Cruise control.
Smartphones
Driving too fast
Driving too close
Too much aggressive driving
Headphones
Poor skills
■■■■■■■ behaviour
Fatique from too many hours
The modern hgv driver
midlifetrucker:
Cruise control.
Smartphones
Driving too fast
Driving too close
Too much aggressive driving
Headphones
Poor skills
[zb] behaviour
Fatique from too many hours
The modern hgv driver
Cruise control-bs.
Smartphones-ok (comes under poor skills)
Driving too fast-ok
Driving too close-ok
Too much aggressive driving-(poor skills again)
Headphones-bs
Poor skills-definitely a major contributory factor!
[zb] behaviour-elaborate please(poor skills again)
Fatique from too many hours
The modern hgv driver-ok, not all collisions involve HGVs, other motorists get fatigued too…
LIBERTY_GUY:
Recently renewed my hgv and psv licenses after letting them lapse, with a view to potentially return to driving if needs must. Can cope with dcpc and other crud, but what does concern me is the amount of accidents on the roads now, or perhaps to be more accurate, the traffic bedlam that quickly ensues after an accident.Whilst there have always been ‘bumps’ out there, is it just me or do there seem to be far more accidents nowadays? Hardly seems to be a single day where the motorway network doesn’t grind to a halt as an aftermath of an accident.
What are other peoples thoughts about this perceived increase?
Its been studied to death by VOSA, DfT and TNUK CSI, a major cause is actually HGV drivers not backing off a few clicks when being overtaken, leading to the congestion and mayhem we now have on the roads. And of course Rigid drivers who never seem to know what they’re doing. Ironically when HGV licences where given away for free ( Grandfather rights etc…) there was few accidents, now everyones paying megabucks to get one there’s loads of accidents !! 
I think also the problem is the shear amount of time now taken to get wrecks off the road. Investigating etc seems to take far longer now, I would have thought with modern techniques etc it would take less time…
Mike-C:
a major cause is actually HGV drivers not backing off a few clicks when being overtaken, leading to the congestion and mayhem we now have on the roads.
I also blame car drivers, they lane hog more than us & their standard of driving is really poor…
Pimpdaddy:
Mike-C:
a major cause is actually HGV drivers not backing off a few clicks when being overtaken, leading to the congestion and mayhem we now have on the roads.I also blame car drivers, they lane hog more than us & their standard of driving is really poor…
There are a lot of rubbish car drivers but they are not supposedly trained professionals. If you are a good professional driver you should be able to second guess them and take appropriate action. Someone hogging the central lane on a motorway is a pain. A professional backs off and waits his chance. Unlike the countless pillocks you see steaming up their behinds two feet from their bumper flashing lights. One nervous brake from the car driver and you have a multi vehicle collision.
I see trucks two feet behind cars in the 40 or 50 mph average speed roadworks.
They bully them out of the way.As you said by flashing lights or the horn.
You then see the trucker later reading the paper or getting a pasty and think what was the rush.
Give us a bad name.
midlifetrucker:
There are a lot of rubbish car drivers but they are not supposedly trained professionals. If you are a good professional driver you should be able to second guess them and take appropriate action.
I wouldn’t go as far as calling myself a ‘good professional driver’ but I drive properly & safely, if I can do it, anyone can do it.
Surely if you’re not good then time for a career change
Pimpdaddy:
midlifetrucker:
Cruise control.
SmartphonesDriving too close
Too much aggressive driving
Headphones
Poor skills
[zb] behaviour
Fatique from too many hours
The modern hgv driverCruise control-bs.
Smartphones-ok (comes under poor skills)
Driving too fast-ok
Driving too close-ok
Too much aggressive driving-(poor skills again)
Headphones-bs
Poor skills-definitely a major contributory factor!
[zb] behaviour-elaborate please(poor skills again)
Fatique from too many hours
The modern hgv driver-ok, not all collisions involve HGVs, other motorists get fatigued too…
Cruise control -bs. If that means bull ■■■■ then I don’t agree. Cruising at 50mph with cruise control on and something happens natural reaction is to slam on brakes. Newtons law of momentum then takes over.
Headphones - bs. Again if you have headphones in you will not be aware of engine noises, emergency sirens, other road users. Having a radio on and having headphones in are very different indeed.
Tw@ti$h behaviour. Nuff said
Fatique from too many hours
The modern hgv driver-ok, not all collisions involve HGVs, other motorists get fatigued too.
Agreed but a driver especially after september should know how much he can drive and what he needs to do. Agreed not all collisions involve hgvs but if they do it’s often a fatal.
I’m not saying I’m God’s gift ans that I haven’t done stupid things. I’m just saying I come across poor driving and standards have dropped.
midlifetrucker:
Cruise control -bs. If that means bull [zb] then I don’t agree. Cruising at 50mph with cruise control on and something happens natural reaction is to slam on brakes. Newtons law of momentum then takes over.
I don’t follow what you’re saying, I only do 50 using cruise in the roadworks or a dual carriageway, it’s never caused me any problems, if I need to brake I brake & the cc comes out. I use it more than 80% of the time, at work & in my own car & I’ve never had any issues with it, in fact it saves fuel.
midlifetrucker:
r.Headphones - bs. Again if you have headphones in you will not be aware of engine noises, emergency sirens, other road users. Having a radio on and having headphones in are very different indeed.
Again I have no problems using them, I don’t think the human body uses all of its senses all of the time, we have eyes don’t we, too bad not all of us use them…
Pimpdaddy:
midlifetrucker:
Cruise control -bs. If that means bull [zb] then I don’t agree. Cruising at 50mph with cruise control on and something happens natural reaction is to slam on brakes. Newtons law of momentum then takes over.I don’t follow what you’re saying, I only do 50 using cruise in the roadworks or a dual carriageway, it’s never caused me any problems, if I need to brake I brake & the cc comes out. I use it more than 80% of the time, at work & in my own car & I’ve never had any issues with it, in fact it saves fuel.
Cruise control can make people sloppy. Thankfully you sound like you have never had an emergency while on cruise. Hopefully you never will but if something happened the lag between your brain acting and your foot moving could make you over compensate on the reaction. If you were on the throttle you would lift and then brake. The difference could be massive.
ralliesport:
I wouldnt care It isnt your job to get it in the shop. If you cant get it off the truck safely it should stay on there. They dont invent forktrucks for nothing you know.I had the same problem as you mate, expecting me to shift pallets of my lorry. I didnt do it, just had to say I wasnt trained to operate pallet trucks. Health & safety does the rest (there is actually a use for the stupid rules). If they dont take that ask for some safe practices documents (or what ever they are called) this would explain exactly how the pallets get off the truck without straining you. There is no way except with powered mechanical intervention, or unloading them all by hand which would take too long, either way you should be better off.
I am not sure whether it is legal to use them either. I am sure trucknet csi will inform us
midlifetrucker:
Agreed but a driver especially after september should know how much he can drive and what he needs to do. Agreed not all collisions involve hgvs but if they do it’s often a fatal.I’m not saying I’m God’s gift ans that I haven’t done stupid things. I’m just saying I come across poor driving and standards have dropped.
So they have but what can you do about it except drive defensively & take care of yourself? September will come & go, so will collisions involving HGVs.
Agreed
midlifetrucker:
Pimpdaddy:
midlifetrucker:
Cruise control -bs. If that means bull [zb] then I don’t agree. Cruising at 50mph with cruise control on and something happens natural reaction is to slam on brakes. Newtons law of momentum then takes over.I don’t follow what you’re saying, I only do 50 using cruise in the roadworks or a dual carriageway, it’s never caused me any problems, if I need to brake I brake & the cc comes out. I use it more than 80% of the time, at work & in my own car & I’ve never had any issues with it, in fact it saves fuel.
Cruise control can make people sloppy. Thankfully you sound like you have never had an emergency while on cruise. Hopefully you never will but if something happened the lag between your brain acting and your foot moving could make you over compensate on the reaction. If you were on the throttle you would lift and then brake. The difference could be massive.
So, you’ve got your foot available doing nothing, and that’s going to take longer to press a brake than someone on the throttle?
Also, if using cruise, you might be at 50mph meaning engine is basically coasting, so less momentum than someone ‘on the throttle’ then going onto brake no? 
no doubt about it the standard of driving is down
professional drivers, drive like there in racing cars these days, car drivers have always been the same, just more of them, so more problems on the roads
how many drivers do you see who never use indicators ? this is a huge problem at roundabouts for guys in wagons trying to keep the wheels turning and some goon doesn’t indicate ( BANG ) ops
also i think the company’s out there that restrict there wagons to 52mph or less are an accident waiting to happen, i have lost count of the near misses i have seen on the roads as a hgv drives like a loony to try to push his way out in busy traffic to get past theses slow movers or worse when one truck can only do 53 or 54 mph and has no way to use acceleration.
i think there are many reasons for it all but the main problem is there are more bad drivers out there.
lucky for me i have only ever had near misses in my time on the road i dont know if its luck or if its because i drive well in terms of spotting the idiots or expecting people to do something they shouldn’t either way its just poor standards in driving that are out there
desypete:
no doubt about it the standard of driving is down
professional drivers, drive like there in racing cars these days, car drivers have always been the same, just more of them, so more problems on the roadshow many drivers do you see who never use indicators ? this is a huge problem at roundabouts for guys in wagons trying to keep the wheels turning and some goon doesn’t indicate ( BANG ) ops
also i think the company’s out there that restrict there wagons to 52mph or less are an accident waiting to happen, i have lost count of the near misses i have seen on the roads as a hgv drives like a loony to try to push his way out in busy traffic to get past theses slow movers or worse when one truck can only do 53 or 54 mph and has no way to use acceleration.
i think there are many reasons for it all but the main problem is there are more bad drivers out there.lucky for me i have only ever had near misses in my time on the road i dont know if its luck or if its because i drive well in terms of spotting the idiots or expecting people to do something they shouldn’t either way its just poor standards in driving that are out there
They may not be able to go any quicker, but they CAN go slower…