Truckers ...

rypt · 27 Apr 2011 at 17:27

Do truckers try to make driving less enjoyable for the rest of us?

Did Oxford -> Maidenhead -> Birmingham -> Oxford trip today along the M40/A404/M42 ... and the number of snail racing morons really started to annoy me, causing constant mini traffic jams!

Add to that the fact that I had to several times brake/swerve to avoid trucks who simply "pulled out" into the middle lane while I am there!

Bunch of inconsiderate ****s if you ask me.

mjt · 27 Apr 2011 at 17:29

1. When you're driving all day, 2mph makes a big difference.
2. Perhaps you were in their blind spot, and should hurry up when overtaking them, especially when they're getting closer to the truck in front?

rypt · 27 Apr 2011 at 17:33

mjt said:
1. When you're driving all day, 2mph makes a big difference.
2. Perhaps you were in their blind spot, and should hurry up when overtaking them, especially when they're getting closer to the truck in front?

1) It also causes mini traffic jams for the rest of us, forces some idiot car drivers to just swerve into the right hand lane even if there is little space there.

2) I'm trying to employ the "keep left" doctrine when the middle lane is empty, even if I'm doing 0.9+ leptons.

Pulling out without making sure that no-one is in your blindspot (yes I know how difficult with trucks) is downright dangerous; especially when they pull out after barely indicating.
Besides, I don't buy it that I'm in the blind spot, there is a good 25-30+mph difference between speeds, I would be in the blindspot for a fairly short amount of time and they would have certainly seen me approach.

Jez · 27 Apr 2011 at 17:36

I hate trucks too, but the stuff has to get to the shops somehow? We'd all be moaning if everywhere couldnt get refilled....

rypt · 27 Apr 2011 at 17:37

Jez said:
I hate trucks too, but the stuff has to get to the shops somehow? We'd all be moaning if everywhere couldnt get refilled....

Trains with trucks only doing the last short bit

Besides, stuff will still get there if they don't snail race

Biohazard · 27 Apr 2011 at 17:41

Can't say I get many truckers trying to kill me.

I shoot past them anyway, hate the blighters more for the potential and the horrid air buffeting when at high speed.

233 · 27 Apr 2011 at 17:43

tbh inconsiderate truck drivers are few and far between

i tend to find that the mini traffic jams of lane hogging idiot origin are caused mainly by idiots afraid to overtake trucks, people sitting in the middle lane on their phone and general inconsiderate idiots that have no clue as to the hold up behind them

then you also get the idiots that think its ok to sit in the outside lane regardless of the other lanes being empty, as long as your doing 70mph

rypt · 27 Apr 2011 at 17:46

Foxtrot26 said:
then you also get the idiots that think its ok to sit in the outside lane regardless of the other lanes being empty, as long as your doing 70mph

Only saw 1 white van doing that, and I just undertook it.

Surprisingly I was the fastest car on the road today, despite never going over 1 leptop

[TW]Fox · 27 Apr 2011 at 17:46

rypt said:
Surprisingly I was the fastest car on the road today

How rare.

lewism · 27 Apr 2011 at 17:49

Only thing that annoys me about trucks is when they decide to overtake the lorry/obstacle in front of them before i pass them when there is no one behind me.

rypt · 27 Apr 2011 at 17:50

[TW]Fox;19000391 said:
How rare.

I am used to having BMW/Audi/Merc things want to go faster than 1 lepton when on motorways (I don't really do that many motorway miles though)

Hxc · 27 Apr 2011 at 17:51

rypt said:
Trains with trucks only doing the last short bit

lolrypt?

Conanius · 27 Apr 2011 at 17:54

I thought there had been a study on the A10 in Cambridge (?) where they trialed lorrys not being allowed to overtake during the day peak (0700-1900 or somesuch) and it significantly improved the average speed of cars, and made hardly any difference to the time it took goods vehicles to cover the distance.

Personally I would like to see something like all towing vehicles be unable to overtake during 0600-2000 every day, and significant effort put in to policing correct use of the lanes on the motorway. Its beyond frustrating how ineffective the use of the carridgeway capacity is used.

DM · 27 Apr 2011 at 17:57

KEEP ON TRUCKING!

mjt · 27 Apr 2011 at 18:01

Conanius said:
I thought there had been a study on the A10 in Cambridge (?) where they trialed lorrys not being allowed to overtake during the day peak (0700-1900 or somesuch) and it significantly improved the average speed of cars, and made hardly any difference to the time it took goods vehicles to cover the distance.

Personally I would like to see something like all towing vehicles be unable to overtake during 0600-2000 every day, and significant effort put in to policing correct use of the lanes on the motorway. Its beyond frustrating how ineffective the use of the carridgeway capacity is used.

On dual carriageways, sure.
But on three lane motorways I fail to see how trucks overtaking trucks is a problem.

The problem is idiots in the slow lane going slower than 56mph on a 70 stretch.

Disco Boy · 27 Apr 2011 at 18:03

Yes elephant races are annoying, but they are fairly unavoidable with the current situation. I do believe that more freight should be transported via the railways to reduce the motorway traffic.

It's nice to travel on the weekend because of the vastly reduced number of lorries, you make much better progress.

The people who are worse than lorries are coaches though, they never pay any consideration to anyone.

Conanius · 27 Apr 2011 at 18:19

mjt said:
On dual carriageways, sure.
But on three lane motorways I fail to see how trucks overtaking trucks is a problem.

The problem is idiots in the slow lane going slower than 56mph on a 70 stretch.

On the way home on Monday all of my delays (read slowdowns) on the UK motorway network were cause due to lorrys overtaking. Remove this problem and it helps traffic flow. This is not a rare occurance !

James_N · 27 Apr 2011 at 18:24

try driving a truck all day and see how many complete morons in cars annoy you, break test you, pull infront of you 2 seconds before the exit of the motorway they want and get in the way without relising how much room a truck needs to manouver, then you will relise just what a bloody hard job it is

and really, the "snail racing" never annoys me, because a) theres an extra lane on the motorway that lorries cant use, so getting past shouldn't present too much of a problem, and b) a much bigger problem on motorways is car drivers lack of lane awareness.

-Ad- · 27 Apr 2011 at 18:27

The French have implemented it well, if I remember correctly lorries are not allowed on the Autoroutes at the weekend or at certain times?

Could be wide of the mark but on certain days it was bliss!

Conanius · 27 Apr 2011 at 18:31

James_N said:
try driving a truck all day and see how many complete morons in cars annoy you, break test you, pull infront of you 2 seconds before the exit of the motorway they want and get in the way without relising how much room a truck needs to manouver, then you will relise just what a bloody hard job it is

and really, the "snail racing" never annoys me, because a) theres an extra lane on the motorway that lorries cant use, so getting past shouldn't present too much of a problem, and b) a much bigger problem on motorways is car drivers lack of lane awareness.

I don't doubt it takes a lot of skill to drive in a straight line on the limiter.

Sarcasm removed, I do agree that being able to manouver a truck around a town/reverse into a tight loading bay is more skillful, but bloody hard job? lets be realistic and reserve that definition to brain surgeons shall we.