now, and we're all going to have tacho breaks with them.
Whilst travelling down the A417/419 today (an almost motorway grade NSL dual carriageway)I needed to pull into a layby (to do a two hourly blood sugar check, although the reason doesn't really matter).
Upon entering one I come up behind a lorry blocking the layby, he's alongside a ford escort van which has no driver in it, and there is another lorry a cars length in front of the van, parked nicely.
A concrete barrier to my right, and an nsl dual behind me, lorry doesn't move but his hazards come on, so I pop along to see what the problem is.
Brain of Britain, the trucker, tells me he's on his break and won't be going anywhere so I'll have to wait. I tell him to not be so daft, he can't block the road, move his lorry, he retells me that he is on his break, it is illegal for him to move the lorry, so I'll have to wait, he winds his window up and locks the door.
I've put the hazards on my van in case anything else comes in, I'm in a bit of a dangerous position really, do my blood sugar check, and this clown isn't moving, he really does think he can do this.
I use the phone in the layby to notify the HA that I have an issue, and what the issue is, the lady is really nice, "oh another one", she asks for the lorry details saying she'll pass it to the Police and they'll be along to deal with him, but it may take half an hour or so, until then she wants me to stay out of my van, and under no circumstances am I to try and reverse back onto the carriageway (not that I needed telling to be honest).
After about 15 minutes, he starts his lorry and drives off. I move my van to a parking space and ring the HA to tell them, the chap who answered the phone said "ok, y0u can be on your way, no need to wait for the Police, we'll notify them he's gone, and they'll deal with him if they wish".
So, is this normal practice ?
The HA have obviously come across it before, but I never have.
It could be a new annoy the other road users tactic, maybe they've got fed up with elephant racing now, and we're all going to have tacho breaks with them.
Sounds like he's had to pull in for his break and upon seeing no space he's got all indignant and decided to block the layby.
People do seem to be getting more militant and 'computer says no' as time goes on. It's his job to drive in such a manner that he can find a spot to pull over in time for his tacho break, not ditch it and to hell with the rest of you.
People do seem to be getting more militant and 'computer says no' as time goes on. It's his job to drive in such a manner that he can find a spot to pull over in time for his tacho break, not ditch it and to hell with the rest of you.
I am happy to be corrected if I'm wrong, but I believe the offence is "willful obstruction of the highway" or something along those lines.
As far as I can tell, if his position prevents access to the layby, it's fine. If he prevents you from getting out of the layby onto the road, he commits the offence. And no. As you can probably tell, I have received no formal legal training.
He'll be the same sort of **** who'll happily park up their 40 footer on the hard shoulder under a motorway bridge, draw the curtains and go to bed, in order to save a few quid on service station parking. Or park up all night in a residential street but leave the fridge unit running. Some of them are properly selfish ****s.
As far as I can tell, if his position prevents access to the layby, it's fine. If he prevents you from getting out of the layby onto the road, he commits the offence. And no. As you can probably tell, I have received no formal legal training.
He'll be the same sort of **** who'll happily park up their 40 footer on the hard shoulder under a motorway bridge, draw the curtains and go to bed, in order to save a few quid on service station parking. Or park up all night in a residential street but leave the fridge unit running. Some of them are properly selfish ****s.
I understand what has happened and have seen it a lot, though only at night. There is a massive shortage of parking space for hgvs in the uk, and as we know the drivers have to stop by law. And that's it, really.
Only thing is is that he should have stopped at the layby entry so that vehicles already in the layby can leave, and no others can enter and get trapped.
The only other aspect IMO is the legality or responsibility of disturbing drivers on a legally required break.
Only thing is is that he should have stopped at the layby entry so that vehicles already in the layby can leave, and no others can enter and get trapped.
The only other aspect IMO is the legality or responsibility of disturbing drivers on a legally required break.
He was being a bit of a dick. Unfortunately there is minority of HGV drivers who are brim full of self importance. They think they're akin to god because if it wasn't for the fact that he isn't an incompetent f
kwit and doesn't want to go to prison he could massacre the lot of you with a flick of his wrist or a nod of bis head. This comes from the hours of solitude when he withdraws from reality and into his own head to a world where he proves that VOSA are intellectual pygmies with his superior understanding the law, and makes the transport manager cry for making him wait for a back load. By the time he reaches the transport caff your brief meeting will be a far more dramatic tale, starring him as Steven Seagal and you as 'the man without a clue'.
(cue the indignant "you try stopping a gazallion ton, million quid load in an area no bigger than a 5 pence piece without waking the student tied up on the bunk and still make the Irish ferry on time for tupenny thrupence an hour. It's the poles" reply that will prove me right.
kwit and doesn't want to go to prison he could massacre the lot of you with a flick of his wrist or a nod of bis head. This comes from the hours of solitude when he withdraws from reality and into his own head to a world where he proves that VOSA are intellectual pygmies with his superior understanding the law, and makes the transport manager cry for making him wait for a back load. By the time he reaches the transport caff your brief meeting will be a far more dramatic tale, starring him as Steven Seagal and you as 'the man without a clue'.(cue the indignant "you try stopping a gazallion ton, million quid load in an area no bigger than a 5 pence piece without waking the student tied up on the bunk and still make the Irish ferry on time for tupenny thrupence an hour. It's the poles" reply that will prove me right.
heebeegeetee said:
Only thing is is that he should have stopped at the layby entry so that vehicles already in the layby can leave, and no others can enter and get trapped.
Interesting.heebeegeetee said:
The only other aspect IMO is the legality or responsibility of disturbing drivers on a legally required break.
See OP... you are the **** after all! 
johnny fotze said:
I'll balance that out a bit by saying YOU should have stayed in your car. What would you have done if there had been a problem? Fixed it for him? Rightly or wrongly he was there for a reason, surely you knew that any face to face would not end in hugs and handshakes?
I didn't know why he was there like that until I asked.If he'd broken down it would have still been annoying but a little more understandable, anyway without the gift of telepathy, which I don't have, speaking to him was the only way I was likely to find out why he was blocking the road.
I like the fact that you'd just have unquestionably formed a queue though, very British.
heebeegeetee said:
Only thing is is that he should have stopped at the layby entry so that vehicles already in the layby can leave, and no others can enter and get trapped.
I doubt one is allowed to park on the layby entry. There are designated parking spots for that. If they are all occupied, tough luck. Stop sooner and/or leave the highway to park somewhere else. If your boss does not like that, join the union or look for another job.Kolbenkopp said:
heebeegeetee said:
Only thing is is that he should have stopped at the layby entry so that vehicles already in the layby can leave, and no others can enter and get trapped.
I doubt one is allowed to park on the layby entry. There are designated parking spots for that. If they are all occupied, tough luck. Stop sooner and/or leave the highway to park somewhere else. If your boss does not like that, join the union or look for another job.johnny fotze said:
I'll balance that out a bit by saying YOU should have stayed in your car. What would you have done if there had been a problem? Fixed it for him? Rightly or wrongly he was there for a reason, surely you knew that any face to face would not end in hugs and handshakes?
Seriously what goes through some people's heads?!
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