Franglais:
Once upon a time when East Eu drivers were a rarity in the West, only the best, most professional drivers made it here, and they were IMHO of a high standard. Now the East truck industry has expanded and all sorts of drivers are being thrown a set of keys and told to get on with it. We no longer see the experienced professionals, but place fillers.
Spot on, bums on seats everywhere, job dumbed down to suit, what could possibly go wrong 
switchlogic:
Like others have said the very poor standard of motorway driving amongst car drivers in UK is partly to blame. In general in Europe cars have better lane discipline and overtake trucks quickly without fuss. You almost never see cars over here sliding up and slowing down right beside the truck like British idiots do. In the interests of honesty I’ve side swipped a car in UK in a LHD Truck
It’s a similar situation to the cyclist v truck issue.Trucks unarguably have vulnerable blind spots and over takes with a car need to be carried out quickly and safely with a decent speed differential.Bearing in mind that one of the main ways of dealing with blind spots is to wait before moving even if the mirrors seem clear so that anything that might be hiding in any blind spot will then appear.Vulnerable truck areas also need to be treated like a box junction by cars on the basis of don’t enter the danger zone unless the exit is clear and if it isn’t stay back so that you can be clearly seen in the truck’s mirrors.On that note it’s not just a motorway rule of survival and it’s arguably more an issue that car drivers aren’t being taught how to deal with that hazard at the driver instruction stage.Together with the perfect storm of UK motorways now being subject to an over regulated speed regime thereby creating the traffic bunching and low speed differentials that just add to the problem. 
No surprise in that case that continental motorways historically don’t present the type of hazards regarding RHD trucks there that UK motorways present to LHD trucks here.
Olog Hai:
Lennoxtown:
I’m sure some of these truck drivers are making ( what seems to be! ) badly timed, knee jerk reactions to
pull out for an overtake, ( daydreaming… and they’ve left it to late to get out safely!) and just having a single glance in the mirror…Make no mistake, such behaviour is not solely the preserve of left hookers. Drive along any motorway or dual carriageway and you will see countless example of British-registered lorries that are driven in the most incompetent manner imaginable, displaying all of the characteristics that you describe and with not one ounce of forward planning or road awareness.
The only reason that these morons do not cause more accidents is because fortunately plenty of other drivers make allowances for them.
Yes, I do agree with that… there was a time when most truck drivers would wait for a safe gap, indicate and move
out safely into the middle lane… but now EVERY day I see [ at least a few! ] thick, blind ( or pig ignorant ) truck drivers throw on their indicator and start moving out regardless, forcing some poor bugger out of his lane! A classic example of using their size to intimidate other road users in smaller vehicles!
Apart from being downright unprofessional, it’s bloody dangerous… I’ve seen middle laners panic when they see a trucks indicator coming on and they dive out into the fast lane without properly checking, straight in front of a very fast moving vehicle… a sure recipe for a multiple pile up!
It’s got to be lack of driving experience most of them can’t reverse let alone go forward some of them don’t even get into uk without hitting the train carriage
When UK trucks was at there height in Europe I don’t remember seeing one side swipe
AndrewG:
Cant comprehend what possible difference if makes whether lhd or rhd tbh. I was in the UK earlier this week and cant honestly see how a truck driver could make this type of mistake, most likely down to inexperienced car drivers misjudgement…
You’ve obviously never driven on a rainy night with some muppet in a car sitting under your passenger window matching your speed, difficult to see with just quick glances at a rain sodden mirror.
Did this in Spain in the 80’s, caught a car on the rear end it went spinning down the auropista and came to a rest on a slight knoll on the side of the road, it was resting on it’s chassis and was gently spinning round like a movie comedy scene. Worse still when the occupants got out they looked like they where going to an audition for the Addams family.
Police turned up checked paperwork while I kept waving my bail bond at them (it was Friday scared I would spend the weekend in clink) but they where not that interested, car had one wheel in the scrapyard and the dent I put in to it’s rear panel was hardly noticeable. Paperwork correct, tacho correct, Police lost interest and I was on my way.
I’ve seen UK reg trucks side swiping cars on the drivers side but how they dont see the car i dont know.
Colin_scottish:
I’ve seen UK reg trucks side swiping cars on the drivers side but how they dont see the car i dont know.
peek a boo hiding behind tasselled curtains?
they never see any decent legs either.
Juddian:
Colin_scottish:
I’ve seen UK reg trucks side swiping cars on the drivers side but how they dont see the car i dont know.peek a boo hiding behind tasselled curtains?
they never see any decent legs either.
Dont full agree with that i have my peek a boos up and ive never been close to swiping a car or missed any legs.It probs just the driver who has become complacent while driving more like.
Oh Colin! Peekaboos? You’ve just shattered all my preconceptions of you mate. I expect peekaboos from Robroy 'cos he’s a Toon fan and as such is used to hiding behind settees and curtains when they’re on telly, but I expected more from a rufty tufty trucker like you tbh. 