damoq:
If fire engines spent as much time on the road, covering as many miles as other trucks do, then I reckon you’d see plenty of them involved in accidents and their drivers driving like a [zb] now and again.
No you would not because they are proper professionals.
There is a pecking order even there.The tower drivers look down of the pump drivers and the refinery tender drivers look down on the tower drivers and the aircraft fire fighting vehicle drivers look down on the refinery tender drivers.
Whilst i have the greatest respect for our emergency services and the work they do, whilst on the road they tend to be given respect by the vast majority of road users, even if people bugger them about its not usually deliberate or malicious as it often is for us lesser drivers…that’s not to diminish the problems caused by half wits who have been known to attack them during riots etc, personally i’d send Armed Response to the scene with instructions to do whatever was necessary to protect said crews but thats me.
Are they better drivers as such, well no not really, they are just skilled in different ways.
eagerbeaver:
Oi Drift-I detect some Pinocchio talk from you.
And as for Albion (the worlds greatest advanced tactical pursuit firearms bomb disposal special forces driving instructor specialist expert), more of his usual [zb].
Oi leave my big conk out of this
I am being bribed onto the dark side
damoq:
If fire engines spent as much time on the road, covering as many miles as other trucks do, then I reckon you’d see plenty of them involved in accidents and their drivers driving like a [zb] now and again.
No you would not because they are proper professionals.
… And rigorously trained to a high standard & the dregs are weeded out early in the application process. Different to the transport industry where any muppet with £2K to blow can scrape through their test & end up getting work in some capacity because some cheapskate firm paying toilet cleaner wages wants a bum on a seat.
I knew a bloke who rolled a fire engine, he was one of the local retained firemen in the town I used live near, basically he told me he was on a call to a road accident on a local rural road and as he came round the corner he met the end of the queue for the accident, took avoiding action running up the hedge, but the hedge covered a stone wall and the fire engine went up it and turned over. I believe everybody was ok, but a couple of them were thrown out of the fire engine.
As for who’s the best, you can’t pigeon hole people by the vehicle they drive. It’s easy to notice the bad drivers and also let them reinforce the stereotype for that type of driver you have built up your mind.
But most of us probably take very little notice of the good drivers (what ever vehicle they drive or even ride) who quietly go about their business without adversely impacting on other road users.
muckles:
But most of us probably take very little notice of the good drivers (what ever vehicle they drive or even ride) who quietly go about their business without adversely impacting on other road users.
That ^^^^^^ IMO is absolutely spot on. The flip side of the coin being that generally the larger the vehicle the more visible the bad driving appears to be. By that I mean that you barely register atrocious driving by a car driver, the same atrocious driving by an artic driver is highly visible and sticks out like a sore thumb.
Albion is correct when he states that standards are slipping but I stand by my assertion that for every example of bad HGV driving I will witness a hundred such examples from car/van drivers. Unfortunately we stick out more and are supposed to be the pro’s, but that’s a different argument.
I think Angus is the best driver piloting his unit for the police. Hmmm it has not got a trailer therefore it is a rigid. DING DING DING we have a winner rigid drivers are best.
Not again. Another probing post from the “large van” toddlers needing attention. Peering over the sides of the soft play pen into scary big kids school.
Yes, yes. You’re excellent little drivers. Learn your times table and one day you’ll grow up to be big boys too.
ckm1981:
Are rigid drivers even proper HGV drivers?..
Of course not. But we can still see our ■■■■■ when we look down…
That’s fantastic news for your good self,being one of the new breed streamlined,athletic class one drivers I’m still able to catch a glance of my own providing it’s not a cold day
Not again. Another probing post from the “large van” toddlers needing attention. Peering over the sides of the soft play pen into scary big kids school.
Yes, yes. You’re excellent little drivers. Learn your times table and one day you’ll grow up to be big boys too.
As I only finished in the Fire service last year, I do feel qualified to offer an opinion here, and that is, I know enough EFAD drivers who I wouldn’t trust to drive a nail into balsa wood, it’s really no different to the real world, some very good drivers, a lot of completely competent ones, and some total knuckle draggers! The biggest difference being, if we all drove down the road with two tone horns, and strobe lights blazing, other road users would be more aware of us, and thus make our lives easier, tbh, if I miss anything of the job, it’s the driving on blue lights, and people just getting out of the way.
