Do "we" do it in Scotland? (poll)

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

There is always this first time…

I was delivering to a small village shop today.

When I was handballing stuff, I heard the lorry horn, and soon after some laud voices, including one Polish one. I went over the corner and I saw a big artic lorry from Poland stuck at the corner due to cars parked to close to the junction. Some people were moving their cars already, one nice chap was trying to ask driver where he wants to go and warn him about unsuitable road, which was very problematic as the driver has not spoke any English, and one other guy was shouting a loads of anti-Polish and anti-truckish verbal abuse at the driver.

I came over and asked if I can help as I (obviously) speak Polish. The guy who was trying to speak with the driver explained me a situation while the other guy was still shouting at the driver. I then come to driver and tried to speak with him, but the nice member of public shouted on me “he’s mad! He’s mad!” I asked him to calm down and he propably spotted my Polish accent, as he started to speak some simplified English without any grammar - pointing at the driver then on the lorry and saying “He - mad. BIg lorry - stupid driver. Road small! Lorry big! Bad! Bad!”. I told him that he can stop talking like an idiot, as I speak very good English. He then came back to his shouting “Mad! Mad driver”. I ignored him and spoke to the driver - he was about to deliver AND collect some stuff from the farm down the country lane, which was starting at this junction. He could not get any other route, as he was too high for the alternative one due to low railway bridge, and the anotner one have a 15t limit on it, so to take this sharp turn was the only option for him. He was following directions given to his company by the farmer in question. The member of public was still shouting his “mad mad driver”. I asked him what’s the problem, he said that this (here he put some very politically incorrect and offensive anti-polish description of the driver) should not take the lorry up the narrow road like that".

  • Why? - asked me?
  • Because he can’t do it!
  • So how do you want him to get to that farm?
  • I don’t care. I am sure he can’t go that way. He can’t take his ■■■■■■■ Polish giant banger that way! We don’t do it in our country! (the Polish lorry was a couple years old, shiny space cab DAF XF)
  • Oh, I can assure you, sir, that he can and he’s fully legal to go that way.
  • Oh, no he can’t!
  • Oh yes, he can and he have to if he wants to collect his stuff.

And then he said a statement, which maked me really angry:
- Maybe you do it in your Borat’s country, but we in Scotland are civlilsed and we don’t do things like that.

  • I can assure you, sir, that you do. I drive lorries here for nearly five years so I should know…
  • No, we don’t do things like that in Scotland, shut up you Polish junk.

In that moment, and that was a lot of luck for this guy, the lorry driver asked me to translate the conversation, I only told him “you should be happy that you can’t understand” and managed to calm down a bit and then other members of public came to the guy and said to him “You shut up and go and move your ■■■■■■■ car”, what he did. I am very calm man, but I can swear that this was the moment, when he saved a huge amount of money he would otherwise spend on dentist.

Finally he moved his car, I guided the Polish trucker through another narrow bend and then he parked up and come down to my lorry, when I double checked his directions against my philip road atlas. The directions were correct and indeed the road he choose was the only reasonable route. When I was vawing to the Polish chap, the lorry from local hauliers firm, a rusty old Iveco with antic trailer passed me jumping on the pavements to pass the parked vehicles… Obviously, as we don’t do things like that in Scotland, it had to be some undercover Polish lorry on secret mission to annoy local residents :stuck_out_tongue:

After I finish my delivery I waited for my driver’s mate to sort out the paperwork. Another witness of the incident came over to apologize to me for the way I, and the other Polish driver, was treated. He said for the defence of this guy, that if that’s one lorry in the week, that would be ok, but if there is 25 lorries going up to the farm located along that lane every day, everyone can be angry. At this moment we were passed by some local women going to the shop and as she heard him saying that, she made a valid point: if he lives there and he knows that lorries need to go up that street, why he always parks his car at the corner and then is angry for having to move it? She said that she lives few houses up the road, and she is affraid to think about what happen when the fire engine will struggle to get to her house.

So this is a story of today - along with Tacho disc player and another lady who asked by me to move her car asked me to do it for her that made quite an interesting day - and I am still angry at this moron. I can swear that I was never so close to hit someone in his face for what he said and for the manner he was talking to me.

I now even feel that maybe I should take some withess’ statements and sue him on some grounds of racial abuse - knowing your legal system, that could be solution to all my money troubles.

Anyway - this is in fact first time in my 5 years in Scotland when I was seriously treated so bad way only because I am Polish (and the approach to trucks, which was mentioned on that forum several times already, also was appaling)… The first time is always very exciting, and although I am not going to change my opinion on Scots, which I consider as very friendly nation and I am really thankful for that I can be a guest in their country, I have to say that today’s story had a big impact on me…

I thought to myself that I ask you the question on the poll andthen if I ever go to this village again, I will print the result and I will put it into the guy’s mailbox… But I wasn’t able to put such a rhetoric question in serious manner, so just have a fun with a poll :slight_smile:

2

That’s the problem, half the people today are happy to buy it but don’t want the trucks on the road to deliver it.

3

nickyboy:
That’s the problem, half the people today are happy to buy it but don’t want the trucks on the road to deliver it.

Especially the Polish ones :slight_smile:

4

getting abuse off the public is very normal dosent matter what your nationality, if you were english the moron with the attitude would of probably have giving you more abuse, you wanna try driving around london mate its a proper wind up and many hand gestures.

5

dustylfc:
getting abuse off the public is very normal dosent matter what your nationality, if you were english the moron with the attitude would of probably have giving you more abuse, you wanna try driving around london mate its a proper wind up and many hand gestures.

London is actually not so bad. I used to be in central london at least once a week in my last full time job :slight_smile:

6

orys:

dustylfc:
getting abuse off the public is very normal dosent matter what your nationality, if you were english the moron with the attitude would of probably have giving you more abuse, you wanna try driving around london mate its a proper wind up and many hand gestures.

London is actually not so bad. I used to be in central london at least once a week in my last full time job :slight_smile:

you must of had radio 2 on really high, and blinkers on i hate driving around london not for the abuse but just because i hate not knowing whether the road am driving down needs a permit or is gonna take pictures of me and charge me for the journey and a wrong turn quickly brings doom to your day especially on a double decker :wink:

7

dustylfc:

orys:

dustylfc:
getting abuse off the public is very normal dosent matter what your nationality, if you were english the moron with the attitude would of probably have giving you more abuse, you wanna try driving around london mate its a proper wind up and many hand gestures.

London is actually not so bad. I used to be in central london at least once a week in my last full time job :slight_smile:

you must of had radio 2 on really high, and blinkers on i hate driving around london not for the abuse but just because i hate not knowing whether the road am driving down needs a permit or is gonna take pictures of me and charge me for the journey and a wrong turn quickly brings doom to your day especially on a double decker :wink:

I dont need to worry about whether a road needs a permit - ours have the permits :stuck_out_tongue:

8

It’s true - This kind of moron will pick on anything to give abuse - If he’d been a Londoner it would have been that; if he’d been Scottish he would have been a [zb] glaswegan or whatever. I wonder what he would have said if had been a black Polish woman driver :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

Last week I went to a place in the Black Country that is a right turn off a narrow road. There was one car parked in the road, and that was in exactly the right place to stop me making the turn. I only had one pallet to collect so they bought it out to me. They said he does it on purpose because he doesnt think lorries should use that road.

9

Well done for keeping your cool Orys. I would probably have just punched him.

Can we apologise on behalf of the Scots.

You could have reminded him of a bit of his own history.

Bonnie Prince Charlie was half Polish, being the son of James Edward Stewart and Clementina Sobieska, granddaughter of Jan Sobieski King of Poland. He also has a lot to thank Maria Skłodowska for.

And to help you in similar circumstances, here are some helpful Scottish phrases you can memorise :stuck_out_tongue:

Haud yer wheesht!

Keep the heid!

I’ll gie ye a skelpit lug!

10

Do any of you guys ever get the ‘‘death look’’ when driving threw a village. Its usually an old codger in his garden.

11

dustylfc:
you must of had radio 2 on really high, and blinkers on i hate driving around london not for the abuse but just because i hate not knowing whether the road am driving down needs a permit or is gonna take pictures of me and charge me for the journey and a wrong turn quickly brings doom to your day especially on a double decker :wink:

It’s all depends of what you have to compare. I used to drive in Warszawa, I was driving in Istanbul, in Sofia, in Zagreb, in Beograd and compared to that, the road culture in London is very high and the singposting is nearly perfect! :slight_smile:

But I have to say that I was ever doing London only in sprinters, 7,5 and 18 tonners…

12

Santa:
It’s true - This kind of moron will pick on anything to give abuse

You’re propably right. But that was the first time ever that someone picked up mine Polish nationality to say something was really hurting (and from our never-ending discussion you know, that although I will discuss to the end of the world on some issues, it is really hard to offend me).

13

Used to go to a farm in a village near Newark, had the same problems with locals parking thier cars deliberately to block the trucks. Had one old country squire type really telling me what he thought of “you truck drivers, you think you own the roads,” i told him politely, actually, we do ! :laughing:

14

dustylfc:

orys:

dustylfc:
getting abuse off the public is very normal dosent matter what your nationality, if you were english the moron with the attitude would of probably have giving you more abuse, you wanna try driving around london mate its a proper wind up and many hand gestures.

London is actually not so bad. I used to be in central london at least once a week in my last full time job :slight_smile:

you must of had radio 2 on really high, and blinkers on i hate driving around london not for the abuse but just because i hate not knowing whether the road am driving down needs a permit or is gonna take pictures of me and charge me for the journey and a wrong turn quickly brings doom to your day especially on a double decker :wink:

was in and around london today, 6 drops with a double decker. Even though I know the roads quite well, some stages were taking me 40 minutes instead of 15 mins, just because there is one low bridge and no quick way around it. timings for the stages between drops were based on a 14’ trailer, mine was 16’, thanks to some over educated, underage numpty in planning who just thinks a truck is a truck I was not only put under stress because I was constantly running late, but also because I had to try to find a route avoiding low bridges, add to that the extra stress of London drivers and traffic, it’s no wonder there are so many drivers suffering heart conditions ! :neutral_face:

15

Being the swot that I am I like to carry the highway code with me. rule 242 You MUST NOT leave your vehicle or trailer in a dangerous position or where it causes unnecessary obstruction of the road. I would have shown him this and asked if he would like the local constabulary contacted. If he says no pick up a brick and stand near his car window. :smiling_imp:

I would also like to apologise on behalf of this twit

16

You should not apologize - there are idiots among every nation.

The Highway Code is a good idea, I have to start carry mine with me :slight_smile:

17

Unfortunately these people just pick on what they can. It was polish this time but could have been fat, black, american, gay, female, martian . . . being scottish doesnt help they just pick on something else. In fairness you would probably have done the rest of us more good if you hit him. now the next guy will just get the same treatment till one of us snaps and caves his face in. hope im passing when it happens :smiling_imp: And when they say the scots are more civilised i think it might have been us who invented the phrase " had bigger than that down here this last week"

18

He isn’t a true jock.
They don’t act like that, Until they go to Blackpool.

You should have told him, that “the day is going to become very bad if he carries on, as the other driver is gay, and very very ■■■■■ and he will not understand when you are saying NO, NO,NO, due to his lack of knowledge of the Engish language, So you can go away, or i will tell the driver that you are up for it”.

19

limeyphil:
You should have told him, that “the day is going to become very bad if he carries on, as the other driver is gay, and very very ■■■■■ and he will not understand when you are saying NO, NO,NO, due to his lack of knowledge of the Engish language, So you can go away, or i will tell the driver that you are up for it”.

:smiley:

20

limeyphil:
He isn’t a true jock.
They don’t act like that, Until they go to Blackpool.

You should have told him, that “the day is going to become very bad if he carries on, as the other driver is gay, and very very ■■■■■ and he will not understand when you are saying NO, NO,NO, due to his lack of knowledge of the Engish language, So you can go away, or i will tell the driver that you are up for it”.

This gets my vote! :smiley: