Acknowledgements from being flashed in

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

I’ll probably split the room here, but we’ll see what the responses are.

I don’t know what it’s like back in Blighty, but over here in The Netherlands, I’ve come to the conclusion that the more lights you see on the front of a truck as they’re closing in on you in the mirror for an overtake, the less likely they are to give an acknowledgement if you give them a flash in. Especially the xmas tree trucks with all the fancy lights.

Now, I know we’re all professional drivers and we should know ourselves when to pull in at a safe distance, especially if we have a Robroy voice in our ear saying ‘not yet, not yet…….. now you can indicate and pull back in’ so we shouldn’t need a flash in or need to acknowledge one,but I drive mostly at night and I try to be helpful to my fellow driver and tend to give a helpful flash when it might not be too clear to the overtaking truck when to pull back in. I don’t expect to get an acknowledgement but I think it is common courtesy if someone’s gone to the trouble of giving you a flash in, then say thanks to them even if it’s only a begrudging single indicator blink.

It’s the same if I see a truck coming up slowly and struggling to pass me. Instead of leaving him hanging out there for ages, I’ll come off the limiter for ten or 15 seconds, let him get past and then we can both be on our way again. You can tell when trucks have recognised this action as they tend to give an extended indicator blink. However, again it’s the fancy trucks with all the lights, alcoa wheels, shiny exhaust stacks and the ‘Living the Dream’ stickers that will sail past without a single acknowledgement. By the way, I don’t really think driving a truck is Living the Dream but that’s just me. Each to their own.

I find that the more basic spec trucks are the ones that will give you an acknowledgement, especially most of the EE drivers.

So, who on here gives an acknowledgement to a flash in and who doesn’t, and if you are one of the fancy truck drivers and don’t do so, I’m just curious why not?

Anyway, I still give a flash in, but if I see they have more than six lights on the front including markers, then I tend to let them find their own way in these days.

2

Been driving class 1 for 21 years, and the acknowledgement thing got so tedious after about 2 years I just stopped doing it. Not only that, but I seriously can judge it for myself. So I’m one of the ignorant that just can’t be bothered.

However, what I always do, always, is ease off to let an overtaking driver past, as in my view that’s ACTUALLY helpful and courteous. But I don’t flash him in. Nor do I get a ‘thank you’ acknowledgement. But I don’t ease off for a thank you, I ease off to help a driver.

And I drive the most fleet spec motor you could ever see.

3

if someone flashes me in i thank them… in fact im so ■■■■ if its a car i use the hazards if its another truck i use the dancing indicators no matter what i am driving. If i see a lorry over take me and sit there in front with the left hand indicator going… or there is 500 cars behind him that cant over take ill give a flash in. if the latter i do it when they are a few feet past me. i can see what is going on in front and have enough time to ease off and create a space.

if i have a tare arse behind me in a car itching to get past when i can see its safe i usually lift off and put left indicator on… most seem to get the message

4

:joy:

Wow !…..I’m surprised somebody takes any notice of me on here. :flushed_face:.:grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

So all my past bellyaching about my no1 pet hate in the job, wanting to cut somebody’s eyes out with a blunt knife then set them on fire, who cuts in on me has made people (or at the very least just you) think…..My work here is done.:smiling_face_with_sunglasses:

As long as that cutting in doesn’t happen, I couldn’t give a toss if somebody hasn’t got the good manners to acknowledge the fact I’ve flashed them in, that is just pig ignorance, I can live with it.

As for me if somebody flashed me in I’ll acknowledge it, if they don’t I don’t even indicate when I pull back in……and I don’t suppose they care either, but I ALWAYS make sure I leave them enough room.

It’s all about general good manners,.some have them….and some don’t.

Yeah the least said about those clowns the better.:roll_eyes:

Yep….absolutely.

I’m sure you are a very ‘professional’ type driver btw, and display it, by what you say

Yeah we all can mate…..well those who are competent anyhow.

5

Yes mate, you taught me a lot with your rants from back in the day of Trucknet.

Thank you for your wisdom and teachings oh master ! Time to burn a dragon into my wrists. :grinning_face: (If you’ve ever watched the tv series Kung Fu back in the seventies, you’ll get that joke.)

6

No problem……..Grasshopper.:joy:

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Well you wouldn’t if you don’t would you? Obviously. :roll_eyes:

8

A thank you for easing off and not hanging him out to dry. You know, actually helping a driver out.

9

I will back off if someone is struggling to overtake me with one exception; if we’re in a hilly section and I’m obviously lighter therefore quicker up hill and the clown has made me back off on the last two uphill bits, then come subsequent attempts to overtake me means that he/she is on their own.

Another irritation is those who absolutely “must” overtake no matter what. If gradually (over a few miles) I creep up to the back of someone I wouldn’t dream of pulling out to overtake thus exploiting my 0.00001mph advantage, I’d back off as this is Britain and sooner or later we’ll encounter some kind of delay which will render the overtake useless anyway.

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I’m disappointed btw…

On these threads we usually get the ‘‘driving god superstar’’ who tells us…..

Wait for it…..

’’I don’t NEED to be flashed in, I know EXACTLY when to pull back in’'‘ :joy:

(The type who regularly display the opposite when they cut in on you and everybody they (almost) overtake.)

Thing is we ALL know when to pull in, but the competent ones wait for a flash to ensure the guy you pass is happy you have left him room, if they don’t flash…who cares?….,.at least then nobody wants to make you suffer a slow death.:grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

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See what you mean, but he would not necessarily know what you had done.

12

He’d have to be as thick as pig ■■■■ then. Catches me up for the last 10 miles at 0.0001mph, then finds himself flying past me as soon as he pulls out to overtake. If he doesn’t know what I just did, he’s either just passed out at the wheel, or shouldn’t be driving a lorry.

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13

Yeah where is Conor :roll_eyes: . Sure he’ll pipe up when he sees the thread lol

14

I think it just comes down to manners in general really.. or the lack of them nowadays.

Like someone said in another thread (think it was Ady) there’s an epidemic of impatience now and it’s the same with bad manners and s hitty behaviour all round. Drivers would sooner ignore you than acknowledge you.

I’ll always flash another in, just common courtesy. Whether they choose to act upon it or acknowledge it is up to them. I’ll enjoy my beer after my shift no less :+1:

15

The epidemic of impatience is highly noticeable, and personally I don’t understand where it’s come from. In the last two weeks I have avoided no less than 3 head on collisions with oncoming cars overtaking slower vehicles or jumping queues, 2 of which actually saw me coming, but didn’t care. It’s all a bit insane lately. I just put it down to people being highly stressed and depressed nowadays.

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Me, me and a bit more me!

They don’t care. Until it all goes wrong. Then they start crying and moaning like little ■■■■■■■. Anybodys fault but theirs.

It sure is. But keep smiling :smile:

17

There is a world of difference between ‘easing off a bit’ and ‘flashing by’.

Throughout my long career I preferred the polite approach by making it easy for a driver to pull back in rather than guess at it at a time when he already has plenty to concentrate on. With speed limiters without the advantage of a brief override, that is even more important.

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When I first started at this caper, we all helped each other with our own morse code sent with blinkers ans high beams. We then got CB/UHF and a combination of either or both continued the spirit of good manners and cooperation. Then came the Indians…
Most can’t drive or load and are only good for sitting looking forwad out of the window.

19

Guessing at it?!?! A professional lorry driver KNOWS when he can pull back in, he doesn’t GUESS ffs.

20

That’s correct but it’s the unprofessional ones that you need to watch….the inept, the incompetent.

In the old days virtually everybody flashed each other in, so the ‘‘guessers’‘ were not a problem,.then some arse decided he couldn’t be bothered and it picked up from there when others followed suit