Thats what i did the other week. Flashed as many lights as possible on my backend and held the steering wheel tight. Not with the arm i injured a few months ago as i thought the sudden impact whilst holding the wheel tight might do more harm then good to it.
SteveBarnsleytrucker:
Last night was the first time I’ve had an arse clenching moment and I thought, “that’s it, my time has come” whilst driving and there was nothing I could do about it.
I was travelling s/b on the M1 towards my drop in Luton and was about 2 and half mile from Newport Pagnell services and the matrix boards were flashing up," Incident 40mph" As we got to the entry slip road from Newport Pagnell the traffic was stood so on approach as you do I put the hazards on to warn others behind me of standing traffic.
I came to a stop but unusually for the time of day which was around 17:00 traffic was not bumper to bumper and there was quite a big gap between us in the last line of traffic in the queue and others approaching. I looked in my mirror at this point to notice an artic in my lane who obviously was not concentrating heading stright for me probably on the limiter hazards flashing, he then locked up his trailer wheels, the trailer started to snake and then strighten up and somehow to avoid smashing stright into the back of me he had to use the entry slip of the services and the hard shoulder to come to a stop.
He came to a stop about halfway down my trailer so imagine if he couldn’t use the slip road or hard shoulder to avoid me? Luckily there was no one coming out of the services or broke down or even taking a break on the hard shoulder otherwise there would’ve been carnage.
All I could do when I saw him approaching was to grip hold of the steering wheel and tense up, God knows why maybe just instinct and think of my daughter and partner and that I could well have been crushed between the McBurney artic that was in front of me and the Yodel artic that had somehow avoided hitting me and him becoming a fatality and possibly even myself because the point he had stopped halfway down my trailer suggests if he had hit it full on then there probably wouldn’t have been much hope for either of us coming out alive.
Happened to me several years back in the south of France although the Spanish fridge didn’t stop in time. Pushed me into the back of a flat carrying a portacabin - who caused the who incident - but luckily for me it pushed me square on, so no injuries and was able to get the truck and trailer back home once some basics were sorted - cable ties to pinch air lines on the trailer and a couple of headlamps on the unit. But a frightening experience, something I wouldn’t want to go through again.
I’ve been in the position where I’ve watched the traffic stop yet it takes a few seconds for me to compute that, of course leap on the brakes and hope the person behind is paying attention.
mrginge:
Thats what i did the other week. Flashed as many lights as possible on my backend and held the steering wheel tight. Not with the arm i injured a few months ago as i thought the sudden impact whilst holding the wheel tight might do more harm then good to it.
I suppose the one advantage of a Yank rig is the large bonnet/nose to take some of an impact if smacking into to something in front. A cab over truck hasn’t got much between driver and the back doors of the trailer in front has it?
Funny you should mention injured arms. My grandad used to drive a mobile crane back in the day. Apparently you couldn’t put your thumbs on the inside the wheel when moving across a site - if the outfit’s wheels clipped any rocks or wheel ruts the wheel could whip around and break your thumbs if the spokes on the wheel hit them 
That principle still applies, if you hit an obstruction or get a front wheel blow out the wheel will turn with enough force to break your thumb, or your hand if you have one of those silly flid knobs.
bazza123:
mrginge:
Thats what i did the other week. Flashed as many lights as possible on my backend and held the steering wheel tight. Not with the arm i injured a few months ago as i thought the sudden impact whilst holding the wheel tight might do more harm then good to it.I suppose the one advantage of a Yank rig is the large bonnet/nose to take some of an impact if smacking into to something in front. A cab over truck hasn’t got much between driver and the back doors of the trailer in front has it?
Funny you should mention injured arms. My grandad used to drive a mobile crane back in the day. Apparently you couldn’t put your thumbs on the inside the wheel when moving across a site - if the outfit’s wheels clipped any rocks or wheel ruts the wheel could whip around and break your thumbs if the spokes on the wheel hit them
push and pull drive, 
especially in a pig aka the one tonne Humber 