Truckwits

[pcmfisher]

I see 50X as many moron car drivers as I do truck drivers. Or maybe its just an Adelaide thing........

 

[colonel]

Are you saying craft brewers should feel abashed because of Fosters Group employees?

No, I think they can claim the Nazi defence of "i was only following orders" (given by fuckwits)

 

[colonel]

I guess my point is that making generalisations that truck drivers are all road menaces is foolish.

Pretty sure that's not what I stated

 

[komodo]

I see 50X as many moron car drivers as I do truck drivers. Or maybe its just an Adelaide thing........

I'll give you the tip I've never had so many near miss nose to tails as I had last time in Adelaide. A heap of your drivers have no idea how to merge into flowing traffic!

 

[pcmfisher]

I'll give you the tip I've never had so many near miss nose to tails as I had last time in Adelaide. A heap of your drivers have no idea how to merge into flowing traffic!

Oh you are so right.
We have lots of nice long merging lanes, but every day I find myself leaning on the horn behind some moron that decides to slow down or stop rather than get up to speed.
Call it road rage if you like, but the horn stays on until they either speed up or pull off the road :angry: :angry: :angry:

 

[DUANNE]

as a semi driver who has driven without an accident in 10+ years id like to make a few points. one is that trucks are speed limited to 100 and to disable the limiter is to risk big fines and makes the vehicle unroadworthy. if you are being passed frequently id suggest checking your own speedo as most modern cars read 5-10 ks under the real speed and then arrogant car drivers sit in right hand lanes doing any where up to twenty ks under the limit. the law says keep left unless overtaking for every one not just specific vehicles.another thing is cars that have to overtake trucks and cut them off just because they percieve trucks are all slow but then slam on the brakes and go slower than the truck was originally anyway. a fully loaded truck takes a long time to stop, thats why we leave gaps in front of us not so cars can cut in! another pet peeve is the brake slam 10 metres before turning usually without an indicator. latest research shows thet more than 70 percent of truck/ car accidents are caused by cars but because the larger vehicle is more prominent guilt is very often thrown at them anyway. turning a semi takes a lot of road space but the amount of times i veer out of my lane to turn wich is neccasary and legal only to have a carwit pull down the inside is amazing, im surprised more dont end up under trucks back wheels. and if you see a truck reversing out of a drive way dont go speeding around the back of them have patience and give them some room, believe it or not 1 min out of youre life wont kill you but the truck that cant see you slipping past behind them possibly could. im not condoning bad behaviour by the cowboys wich certainly do exsist, but everyone needs to be more paitent and understanding on the road not just truck drivers. for every one cowboy idiot truck driver i see on the road i would see 50 idiot car drivers. personally i think that before getting a car licence everyone should spend a day in a heavy vehicle to see the other side of the ledger before judging i am certain it would help bring truck car relations to a much better place than they are now.

 

[DUANNE]

Truck drives, train drivers, boat drivers, car drivers, motorcycle drivers, small car drivers, bicycle couriers, articulated vehicle drivers etc. There is good and bad.

I've driven (a car - im not a professional driver) most of the way around mainland oz. I've seen the good the bad and the just plain ******* scary side of truck driving. For the most part most prime mover drivers are pretty good. MR/HR drivers often leave more to be desired. But even that is casting generalisations.
You only need to listen to UHF channel 40 (out side of a city where every f**kwit with a UHF gets on there cursing) and listen to the truck drivers. They are friendly, they warn of dangers and flash for cash sites, they talk about bad drivers (usually the ones clearly under the influence of "substance").
These guys are dads (and mums), grand dads, uncles, sons. Just trying to make a buck hauling stuff across the land.

Ok yes theres been a few instances where trucks have taken out trains. But then how many cars get taken out by trains (in no way do I blame train drivers for these accidents). However the difference is that a car gets take out by a train and pretty much nothing happens to the train, the train driver gets sent off for councelling and the vehicle occupants are killed (often suicide). It makes the 6pm news for a day but thats it. A truck hits a train (or vice versa) and it causes carnage. Trains derail, occupants injured/killed, lines closed for days etc etc. Who is worse - truck drivers or car drivers? I'd suggest car drivers.

Its like when you drive into a city. People abuse truck drivers yet in 80% or more of cases as an observer you have to blame the car driver for not being properly attentive - or more often for being inexperianced. Most people hop in a car after being out of bed for 40 minutes, drive twenty minutes to work at an average speed of 40kph work 8-9 hours then hop in a car and drive back home at 40kph and claim to be experts on driving. Truck drivers drive 100's of km a day. Often driving to new locations pulling different load weights and dimensions. They drive in all kinds of different conditions and are usually much more aware of road conditions than the commuter on his way home from work.
How many truck drivers do you see doing their hair, talking on a phone and eatting a bowl of cereal in their truck on the way to work? how many women do you see doing that often with kids in the car? Now who is the biggest risk.
How many dads come home on a friday after a 45 hour week at work for a long weekend, hook up the boat/caravan that they tow 6 times a year tops and drive 4 hours to a holiday destination fatigued from a full day at work driving in the dark to an unfamiliar destination with the distraction of children and their partner to make things just a bit more fun?

Sure some drivers talk on their phone but most (particularly owner drivers who often have to make $500+ per day to meet truck repayments) have hands free kits. These days often even the UHF radios are often activated by a steering wheel mounted button and a mounted microphone. These guys can't afford to be fined and put off the road for talking on a phone.

I guess my point is that making generalisations that truck drivers are all road menaces is foolish.
Im NOT saying the truck driver in the incident at abbotts road (which as a local I'm not even NEARLY surprised at) is to blame or not as I dont know the full story. But tarring all with the one brush...

all very well said. need a like button!

 

[krisisdog]

Re: speeding trucks - disabling the speed limiter is more common that what you'd think... I've done quite a few late night/early morning trips back from Brisbane/GC to Grafton, and sitting on 120 in the 110 zones been passed by trucks more times than I care to remember. And yes my speedo is accurate to within +-1%.
The issue the OP raised was that truck driving is the job, a skill that has been acquired by a person that now possesses above average driving abilitie (supposedly anyway) When they **** up, they should be penalised harder than other road users. The onus is on the truck driver to know the weight, width, length and height of every load they haul and to drive accordingly.

 

[colonel]

Re: speeding trucks - disabling the speed limiter is more common that what you'd think... I've done quite a few late night/early morning trips back from Brisbane/GC to Grafton, and sitting on 120 in the 110 zones been passed by trucks more times than I care to remember. And yes my speedo is accurate to within +-1%.
The issue the OP raised was that truck driving is the job, a skill that has been acquired by a person that now possesses above average driving abilitie (supposedly anyway) When they **** up, they should be penalised harder than other road users. The onus is on the truck driver to know the weight, width, length and height of every load they haul and to drive accordingly.

Yeah, that's basically my point.
Beerhog, I agree almost entirely with what you say, and agree that there are a lot more **** car drivers on the road than truck drivers.
My two main points were, that the potential energy a truck has, demands a more skilled driver, and, because they do it for a living, they should be better at it.

As to Beerhogs statement that 70% of truck crashes are caused by cars, anyone who has taught teenagers to drive, knows that one of the major lessons you can give, is "if you run up someones arse, it's your fault", so anticipate idiots. I ran up someone's arse as a young driver, as I was distracted by a pretty girl on the footpath, and I've had a few near misses since while not concentrating in traffic. Those little episodes are there to teach and remind us of how important it is to maintain a safe distance.

Anyway, keep the comments coming, and good luck out there!

 

[Dave70]

Why not shift the focus to why companies / drivers feel the need to tamper with speed limiting equipment in the first place.
Cowboys aside.