How do you drive?

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
21

war1974:
hi all just a quick one i have recently returned to hgv driving after being at university trying to better myself however my question is this since returning (and it may just be a case of i forgot what its like and i only drove weekends while at uni) i have noticed more and more drivers refuse to allow a quicker vehicle pass! and i am on about hgv’s most vehicles limiters are within 1-2 miles an hour different if i get a vehicle overtaking me on a dual carriagway i will slow a bit to allow it past rather than getting the 3 mile tailbacks if you dont! but have noticed more and more will sit while you crawl past its the same if you overtake on a hill as well!

so far enjoying the forum with some good banter and useful information on here (sometimes)

apologies about the title but tried 3 different versions and went for this :blush:

I also slow down,to let people past if they are struggling…doesn’t take much effort and only slows you down a few seconds.
Unfortunately there are too many thick ■■■■■ out there like 44 Tonne Ton,the ones that dont do lorry drivers any favours cause they think with their ■■■■■ and with their brains slightly behind,in their arse!!
as the saying goes…there are ‘Drivers’ and there are ‘Screwdrivers’…Tooooo many of them unfortunately are the latter!!! :unamused:

22

Check my sig…

23

very true ss!

24

dejavu lol

25

Bikemonkey:

war1974:
hi all just a quick one i have recently returned to hgv driving after being at university trying to better myself however my question is this since returning (and it may just be a case of i forgot what its like and i only drove weekends while at uni) i have noticed more and more drivers refuse to allow a quicker vehicle pass! and i am on about hgv’s most vehicles limiters are within 1-2 miles an hour different if i get a vehicle overtaking me on a dual carriagway i will slow a bit to allow it past rather than getting the 3 mile tailbacks if you dont! but have noticed more and more will sit while you crawl past its the same if you overtake on a hill as well!

so far enjoying the forum with some good banter and useful information on here (sometimes)

apologies about the title but tried 3 different versions and went for this :blush:

I also slow down,to let people past if they are struggling…doesn’t take much effort and only slows you down a few seconds.
Unfortunately there are too many thick [zb] out there like 44 Tonne Ton,the ones that dont do lorry drivers any favours cause they think with their ■■■■■ and with their brains slightly behind,in their arse!!
as the saying goes…there are ‘Drivers’ and there are ‘Screwdrivers’…Tooooo many of them unfortunately are the latter!!! :unamused:

Have another read of your Highway Code chimp boy…if you’re looking for thick you must have a mirror surely? And just for your information, everything passes me without any trouble. :wink:

26

My opinion, and not aimed at anyone in particular…

Takes two drivers to complete an efficient overtake.

It’s not about being professional (what does that even mean :wink: ), its simply about not being a knob.

If you just sit behind, knocking a few mph off, then the next guy does the same, and the next guy does the same. Then you create a situation of long queues of bumper to bumper trucks that gets slower and slower which are even more tedious to overtake. I actually quite like scenery, it’s one of the reasons I like to drive (relatively speaking). If you can spend hours and hours staring at the back of a trailer you are a better man than me, or possibly just very dull. Equal chance I reckon.

The most sensible thing is to overtake if you have the speed advantage, no matter how slight. The guy being overtaken should help you out. Like any legislation, you can interpret the highway code in several different ways, much like religion. Guess what, it often helps to sometimes engage your own brain too. Traffic on the road is a dynamic thing, requires you to perform actions in response to developing situations. Not drive like a robot.

Case in point, empty motorway at 4am… no real need to back off, people can still pass in lane 3, there is no hurry.

Two lane dual carriageway at rush hour, lots of cars… back off and let the guy past, flash him in, get the traffic moving.

I realise this involves the driver being overtaken, looking in his mirrors, and actually taking his feet off the dashboard (or possibly not) and performing an action, but we all have to make sacrifices :stuck_out_tongue:

Saying it’s the problem of the guy who is overtaking is a bit short sighted.

What harm is there in helping out the guy who wants to get past by backing off? It’s not as if you have much else occupying your time sat on the limiter on a motorway or trunk road.

27

This repetetive ■■■■■■ gets on my 'nads. You’re all ■■■■■. :laughing:

28

bigvern1:
This repetetive ■■■■■■ gets on my 'nads. You’re all [zb]. :laughing:

Very helpful Vern! :grimacing:

29

I drive what I call progressively, I meaning I don’t hang about. If I’ve got somewhere to go I want to get there as quickly as possible, not nurse it along saving 0.00001p of fuel.

30

FFS make things a bit easier for everyone, knock it off a few klics then resume and chill.

44 Tonne Ton:
Yes but if you’re not fast enough to overtake reasonably quickly then stay where you are, there’s a good chap! Now go and read your Highway Code, properly mind and stop getting all aerated… :wink:

Are these the sections we all need to read :question: :unamused:

The Highway Code
Overtaking (162-169)

168

Being overtaken. If a driver is trying to overtake you, maintain a steady course and speed, slowing down if necessary to let the vehicle pass. Never obstruct drivers who wish to pass. Speeding up or driving unpredictably while someone is overtaking you is dangerous. Drop back to maintain a two-second gap if someone overtakes and pulls into the gap in front of you.

169

Do not hold up a long queue of traffic, especially if you are driving a large or slow-moving vehicle. Check your mirrors frequently, and if necessary, pull in where it is safe and let traffic pass.

31

You’re a very naughty BJ, you managed to miss this…

163
Overtake only when it is safe and legal to do so. You should
not get too close to the vehicle you intend to overtake
use your mirrors, signal when it is safe to do so, take a quick sideways glance if necessary into the blind spot area and then start to move out
not assume that you can simply follow a vehicle ahead which is overtaking; there may only be enough room for one vehicle
move quickly past the vehicle you are overtaking, once you have started to overtake. Allow plenty of room. Move back to the left as soon as you can but do not cut in

If you can’t get by in a reasonable time you shouldn’t be trying to.

32

If you can’t get by in a reasonable time you shouldn’t be trying to.

You see, you are interpreting, just like everyone else is free to… that kind of helps to illustrate my point. It doesn’t say that. Also, define quickly? Apart from the opposite of slowly? Define slowly.

Define reasonable? :stuck_out_tongue:

33

WildGoose:

If you can’t get by in a reasonable time you shouldn’t be trying to.

You see, you are interpreting, just like everyone else is free to… that kind of helps to illustrate my point. It doesn’t say that. Also, define quickly? Apart from the opposite of slowly? Define slowly.

Define reasonable? :stuck_out_tongue:

Not needing miles and miles to get by…yes I’m interpreting because there are no specific guidelines. As a professional driver you’re called upon to use your judgement all day long. This is just one example of that. I expect better of you Goosey… :wink:

34

Will try harder sir! :grimacing:

35

I have high hopes for you my boy! :grimacing:

36

44 Tonne Ton:
You’re a very naughty BJ, you managed to miss this…

163
Overtake only when it is safe and legal to do so. You should
not get too close to the vehicle you intend to overtake
use your mirrors, signal when it is safe to do so, take a quick sideways glance if necessary into the blind spot area and then start to move out
not assume that you can simply follow a vehicle ahead which is overtaking; there may only be enough room for one vehicle
move quickly past the vehicle you are overtaking, once you have started to overtake. Allow plenty of room. Move back to the left as soon as you can but do not cut in

More relevent for and written to cover overtaking on single carriageway roads

And you missed
162
Before overtaking you should make sure the road is sufficiently clear ahead

never a problem on a Motorway

44 Tonne Ton:
If you can’t get by in a reasonable time you shouldn’t be trying to.

I’ve not seen that mentioned
165
You MUST NOT overtake
if you would have to cross or straddle double white lines with a solid line nearest to you (but see Rule 129)
if you would have to enter an area designed to divide traffic, if it is surrounded by a solid white line
the nearest vehicle to a pedestrian crossing, especially when it has stopped to let pedestrians cross
if you would have to enter a lane reserved for buses, trams or cycles during its hours of operation
after a ‘No Overtaking’ sign and until you pass a sign cancelling the restriction

Tis true anyone coming past at 0.0001 kph in an elephant race is a pain, and waiting until a hill to make use of + - gravity is the more intelligent answer to getting past trucks running at similar speeds.
Having been through a situation where another truck suffered a blowout in a tyre that was right next to my drivers door as he came past has made me very considerate of other folks crawling past when overtaking, hence why I always want to get them past and back off a bit as I value my sense of hearing as much as any other body faculty :slight_smile:

37

This whole conversation so far is one of the reasons I gave up long distance work. I can’t recalibrate a digital tachograph and if I could I imagine it would leave a trace somewhere or other. Vehicles got more sophisticated, making them harder to put a wire on, I don’t know how to make a digital wedge for those mobile rest periods, ANPR is everywhere, etc etc.

There’s no fun in sitting at 53/4/5/6 mph all day long admiring those frilly curtains as you struggle to get past a rigid in your top of the range motor.

I don’t understand people who buy a big power motor these days, what’s the point? Maybe they need the big engine to drive the alternator that must be needed for all the “look at me” lights… :neutral_face:

38

Never seem to have much of this trouble, being set at the better end of 52 :wink:

39

I always knock it off if it’s busy, completely un-noticed most of the time though. The one that is really starting to bite my bacon is the ones who seem to chop back in even when the road is clear, weirdly tho last night I was in a rigid (yuk) and the roads were clear and people flashing me back in right on their nose, very polite and appreciated, I said thanks with a couple of indi flicks a couple of truck lengths later instead tho.

40

war1974:
hi all just a quick one i have recently returned to hgv driving after being at university trying to better myself however my question is this since returning (and it may just be a case of i forgot what its like and i only drove weekends while at uni) i have noticed more and more drivers refuse to allow a quicker vehicle pass! and i am on about hgv’s most vehicles limiters are within 1-2 miles an hour different if i get a vehicle overtaking me on a dual carriagway i will slow a bit to allow it past rather than getting the 3 mile tailbacks if you dont! but have noticed more and more will sit while you crawl past its the same if you overtake on a hill as well!

so far enjoying the forum with some good banter and useful information on here (sometimes)

apologies about the title but tried 3 different versions and went for this :blush:

You show intelligence and courtesey unlike most on the road these days. I hate these tossers who I pull out to let on the highway then they speed up and sit alongside me stopping me from pulling back in or worse they accelorate to leave me standing there. If a truck is struggling to get by me I lift off the pedal to let him by, I must be unique in thsi part of the world.