27 comments Add a comment
Well maybe road pricing could work, but not for the lorry that transports our goods around the country every day. Whenever a debate takes place over driver etiquette, there are always strong feelings over who is in the right and who is in the wrong. The debate will usually be more passionate if it is 'that old Chestnut' the car versus the lorry driver.
The truth is there are good, bad and dare I say it plainly diabolical drivers across the board. We all do have one thing in common though; we are all trying to get to our destination at the same sort of time usually during the rush hour.
Is it not surprising then, that driver etiquette goes out of the window, as thousands of us converge on the same place and jockey for a position that may gain us that few extra feet?
This situation is getting bad now and we should realise that if the lorry stops running, we will all very quickly grind to a halt too! It is a long drive to the farm, if the supermarket is poorly stocked. It is a long walk, if your local garage has no fuel. Some sort of incentive therefore needs to be put into place to encourage cars off the roads at peak times, so what is it to be?
Do we make the very nature of driving a car so expensive that only the very wealthy can afford it, or do we try and dangle a carrot, to change drivers trends? Personally I would vote for the latter. The last thing I want people to think is that I am in favour of paying yet more taxes - far from it, but when it comes to our love affair with the car we are in danger of loving it to death.
Seyspray
Leave a comment
@Mark - You think the government subsidise the haulage industry? What planet are you from?!?! All the government does is raise taxes and penalise haulage firms every step of the way - why do you think so many have gone bust lately? And cars are the most "fatality causing" vehicles on the road mate, get your facts right. Fool.
10/03/10 Ell
1
The highways agency have done trial lorry overtaking bans, on stretches of the M11, M42, A14 and m5 south of Bristol.
The data obtained was that a lorry overtaking ban made no reduction in travel times at all. Info is on their site under reports. The reports suggest it was vehicles using lanes other than LANE 1 when not overtaking.
I also doubt you would have to slam on if you really were travelling at the legal 70mph limit as a difference of 14-20mph speed isn't exactly suddenly especially when they have been indicating there intentions anyway. Maybe get a eye test?
On the rare occasions that a lorry does take a long time to overtake, blame the moron keeping him out there that could ease off slightly. Let’s face it a minute is usually my overtaking time for another truck and vice versa, you have only slowed down by 14mph and most car motorway journeys are less than 50 miles. Your talking seconds added to a journey.
22/11/09 bcceh
The data obtained was that a lorry overtaking ban made no reduction in travel times at all. Info is on their site under reports. The reports suggest it was vehicles using lanes other than LANE 1 when not overtaking.
I also doubt you would have to slam on if you really were travelling at the legal 70mph limit as a difference of 14-20mph speed isn't exactly suddenly especially when they have been indicating there intentions anyway. Maybe get a eye test?
On the rare occasions that a lorry does take a long time to overtake, blame the moron keeping him out there that could ease off slightly. Let’s face it a minute is usually my overtaking time for another truck and vice versa, you have only slowed down by 14mph and most car motorway journeys are less than 50 miles. Your talking seconds added to a journey.
-31
Give me a bus that conveniently goes to and from my workplace everyday, and I'll use it. Until then, I will happily continue using my car.
As for lorries, their worst and most common offence in my opinion, is sloooooow overtaking of other lorries, which means hogging the outside lane at 60mph for several miles at a time. I find that agonisingly frustrating as a driver stuck behind them.
24/09/09 A driver
As for lorries, their worst and most common offence in my opinion, is sloooooow overtaking of other lorries, which means hogging the outside lane at 60mph for several miles at a time. I find that agonisingly frustrating as a driver stuck behind them.
3
Lorries are the reason for motorway congestion,they pull into second lane, then take 6 miles trying to overtake a lorry with same maximum speed limit as they have. Qhen a lorry pulls into 2nd lane everyone slams on because they are doing 70 mph, the fast lane then gets chogged up because every one wants to get into it. Keep lorries in 1st lane, let traffic flow. Also when people are joining the motorway people are moving into 2nd lane to allow this. The person joining the motorway should use there own initiative to join safely. By people moving over it blocks the 2nd lane and slows traffic flow.
24/09/09 Robbie
2
Try driving on the interstate(2 lane in most long haul straights) here in the US, you think you got it bad on 3 lanes its even worse when you have a plug of traffic backed up for miles. I had the opportunity to ride with my grandfather in a truck and they do have an etiquette, if you are in a car or truck(lorry) the unwritten rule is if a truck needs to change lanes you slow down far enough behind him flash your lights and this signals clear to enter or if you are past the halfway mark then simply speed up to clear a space for the truck to change lanes behind you. Or if you wish to pass a truck then speed up to where the truck can see you signal for a good 5-10 seconds and then enter his lane far enough ahead so that way he does not have to loose momentum to open up following distance(Essentially fuel and brakes = money) and to thank them give the 4 ways a couple blinks in acknowledgment. This understanding and communication handshake eliminates most problems I have ever seen with truckers(lorry drivers) and, no CB required.
07/05/09 Trucker etiquette...
35
It makes me laugh, every time there is a discussion about lorry drivers, they always come out with the same 'excuse'. As if to justify their own existence, apparently the whole world would grind to a halt if there were no lorries to transport stuff around! Absolute rubbish!
Think about this lorry drivers, you can complain all you like about the other people who use your roads to drive to work, but if they didn't drive to work they'd have no money. If they had no money they wouldn't be able to buy the vasy array of items you haul from distribution centres to retail outlets. If those items are not selling then the shops would need less supply which means you, the lorry driver, would be out of a job.
The UK is far too over relient on lorries for transporting goods due to the complete balls up of the rail network in the 70's and 80's. The strike by tanker drivers in 2000 only caused chaos because 1) they were fuel tankers and 2) the media caused panic buying. I hardly think a strike by lorries containing computers, car parts, toys or magazines will bring the country to a standstill. But I wish you well with your next strike and I actually look forward to it - a nicer drive to work.
10/03/09 Claire
Think about this lorry drivers, you can complain all you like about the other people who use your roads to drive to work, but if they didn't drive to work they'd have no money. If they had no money they wouldn't be able to buy the vasy array of items you haul from distribution centres to retail outlets. If those items are not selling then the shops would need less supply which means you, the lorry driver, would be out of a job.
The UK is far too over relient on lorries for transporting goods due to the complete balls up of the rail network in the 70's and 80's. The strike by tanker drivers in 2000 only caused chaos because 1) they were fuel tankers and 2) the media caused panic buying. I hardly think a strike by lorries containing computers, car parts, toys or magazines will bring the country to a standstill. But I wish you well with your next strike and I actually look forward to it - a nicer drive to work.
-1
Mark-- well we have so many lorries on the road to transport things about!! heavy GOODS vehicles...the clue is in the name see. They are only the bane of poor drivers that think the world revolves around them and due to poor learning of the Highway Code fail to grasp the fact that different types of vehicle have different needs and weaknesses on the road network,be it a cyclist or a tractor or moped.What massively increases congestion and journy times is non essential car journeys as the fact HGVs are on the road 24/7 there never is a problem untill the idiots wake up and go to work...things then return to normal untill they decide to go home. Well you will be please to know the Government don't subsidise lorries as tax on a unit is £650 plus theres trailer tax and tax on diesel, which lorries burn lots of,around one gallon per 10 miles.You however do subsidise them as the computer you typed your rant on and all of its componants have beens on hundreds of lorries as well as the bricks of your house and everything you possess. I doubt they cause 100 times the damage as the maximum weight per axle is only 10t by law with very large tyre which distribute the weight and cause less damage than the hundreds ofcars thatwould be neededto transport one lorry load. Maybe have a little think about things before you type retarted commnets in the future or maybe get a education.
22/01/09 MoreThanOneCell
-5
Why do we have so many lorries on the road? They are the bane of drivers everyhwere. They massively increase congestion and journey times whilst being the most fatality causing users of the road. What really annoys me though is the way us other road users are forced by the government to subsidise lorries which cause over 100x the road damage per journey compared to a car.
20/01/09 Mark
-1
Car crusher - who let you out and why have you strayed from your tree hugger discussion board? Isn't there a by-pass somewhere you should be trying to stop, or oiling the bearings on your wheel barrow?
19/10/08 Cars not Trains
3
This whole gripe is altogether a no-brainer. Cars, the solution, crush 'em. Crush 'em all!.
18/10/08 Car Crusher
-4
It is the same, however due to speed limits we have to tailgate before a overtake, rather than pull out early with a decent breaking distance so we cause as little disruption as possible. Therefore sometimes we only have 10ft before we start breaking and losing momentum.
If more people were switched on when driving, checking for indicators, observing around them and predicting others movements then motorways would run better. It not difficult to notice a lorry going faster than the one in front, its never a problem when I’m in my car and I usually flash them out and change to lane 3 before they even indicate.
Sometimes size has to be used to our advantage, but even this is taught when learning to drive, due to the fact it is far harder to correct mistakes in a HGV. Always make the cars do the work.
I've been on a dual carriageway, noticed a broken down vehicle blocking lane 1, yet indicating right, every1 keeps trying to get past me, obviously with only 250 yards to stop(which isn’t enough distance) I move over gradually regardless of any car there, so they can either accelerate or slow. The consequences of a 44t truck hitting another stationary would be disastrous.
One thing I always notice is the standard of driving during working hours 9-5 is far better than outside of that time, as there are far more experienced drivers on the road. Many can see a potential hazard and avoid it. There is less tailgating and better manners.
I’m not sure what you mean about the slow idiot overtaking them comment.
18/10/08 Duh
If more people were switched on when driving, checking for indicators, observing around them and predicting others movements then motorways would run better. It not difficult to notice a lorry going faster than the one in front, its never a problem when I’m in my car and I usually flash them out and change to lane 3 before they even indicate.
Sometimes size has to be used to our advantage, but even this is taught when learning to drive, due to the fact it is far harder to correct mistakes in a HGV. Always make the cars do the work.
I've been on a dual carriageway, noticed a broken down vehicle blocking lane 1, yet indicating right, every1 keeps trying to get past me, obviously with only 250 yards to stop(which isn’t enough distance) I move over gradually regardless of any car there, so they can either accelerate or slow. The consequences of a 44t truck hitting another stationary would be disastrous.
One thing I always notice is the standard of driving during working hours 9-5 is far better than outside of that time, as there are far more experienced drivers on the road. Many can see a potential hazard and avoid it. There is less tailgating and better manners.
I’m not sure what you mean about the slow idiot overtaking them comment.
-10
I think you'll find, regardless of the numerous driving tests you've taken (how many was it again?!) and the different types of vehicle - the procedure for attempting an overtaking maneuver is the same. Unless of course you're in a BMW where ownerships grants the right of immunity to all road laws and common decency.
Not that I am aflicted by the phobia of overtaking a lorry, my wife is and I can tell you the reason for that is due to a previous incident where a lorry 'drifted' into her lane whist overtaking causing a high speed accident. This, coupled with the fact that many cars are travelling at 85mph+ in lane 3, joining this lane at anything below 70mph is also a hazzard.
I know that driving long and high sided vehicles makes controlling them a bit tricky at times, even more so when they are trailers - but lorries tend to use their size to bully cars into moving (or not moving as the case may be).
Totally agree about standard of motorway driving - the sooner the driving test for cars and bikes includes a motorway element the better.
As a person who gets caught up daily behind lorries whilst in lane 3 (me in lane 3, not the lorries) - regardless of the fact its the slow idiot overtaking the lorries in lane 3 that causes the hold up - you have to look at the reason they are overtaking to begin with.
16/10/08 Bodge
Not that I am aflicted by the phobia of overtaking a lorry, my wife is and I can tell you the reason for that is due to a previous incident where a lorry 'drifted' into her lane whist overtaking causing a high speed accident. This, coupled with the fact that many cars are travelling at 85mph+ in lane 3, joining this lane at anything below 70mph is also a hazzard.
I know that driving long and high sided vehicles makes controlling them a bit tricky at times, even more so when they are trailers - but lorries tend to use their size to bully cars into moving (or not moving as the case may be).
Totally agree about standard of motorway driving - the sooner the driving test for cars and bikes includes a motorway element the better.
As a person who gets caught up daily behind lorries whilst in lane 3 (me in lane 3, not the lorries) - regardless of the fact its the slow idiot overtaking the lorries in lane 3 that causes the hold up - you have to look at the reason they are overtaking to begin with.
-2
Bodge, having passed five different driving tests, and having my driving assessed yearly, I don't need tips off someone without a license for the type of vehicle I drive thanks. I do more miles in reverse in a year than most car drivers.
Its usually mirror...come on hurry up and overtake me moron, you can do 70mph!.....sod it lets encourage him to speed up before I run into the back of this truck/crane/old gran/broken down vehicle.
The amount of time I’ve had my indicator on with a car behind in lane 2- knowing lane 3 is clear for them to change into, I pull out , but no, they brake and sit behind me like a lemming, then another lemming comes along, and another. Then someone comes up doing 60mph but decides to use lane three, then they’re too scared to pass the lorries. That’s how traffic builds up.
The problem is motorway driving is not part of the test and until people are taught how to change lanes and most importantly enter a motorway, then the standard of driving will be poor. Everyone thinks they are a great driver because they can drive at 100mph, but once you start putting lane changes, roadwork’s and all sorts of other hazards most car drivers don’t know what to do and over react.
As for hitting the road at rush hour, I wish! I have never had a job starting later than 6am unless of course its night trunking. every driver will get out on the roads as early as they can so they have more time to get their drops of and to allow for reasonable delays.
Overtaking lorries can be a pain even to other lorry drivers. What should happen is the vehicle in lane 1 should ease of if it becomes a stalemate, which is what I and many other do. However as with every proffesion, there are bad apples, which is why we have beeen punished on the A12 and A14.
14/10/08 Duh
Its usually mirror...come on hurry up and overtake me moron, you can do 70mph!.....sod it lets encourage him to speed up before I run into the back of this truck/crane/old gran/broken down vehicle.
The amount of time I’ve had my indicator on with a car behind in lane 2- knowing lane 3 is clear for them to change into, I pull out , but no, they brake and sit behind me like a lemming, then another lemming comes along, and another. Then someone comes up doing 60mph but decides to use lane three, then they’re too scared to pass the lorries. That’s how traffic builds up.
The problem is motorway driving is not part of the test and until people are taught how to change lanes and most importantly enter a motorway, then the standard of driving will be poor. Everyone thinks they are a great driver because they can drive at 100mph, but once you start putting lane changes, roadwork’s and all sorts of other hazards most car drivers don’t know what to do and over react.
As for hitting the road at rush hour, I wish! I have never had a job starting later than 6am unless of course its night trunking. every driver will get out on the roads as early as they can so they have more time to get their drops of and to allow for reasonable delays.
Overtaking lorries can be a pain even to other lorry drivers. What should happen is the vehicle in lane 1 should ease of if it becomes a stalemate, which is what I and many other do. However as with every proffesion, there are bad apples, which is why we have beeen punished on the A12 and A14.
-10
31 Million cars on the UK roads, 400 000, trucks, to many cars I think, with to many poor drivers that don't think or even know what they are doing.
I had a 'run in' with a Volvo driver he said "he'd never had an accident in 45 years of driving"
I asked how many had he seen in his bloody mirror.
21/08/08 THE BLACKBURN HATTER
I had a 'run in' with a Volvo driver he said "he'd never had an accident in 45 years of driving"
I asked how many had he seen in his bloody mirror.
-3
mike
Well the Darwin award goes to you for putting your life at risk because you got upset because another motorist misjudged or failed to see you! It happens; a good driver won’t do something silly back, that’s how accidents happen.