I always give a long flash of the lights because if they are like me and are looking ahead with a quick look in the n/s mirror every couple of seconds it is easy to miss a short flash. Have seen drivers do such a quick flash that even when you’r watching for it you can miss it. So my advise is ;lane 1 when overtaking vehicle is safely past headlights on .;lane 2 when past vehicle and headlights seen indicate to n/s and return to lane ;Lane 1 when indicter seen lights off. Every one is happy.
spectron:
I always wait until there clear and they indicate themselves before flashing them in.
I also do this if they sit in lane 2, most just stick indicator on and pull straight over or are half way into lane 1 then indicate or dont indicate at all.
Lazy drivers are a plenty out there. If a driver doesnt know the length of his trailer then its hard cheese, let him sit in lane 2 till he/she is 200 yeards up the road then he realises im not going to flash him/her in then pulls over. I find alot of our foreign friends stay out longer and give you enough room to slam the anchors on if they have to for whatever reason.
Personally I prefer having as much room between me and another wagon as possible, if not flashing in does this for me then so be it.
I usually wait til i can see both trailer lights in my windscreen, but this is usuall far too long to wait for all the
" i know when i’m by you brigade " so it looks like i don’t flash people in majority of the time, its just that its nice too still be able to see a bit of road. Then there’s the ones gripping the steering wheel for dear life in case they fall out, who are getting intimidated by Mr BMW behind him, thanks for nothing 
Alcpone:
Lazy drivers are a plenty out there. If a driver doesnt know the length of his trailer then its hard cheese, let him sit in lane 2 till he/she is 200 yeards up the road then he realises im not going to flash him/her in then pulls over. I find alot of our foreign friends stay out longer and give you enough room to slam the anchors on if they have to for whatever reason.
Re Lazy, Have you thought that the driver maybe driving a Unit & trailer which they are not accustomed to, Such as Agency drivers who are probably more professional than Jack the lad who has been at the same company 20yrs plus, and only has driven the same truck for a year or more.
Some if not most Agency drivers, drive a wide variety of Units and Trailers, and must be able to be complacent within a hour or so of being given the keys.
So Lazy, Not in my eyes,
Re Flashing Trucks in, I usually double flash, if that dont work, its main beam being held on for a wee but longer, but if im overtaking, I usually give myself 70ft whatever size trailer I have
PinkLadyTrucker:
Alcpone:
Lazy drivers are a plenty out there. If a driver doesnt know the length of his trailer then its hard cheese, let him sit in lane 2 till he/she is 200 yeards up the road then he realises im not going to flash him/her in then pulls over. I find alot of our foreign friends stay out longer and give you enough room to slam the anchors on if they have to for whatever reason.Re Lazy, Have you thought that the driver maybe driving a Unit & trailer which they are not accustomed to, Such as Agency drivers who are probably more professional than Jack the lad who has been at the same company 20yrs plus, and only has driven the same truck for a year or more.
Some if not most Agency drivers, drive a wide variety of Units and Trailers, and must be able to be complacent within a hour or so of being given the keys.
So Lazy, Not in my eyes,
Re Flashing Trucks in, I usually double flash, if that dont work, its main beam being held on for a wee but longer, but if im overtaking, I usually give myself 70ft whatever size trailer I have
Good point made there, but if they are not sure they could just wait abit longer and put indicator on and wait for flash, if the flash doesnt come then stay out abit longer, the majority of trailers on the road are tri axles from my observations, when overtaking you know how much faster you are going than the slower wagon, so if you have half a brain you should know when you would be past, I know I wouldn’t be flashing you in after your trailer is 15 or so foot in front of my bumper.
Unfortunately, there is no written rule on “flashing in”,I personally only use it on trucks that are overtaking slowly. I have found when Paddy overtakes at speed he will normally not even look in his mirror to see if he as passed,he either stays in the outside lane or just cuts you up,but it does keep me active having to do someone elses thinking for them. 
pavaroti:
I don’t flash in as there no need. Plenty numpties seem desperate to cut your nose off though.whats the rush to get back in lane one I don’t know.
The trucking nobs that flash in transit vans baffle me.
So flashing in a van makes you a knob? I give up! 
bigvern1:
pavaroti:
I don’t flash in as there no need. Plenty numpties seem desperate to cut your nose off though.The trucking nobs that flash in transit vans baffle me.
So flashing in a van makes you a knob? I give up!
Why does a van need a flash?
Why does anyone need a flash except in inclement weather. You can flash me all you like, I will pull in when I am ready, just like those pesky foreigners do it, they do not need to flash, or expect a flash
It doesn’t need a flash. Calling someone a knob for doing so is just pants.
My old man who drove in the haulage industry for over 50 years would turn in his grave if he could read some of the pathetic posts on this site from so called professional drivers
I bet most of the younger end on here have no idea were ‘flashing a fellow driver in’ originated from or even better still which way to go if a motorway is closed.
moomooland:
My old man who drove in the haulage industry for over 50 years would turn in his grave if he could read some of the pathetic posts on this site from so called professional drivers
I bet most of the younger end on here have no idea were ‘flashing a fellow driver in’ originated from or even better still which way to go if a motorway is closed.
I was led to believe it came from the days of flat beds, if there was a problem with a “fellow” drivers load then the overtakee would flash like a ■■■■■■ then pull in to help sort it out, if there was no problem then 1 flash would say everything was ok. Right or wrong?
Flashing in was used during the thick fogs and smogs that we don’t see anymore, and when lorries had a 4’’ mirror on a wobbly stalk.
As mentioned it is only a UK thing, the foreigners do not understand it, and if you flash them they take it as aggression or invitation
Wheel Nut:
Flashing in was used during the thick fogs and smogs that we don’t see anymore, and when lorries had a 4’’ mirror on a wobbly stalk.As mentioned it is only a UK thing, the foreigners do not understand it, and if you flash them they take it as aggression or invitation
Thanks for clarifying 
Wheel Nut:
Flashing in was used during the thick fogs and smogs that we don’t see anymore, and when lorries had a 4’’ mirror on a wobbly stalk.As mentioned it is only a UK thing, the foreigners do not understand it, and if you flash them they take it as aggression or invitation
But it seems to work just fine over here, in Norway.
I find that the eastern europeans are the ones that “say thanks”
Hows about not flashing them in? It’s up to the overtaking driver to make the decision when to pull in.
lee mc67:
Hows about not flashing them in? It’s up to the overtaking driver to make the decision when to pull in.
This is one of those no win situations. If they don’t wait for you to flash they can take the front off your truck and if you don’t flash the same applies. You will always be hoping that the overtaker knows what they are doing.
I had been off trucks for a few years and noticed a difference coming back to haulage
previously it had been very rare in my experience for a truck not to flash or acknowledge you
when passing times seem to have changed.
I see flashing in as part of the cameraderie of the road , sometimes if
I am driving in the dark or heavy rain it is good to know that the professional driver
behind me is keeping an eye out and a flash when clear is appreciated , yes I can
estimate the length of my trailer but it is more than this.
I am sometimes flashed by car drivers indicating that it is good to move to the right hand lane
these folks can be truck drivers on the way from work or just motorists with a good dispositon
to lorry drivers, maybe dad or another they know made a living in haulage or they like the experience
of acknowledging the good work of a professional driver in the course of his work, I often flash car drivers
in thanks for courtesy and they seem to enjoy the communication and indicate back.
I also will flash in other professional drivers in including buses & vans if I see them looking in
the nearside mirror it does not make you a knob.
When in Aberdeen a few months ago I was asked to collect from a factory unbeknown to me the
entrance was very tight and I was in an artic with a 40 foot trailer, I could not make the turn put the
parking brake on and went to ask a nearby truck driver to guide me back, he assisted without question.
I was in Glasgow last week while I was in the process of tipping noticed a driver of a large truck trying
to reverse through a set of traffic lights because of roadworks in the industrial estate ahead, I was wearing
a high vis vest indicated to the driver I would be his banksman and safely guided him out of the junction.
Not a hero, make minor mistakes most days ,try to do the job to the best of my ability
respect other road users and I am a bit upset if it is not returned but sometimes a good
driver makes a mistake , if no one is hurt acknowledge the other driver with a wave and move on
end off.
I was always told that we as Heavy goods drivers are the knights of the road , it’s not always
easy to stick to this but nearly always it is a pleasure
enjoy your journey
glencarron
glencarron:
I had been off trucks for a few years and noticed a difference coming back to haulage
previously it had been very rare in my experience for a truck not to flash or acknowledge you
when passing times seem to have changed.I see flashing in as part of the cameraderie of the road , sometimes if
I am driving in the dark or heavy rain it is good to know that the professional driver
behind me is keeping an eye out and a flash when clear is appreciated , yes I can
estimate the length of my trailer but it is more than this.I am sometimes flashed by car drivers indicating that it is good to move to the right hand lane
these folks can be truck drivers on the way from work or just motorists with a good dispositon
to lorry drivers, maybe dad or another they know made a living in haulage or they like the experience
of acknowledging the good work of a professional driver in the course of his work, I often flash car drivers
in thanks for courtesy and they seem to enjoy the communication and indicate back.I also will flash in other professional drivers in including buses & vans if I see them looking in
the nearside mirror it does not make you a knob.When in Aberdeen a few months ago I was asked to collect from a factory unbeknown to me the
entrance was very tight and I was in an artic with a 40 foot trailer, I could not make the turn put the
parking brake on and went to ask a nearby truck driver to guide me back, he assisted without question.I was in Glasgow last week while I was in the process of tipping noticed a driver of a large truck trying
to reverse through a set of traffic lights because of roadworks in the industrial estate ahead, I was wearing
a high vis vest indicated to the driver I would be his banksman and safely guided him out of the junction.Not a hero, make minor mistakes most days ,try to do the job to the best of my ability
respect other road users and I am a bit upset if it is not returned but sometimes a good
driver makes a mistake , if no one is hurt acknowledge the other driver with a wave and move on
end off.I was always told that we as Heavy goods drivers are the knights of the road , it’s not always
easy to stick to this but nearly always it is a pleasureenjoy your journey
glencarron
its a pity other fellow “professionals” dont have the same view , a bit of courtesy goes along way !
largebloke1969:
glencarron:
I had been off trucks for a few years and noticed a difference coming back to haulage
previously it had been very rare in my experience for a truck not to flash or acknowledge you
when passing times seem to have changed.I see flashing in as part of the cameraderie of the road , …
… knights of the road , it’s not always
easy to stick to this but nearly always it is a pleasureenjoy your journey
glencarron
its a pity other fellow “professionals” dont have the same view , a bit of courtesy goes along way !
Totally agreed,
Its a shame that Some so called Professional drivers do not know the Highway code re overtaking
glencarron:
I had been off trucks for a few years and noticed a difference coming back to haulage
previously it had been very rare in my experience for a truck not to flash or acknowledge you
when passing times seem to have changed.I see flashing in as part of the cameraderie of the road , sometimes if
I am driving in the dark or heavy rain it is good to know that the professional driver
behind me is keeping an eye out and a flash when clear is appreciated , yes I can
estimate the length of my trailer but it is more than this.I am sometimes flashed by car drivers indicating that it is good to move to the right hand lane
these folks can be truck drivers on the way from work or just motorists with a good dispositon
to lorry drivers, maybe dad or another they know made a living in haulage or they like the experience
of acknowledging the good work of a professional driver in the course of his work, I often flash car drivers
in thanks for courtesy and they seem to enjoy the communication and indicate back.I also will flash in other professional drivers in including buses & vans if I see them looking in
the nearside mirror it does not make you a knob.When in Aberdeen a few months ago I was asked to collect from a factory unbeknown to me the
entrance was very tight and I was in an artic with a 40 foot trailer, I could not make the turn put the
parking brake on and went to ask a nearby truck driver to guide me back, he assisted without question.I was in Glasgow last week while I was in the process of tipping noticed a driver of a large truck trying
to reverse through a set of traffic lights because of roadworks in the industrial estate ahead, I was wearing
a high vis vest indicated to the driver I would be his banksman and safely guided him out of the junction.Not a hero, make minor mistakes most days ,try to do the job to the best of my ability
respect other road users and I am a bit upset if it is not returned but sometimes a good
driver makes a mistake , if no one is hurt acknowledge the other driver with a wave and move on
end off.I was always told that we as Heavy goods drivers are the knights of the road , it’s not always
easy to stick to this but nearly always it is a pleasureenjoy your journey
glencarron
This. Couldn’t agree more.