Smee:
I am very surprised that professional drivers are having this conversation.
Please tell me when in your training you were told to flash your lights to let overtaking vehicles know they are clear. The flashing of headlights on a road means I am here you may not be already aware…
your in the wrong job mate!!
There is an argument that is -
I have flashed my lights to make the overtaking driver aware of exactly where I am and, in noticing exactly where I am, it will also make that overtaking driver notice the large gap that is now between us.
This thread simply highlights the poor state of the British haulage and distribution world, at least the drivers involved in it. Sadly, the days of the old Knights of the Road seem to be gone, and there are now too many folk driving lorries, for whom it’s simply a job. Up to a few years ago they were doing something else, and in another few yours they’ll probably be doing something else again.
I wonder if it’s too much to hope that the present crisis might weed out the ‘couldn’t care less’ types, leaving the ‘in the blood’ drivers to benefit when the upturn comes, and bring the professionalism back into the industry.
This thread simply highlights the poor state of the British haulage and distribution world, at least the drivers involved in it. Sadly, the days of the old Knights of the Road seem to be gone, and there are now too many folk driving lorries, for whom it’s simply a job. Up to a few years ago they were doing something else, and in another few yours they’ll probably be doing something else again.
I wonder if it’s too much to hope that the present crisis might weed out the ‘couldn’t care less’ types, leaving the ‘in the blood’ drivers to benefit when the upturn comes, and bring the professionalism back into the industry.
hmm…o.k so what defines an “in the blood” driver compared to a “couldnt care less” driver then, i wonder which catergory i would fall into.
I dont own a truck I just driver one so does that mean i couldnt care less■■?
I haven’t read the whole thread, but I will add that I do not do the flashing thing at all. I hate being flashed in because I feel that I can judge it for myself. I feel that to really help other drivers is to do things such as ease off the accelerator, or heaven forbid, cancel the cruise control, when they’re taking a long time to pass, especially on dual carriageways. I feel that to really help is to make an effort to facilitate drivers joining from sliproads by moving over or adjusting my speed. Or maybe flashing drivers out. But flashing in just seems a bit pointless, annoying and habitual with no real benefit.
I didn’t see any Americans doing it, and they’re a good fifteen to twenty feet longer.
newmercman:
I keep reading about backing off to let people past, hello, isn’t it up to the overtaking vehicle to have the speed to complete the overtake without impeding the progress of the other vehicle?
I’ll sometimes give another truck a kmph or two, but more often than not I do this only to start another hill (northern end of m6, often only running about 10t) and it just gets silly and i give up at 80kmph. I think its where heavier guys join the mway on a downward section, but then it only takes one decent up-hill for me to have left them in the distance never to be seen again.
dean0:
Its a shame some people have so much disregard for 7.5 tonners.
because we all have a job to do
in what way■■?
normally puddle jumpers are gone as fast as they appear in your mirrors…by the time you move your finger to flash them you actually end up flashing the vehicle behind them as there long gone
ezydriver:
I haven’t read the whole thread, but I will add that I do not do the flashing thing at all. I hate being flashed in because I feel that I can judge it for myself. I feel that to really help other drivers is to do things such as ease off the accelerator, or heaven forbid, cancel the cruise control, when they’re taking a long time to pass, especially on dual carriageways. I feel that to really help is to make an effort to facilitate drivers joining from sliproads by moving over or adjusting my speed. Or maybe flashing drivers out. But flashing in just seems a bit pointless, annoying and habitual with no real benefit.
I didn’t see any Americans doing it, and they’re a good fifteen to twenty feet longer.
Well then you haven’t done much in America then mate, 90% flash you in over here & you hate being flashed in, what? Another professional shows you some courtesy & you hate it because you feel that you know the size of your vehicle, yeah we all know how long our lorry is, when it’s safe to pull in etc, well we should or we shouldn’t be on the roads in the 1st place, the whole point of it is one driver showing another a wave of sorts, you have a problem with that FFS?
ezydriver:
I haven’t read the whole thread, but I will add that I do not do the flashing thing at all. I hate being flashed in because I feel that I can judge it for myself. I feel that to really help other drivers is to do things such as ease off the accelerator, or heaven forbid, cancel the cruise control, when they’re taking a long time to pass, especially on dual carriageways. I feel that to really help is to make an effort to facilitate drivers joining from sliproads by moving over or adjusting my speed. Or maybe flashing drivers out. But flashing in just seems a bit pointless, annoying and habitual with no real benefit.
I didn’t see any Americans doing it, and they’re a good fifteen to twenty feet longer.
Well then you haven’t done much in America then mate, 90% flash you in over here & you hate being flashed in, what? Another professional shows you some courtesy & you hate it because you feel that you know the size of your vehicle, yeah we all know how long our lorry is, when it’s safe to pull in etc, well we should or we shouldn’t be on the roads in the 1st place, the whole point of it is one driver showing another a wave of sorts, you have a problem with that FFS?
i was going to reply to that post as well newmercman , but you did it for me
Just concentrate on driving the bloody thing instead of spending all your time watching for pathetic little flashes in your n/s mirror thinking you’re part of some cool gang . What is wrong with you people?
But Rob K, we are a little gang, everyone else who isn’t directly involved with lorry driving thinks that we are the scum of the earth, so what’s wrong with having our own little code, a little flash to say ‘go on mate, in you come, have a good one’ it’s just like saying please or thank you or holding a door open for somebody.
You don’t have to do it if you don’t want but how can you have a problem with somebody showing courtesy to you, unless you are a [zb] BTW it rhymes with hunt Not very courteous of me I know but I couldn’t give a monkeys, FLASH FLASH
newmercman: a little flash to say ‘go on mate, in you come, have a good one’ it’s just like saying please or thank you or holding a door open for somebody.
NO.
It’s not about that at all and you know it. The only thing behind all this modern day flashing is for posers like attention-■■■■■-Billman & co. to show off how bright their 3,281 spot lights are, nothing to do with courtesy whatsoever otherwise they wouldn’t have just held you out in lane 2 for the past 25 miles as you tried to overtake them.
ezydriver:
I haven’t read the whole thread, but I will add that I do not do the flashing thing at all. I hate being flashed in because I feel that I can judge it for myself. I feel that to really help other drivers is to do things such as ease off the accelerator, or heaven forbid, cancel the cruise control, when they’re taking a long time to pass, especially on dual carriageways. I feel that to really help is to make an effort to facilitate drivers joining from sliproads by moving over or adjusting my speed. Or maybe flashing drivers out. But flashing in just seems a bit pointless, annoying and habitual with no real benefit.
I didn’t see any Americans doing it, and they’re a good fifteen to twenty feet longer.
Well then you haven’t done much in America then mate, 90% flash you in over here & you hate being flashed in, what? Another professional shows you some courtesy & you hate it because you feel that you know the size of your vehicle, yeah we all know how long our lorry is, when it’s safe to pull in etc, well we should or we shouldn’t be on the roads in the 1st place, the whole point of it is one driver showing another a wave of sorts, you have a problem with that FFS?
Yes, yes I do. The clue was in what I wrote. It’s not really courtesy though, is it? It’s just an ingrained habit with no real benefit. It just does my head in feeling as if I have to look out for some flashing lights just to make sure I respond. So I gave up responding, I just keep going, looking periodically until I deem it safe enough to pull in. Judge me as you will. As the post above this one so eloquently expresses, if courtesy was sincere between drivers, they wouldn’t hold you out in the middle lane for ten miles, would they? Any fule knos that!
Also, I spent a month in America, spent entirely on the road, and I didn’t see a truck flash another in once.
i flash…but the right left right flash is a stupid flash of them all…I have seen many a car brake or serve suudenly in the middle lane due to the truck giving out a right flash indicator signal…To the car driver that can be a heart stopping moment thinking that the truck is suddenly going to come out
When i pass i indicate left and when i rejoin the lane i give a left indictor flash. for other road users behind or at the side of me i dont think that i cause them a problem as the only thing on the left of me is usually the hard shoulder
I,ve been on the A14 wagon and drag passing me a car behind him gets impatient flashes him to get out the way, he thinks i,ts me and in he comes .Nice!
