I try and be as courteous as I can be. Flash in, flash out, move over to let someone on at a slip or services exit, cars or trucks. I’ll even slot in behind if whoever I let out can get faster than me, rather than sit side by side. If a truck moves over to let me out on a slip road, I’ll hang back at around 50 to let them get past. Hell, if something is on the hard shoulder, especially whilst it’s being repaired/recovered I’ll move to the middle lane. I’ll do all these things if it safe to do so. Why? It makes my life and the life of the other guy that little bit easier and ultimately safer. I’ve nearly been on the receiving end of numptys twice now so if I can I like to eliminate any risk.
First occasion I’m approaching the M25 just past Jct 8 alongside the southbound entry slip. I’m overtaking a Dutch wagon whilst an empty tipper is bombing his way up the slip road. Logic would say the tipper should knock a couple of k’s off and slot in behind the Dutch wagon right? Nope, tipper decides to floor it, meets the Dutch wagon at the end of the slip, blasts his horns and essentially forces the Dutch truck into my lane because he’s not stopping for anyone. I then have to swerve into lane three, where fortunately there were no other vehicles to avoid being part of three truck mangle. Some might say, given that it’s a 4 lane stretch I should have moved to 3 much sooner, allowing the Dutch wagon to move to 2 to let the tipper out but I honestly figured tipper would have adjusted his speed. I don’t even bother overtaking on that stretch anymore, I always want the M25 so if I come up behind a slower wagon past Jct 8 I’ll just match his speed and sit behind him. Costs me a few seconds but saves so much hassle, especially if they realise they don’t want the 25 and have to move over.
Second occasion I’m going North at Jct 11 of the M1. It’s about 1 am and we’re reduced to a single lane. I’m doing 50 about 400 yards behind a Jan de Rijk wagon (I’m seeing a pattern here, maybe I just don’t get along well with the Dutch) with another truck about 10 feet off my arse. Car comes up the slip wanting to join the motorway. I see Jan de Rijks brake lights come on. Ok, thinks I, he’s just easing off to let the car out. Car reaches the end of the slip AND STOPS. Jan de Rijk also STOPS in the only lane of the motorway and flashes the car out! On go my hazards to at least give the guy behind some warning and I start to brake. I’m thinking to myself, brake too hard and the guy behind you is dead, don’t break enough, I’m in the ■■■■. I managed to stop, albeit with my cab sticking into the exit slip about 3 ft alongside the end of Jans trailer. The car probably poodled off into the night unaware of what it had nearly caused but Jan knew full bloody well seeing as he moved off sharpish. I managed to catch up with him just before Toddington when the traffic slowed again and he gave a couple of flashes of the indicators which I can only assume was an apology?
I’m sure someone will say that I was somehow at fault in both situations. The first I concede I maybe could have done something different but the second one? If I wasn’t being tailgated I would have had ample time to stop safely but ultimately, WHO STOPS IN THE MIDDLE OF A MOTORWAY TO LET A SODDING CAR JOIN IT?!. I like this job, but I’m not dying for it, hence why I will flash, move, adjust my speed or whatever to minimise the risk to myself. I’ve learnt you can’t assume that others on the road will think the same way you do, so you have to think both for yourself and for them.
The worst are Car drivers, why do they insist on driving at 55 mph until I overtake then they decide to speed up a bit so you have to pull back in behind them, then they slow down again. Why■■? All it does it wind me up for the rest of the day.
also those ignorant ■■■■■’s that see you indicate to overtake and speed up so that you can’t move over. Grrr!
and yea, and after reading the last post, those twits in cars that come down slips, you ease off, flash them out but they just slow down and stop on end of slip. So I’m now on the brakess cos I’m unaware if they are coming out or not. Some drivers should stay at home.
The trouble with easing off when you’re been overtaken in the truck immediately behind you also pulls out to pass you, do back of more or leave him sat in lane 2?
The number of times I’m sat on limiter and a truck is creeping past until you reach a slight incline and im expected to back off. are these are the drivers complaining about consideration?
Mr B:
The number of times I’m sat on limiter and a truck is creeping past until you reach a slight incline and im expected to back off. are these are the drivers complaining about consideration?
I think the whole point of the topic is that you don’t let yourself get into that situation,
you read the road ahead and have already backed off a little and let the driver pass.
If he then slows down on a hill, you can overtake him.
Even if you can’t overtake because there is too much traffic in the next lane, it’s open to you to slow down with him
until the top of the hill, where he will speed up again.
After all, he is bound to try to pass you again when his speed picks up and if the next stretch is downhill,
that type of driver will let it go until he has.
Mr B:
The trouble with easing off when you’re been overtaken in the truck immediately behind you also pulls out to pass you, do back of more or leave him sat in lane 2?
If he has pulled out, you don’t need to back off any more, he will come past anyway and the one behind him,perhaps.
It’s your choice, you can either think about what you’re doing and drive the lorry or you can set it on the limiter,
attend to the steering wheel and let everyone else deal with your driving.
Mr B:
The number of times I’m sat on limiter and a truck is creeping past until you reach a slight incline and im expected to back off. are these are the drivers complaining about consideration?
I think the whole point of the topic is that you don’t let yourself get into that situation,
you read the road ahead and have already backed off a little and let the driver pass.
If he then slows down on a hill, you can overtake him.
Even if you can’t overtake because there is too much traffic in the next lane, it’s open to you to slow down with him
until the top of the hill, where he will speed up again.
After all, he is bound to try to pass you again when his speed picks up and if the next stretch is downhill,
that type of driver will let it go until he has.
Mr B:
The trouble with easing off when you’re been overtaken in the truck immediately behind you also pulls out to pass you, do back of more or leave him sat in lane 2?
If he has pulled out, you don’t need to back off any more, he will come past anyway and the one behind him,perhaps.
It’s your choice, you can either think about what you’re doing and drive the lorry or you can set it on the limiter, attend to the steering wheel and let everyone else deal with your driving.
Regards,
Nick.
^^ This for me…
I’m only licenced and paid to drive 1 vehicle at a time, so that’s the 1 I’ll worry about.
If I can make other peoples lives a touch easier without making mine too much harder, then I’ll move to middle lane to allow them to join a motorway, I’ll ease off to allow them to pass easier, I’ll flash in when they’re at a safe distance from me to return to the lane - ALTHOUGH, I’M NOT SAYING IT’S SAFE, JUST THAT THEY’RE A SAFE DISTANCE FROM ME - I’ll always thank anyone who’s made my day easier by doing any of the above, I’ll help someone struggling with a reverse - especially if there’s a chance they’re going to break my laptop whilst attempting it…
Was gonna go on about this, but yr not gonna change bad inconsiderate drivers on here simple.
Too many ‘professional’ drivers think they know it all, and are just ignorant of other road users including other ‘professional’ drivers
Lost my point now
check yr ‘mirrors’ ! If a lorry has caught you up (on the level) he’s obviously going quicker than you, so let them passed ! This is not brain surgery for gods sake!
It’s is all covered in the Highway Code ! So what’s the argument ?
So get off your cruise control and do a bit of driving Mrb and xfmatt
the ghost:
Was gonna go on about this, but yr not gonna change bad inconsiderate drivers on here simple.
Too many ‘professional’ drivers think they know it all, and are just ignorant of other road users including other ‘professional’ drivers
Lost my point now
check yr ‘mirrors’ ! If a lorry has caught you up (on the level) he’s obviously going quicker than you, so let them passed ! This is not brain surgery for gods sake!
It’s is all covered in the Highway Code ! So what’s the argument ?
So get off your cruise control and do a bit of driving Mrb and xfmatt
I take your point but doesn’t the faster driver bear some responsibility if passing will take 5 miles shouldn’t he back of a little? Cos he’s doing exactly the same sat on the limit ■■■■ everyone else
I’ve always flashed in drivers of long and longer vehicles, except scaffold lorries! I have also always knocked the indicators a couple of times to thank other drivers for doing so. I don’t ease off unless the lorry coming alongside me has run out of puff going up hill. He/she (or even heshe nowadays!) Is obviously quicker than me on the flat so what hassle is it, being in the lighter truck on a hill to just knock the revs back a bit and let the other truck pass and pull in?
the ghost:
Was gonna go on about this, but yr not gonna change bad inconsiderate drivers on here simple.
Too many ‘professional’ drivers think they know it all, and are just ignorant of other road users including other ‘professional’ drivers
Lost my point now
check yr ‘mirrors’ ! If a lorry has caught you up (on the level) he’s obviously going quicker than you, so let them passed ! This is not brain surgery for gods sake!
It’s is all covered in the Highway Code ! So what’s the argument ?
So get off your cruise control and do a bit of driving Mrb and xfmatt
I take your point but doesn’t the faster driver bear some responsibility if passing will take 5 miles shouldn’t he back of a little? Cos he’s doing exactly the same sat on the limit [zb] everyone else
Yr point is also valid, and also the next rule in the highway code !
But, lol, there’s always gonna be the plebs where neither party gives in and causes a long queue.
if we all just sat there what a long queue that Wld be lol.
At the end of the day isn’t it safer to let the other vehicle past? Your more vulnerable to an accident and or damage the longer the vehicle takes to get passed
It’s effortless to come off and on the cruise control, and we’ve got good size engines that can easily cope, not slogging the bananas out of a Gardiner 180 lol
xfmatt:
Why should anybody “ease off” in the first place? You are either quick enough to overtake or you aren’t. I take it you are “one of those” who sits in the middle lane for 5 miles just cos you’re 1/2 a mile an hour faster than the wagon in front. Hardly professional is it?
I am one of those who does “ease off” if being overtaken.
In my view, if the lorry behind has caught me up, he will get past
in the end, so if I slow down just a little, he is past quickly and I don’t have
to spend the next mile or two with no forward view.
Also, the driver who is prepared to sit in the next lane for 5 miles doesn’t have to and it costs me nothing.
I can see no skill, professionalism or good driving in either of two drivers who sit next
to each other for mile after mile because neither is prepared to drop a couple of mph.
Also, if overtaking, I will always wait for a flash of the headlights, not because I need to know
where the back of the trailer is but because if the overtaken driver flashes his lights, I then know
that he is happy that I am far enough ahead for him to feel comfortable with me to pull back in.
I really don’t like it when someone pulls back in front of me too close for my liking, so I don’t like to do it to others.
I didn’t always do this by any means, perhaps it’s just old age creeping up on me.
Regards,
Nick.
i don’t sit in the middle lane, i have respect for my fellow drivers, lorries or others, if the vehicle i’m trying to pass won’t let ie, speeds up, or we hit a hill (down or up ) and they speed up i ease off. And my reply to Nick… tat is drivers etiquette, thats what i am talking about, thankyou my friend, thankyou.
Why should anybody “ease off” in the first place? You are either quick enough to overtake or you aren’t. I take it you are “one of those” who sits in the middle lane for 5 miles just cos you’re 1/2 a mile an hour faster than the wagon in front. Hardly professional is it?
