I know its probably an old one, but I seriously think that all left hand drive trucks driving through the UK should have to, by law, have mirrors fitted to give them a better view while negotiating roundabouts and the like.
To be fair the law could extend to all right hand drive motors going continental.
The reason for this thinking is that we were nearly wiped out by a foreign driver on Friday near the Boston area.
We had entered the roundabout (by car) and the truck coming from the left just ploughed out onto the roundabout making us stand the car on its nose before he knocked us flying. He then proceeded round the roundabout to the right (at a fair speed) mounting the roundabout iteslf by at least four feet with all three axles of the trailer.
Now I am not sure if this was due to driving blind or simply being a lousy driver. 
but I am sure there will be some opinions on either side for this.
Personally I think it was just sheer flaming rotten driving.
I run left hand drive trucks out of the UK and every new driver I put on them had an accident within a few days, even the ones who could drive anything and had years of experience. And the ones that looked at me as if i was stupid when I tried to explain the problems were the worst.
An example
One driver with over 20 years experience left the yard ,never driven a left ■■■■■■ before and within 15 mins had taken out someones wing mirror then I got a phone call from France that he had taken out a PEAGE BOOTH
willie_mac:
I run left hand drive trucks out of the UK and every new driver I put on them had an accident within a few days, even the ones who could drive anything and had years of experience. And the ones that looked at me as if i was stupid when I tried to explain the problems were the worst.An example
I got a phone call from France that he had taken out a PEAGE BOOTH
top bloke, gis a job and i will take out another one 
Ive been driving left hookers since around 1998 and havent had a problem,(only problem now is getting in a right hand drive!) you gotta take your time at roundabouts and junctions, just hold back a bit, its no good driving up to the give way signs cos you wont be able to see anything, just hold back a bit and use COMMON SENSE and you will be fine.
Those stick on things that go on the passenger windows do help a lot, they should be given to every truck that enters the country from abroad, ive only been using them around a year, and they do help a lot, you would hardly get any side-swiping on motorways if every left ■■■■■■ had those. Also works the same for right hand drive trucks going to Euroland.
i drove rh drive all over the continent an only ever had one near miss you just have to be a little bit sensible and as one of the other posts said hold back a little bit, just take your time at junctions 
Ive been on left hookers now for 5 years - I had to drive a right ■■■■■■ for a couple of days last week - it was a nightmare!!
The re are two major problems swapping from LHD to RHD - the first is road positioning, and the second is reversing. Gettting used to driving RHD forwards is really just a matter of total concentration and reminding yourself that you are in a RHD motor - not your normal LHD. Reversing on the other hand is a different ball game, especially using just mirrors as all the angles seem to be wrong, what I can do in an LHD in one go took about 5 shunts in an RHD truck!
I like left hookers. I use my mobile phone in my right hand, therefore, there is less chance of the police seeing me. 
I have also driven LHD since about 1995 and havent had any major problems except in yards built in the 1800’s for RHD horse and carts.
Sometimes other drivers don’t appreciate that I am at the other side, neither do most dumb ■■■ coppers or security men who knock on the wrong door 
I just wait till they realise and come to my side 
The best advice I got was from a bloke who drove a road sweeper with 2 steering wheels and line my knee up with the white line.
Another tip is to know what is behind you, what is overtaking you and where did that, blue, green, silver, merc, vauxhall, ■■■■■■ van go? before pulling out.
Another helpful tip for other drivers, especially driving instructors would be to anticipate that the truck on the roundabout may be left hand drive or may pull out because of a blind spot.
I also agree with you that is was probably just another crap driver talking to his other gay mate on the mobile
Just to add when I first picked up my first left ■■■■■■ in Rochdale outside a chippy, I turned off the radio and never used it for 2 days. I was concentrating so much
Its all been reported before so i`ll do it again…My first experience on a left ■■■■■■ was one boxing day, i was shipping out to germany, i left the yard and not a lot on the road, i approached a junction where i was turning left, but the junction wasnt square, and i was too close to the junction anyway, so just pulled out hoping for the best…all i heard was a blaring horn…that taught me my 1st lesson…we did stop, and i did apologise, explaining the situation…2 miles down the road, i took the front step off the o/s of this volvo F88, and was ok till i got on the continent…it was even worse…but after a week, i became more professional…and definitely more aware…although i did feel that i was gonna hit every lamp post and telegraph pole, and moved the steering wheel accordingly…but like riding a bike…you never ever forget…
limeyphil:
I like left hookers. I use my mobile phone in my right hand, therefore, there is less chance of the police seeing me.
priceless
Maybe it is time for the UK to ban left-hookers on our roads … drop the trailer at the port to be picked up by a RHD tractor unit. That should sort out a bit of cabotage and increase work availability here. Maybe the mythic ‘60,000 driver shortage’ might even materialise then 
Dont think my boss would be too happy with that as around 40 of our trucks are left hookers.
Ragnarok Posted: Mon May 26, 2008 4:32 pm Post subject:
Maybe it is time for the UK to ban left-hookers on our roads … drop the trailer at the port to be picked up by a RHD tractor unit. That should sort out a bit of cabotage and increase work availability here. Maybe the mythic ‘60,000 driver shortage’ might even materialise then
LMAO, That would be the Army screwed with our beloved fleet of DAF’s and Fodens 
If you drive a left ■■■■■■ , the next time your at Dover docks , ask one of the VOSA people for a `Fresnel lens’ ime led to believe they are giving them out free as part of a road safety campaign.
…A4 size…
or :-
the next time you bump into one of the Highways Agency Traffic Officer vehicles in the service areas , ask them for one too ,
as they too are giving them out foc. same campaign .
now your making me nervous 
as im starting my new job next week, and thats on a LHD stick, ive driven a LHD auto for a few hrs which was scarey but easier compared to a stick, so wish me luck 
xxicelandicxx:
now your making me nervous
How did you get that job then ?
Sounds like you should be nervous.
Someone selling the Fresnel Here
You’ll see it quotes
The lens that eliminates the HGV passenger-side Blind-Spot
IMHO it drastically reduces the blind spot, but I would not agree that it eliminates it, altogether.
My first time out in a LHD I managed to drive over the kerbstones of a traffic island 
I then was given a tip that worked well Park the truck up as near to the kerb as you want your road position to be, sit in the drivers seat in your normal driving position and look where the kerb is through the windscreen, place a small bit of tape on the bottom windscreen where you can see the kerb
The when you are driving along a quick glance will show if the tape is in line with the kerb, if it is you know your just in the right road position
My first and only time in a lhd was when i went for a job interview with ralph davies, i was taken out round the delights of cheltenham by none other than richard wild who was working in transport office at the time later to become wild international (that did’nt last long)
we went up to the first junction on m5 headed north and came off to turn round at next junction where i pulled up to the give way line and then realised i could’nt see a thing
when we got back to yard i was put in rhd
Mothertrucker:
.
Personally I think it was just sheer flaming rotten driving.
So do I, but special mirrors aren’t the whole answer, the blindspots they cause can be a worse hazard and I remember putting on one of those stick on mirrors many years ago only to see it get peeled off the first time I wound down that window.
However, I am surprised that you, MT, as an instructor, had to do an emergency stop. Don’t you teach defensive driving techniques? I have an unbroken rule to watch the eyes of any driver likely to enter my space to see if he is watching me - and if I can’t see him, then he can’t see me, and is liable to do the worst.
This is especially true here in France where half the drivers on the road seem to have forgotten that there is still a ‘priorite a droite’ rule in force.