How many of you will admit to treating class 2 ridged drivers as second rate on the road ■■
On the odd occassion I have to suffer them at Brakes, and without a doubt there is a significant difference to the way I am treated by arctic drivers whilst on the move, annoys the heck of me as I am particularly well mannered as a driver and above the pettiness that some of my fellow class one drivers seem to show, I can only imagine how regular ridged drivers get oiked off with us arctic drivers the way some of you lot carry on, equally there is thankfully still a bunch of mature souls still out there.
no not ever.
probably someone learning the ropes.
and if anyone wants to ask for some tips regarding their up and coming class one, then i’m never in too much of a rush.
It’s the same mistake as made by those among us who think that the size of their lorry,it’s
engine, the quality of the paintwork or the number of add on lights in some way reflects
their worth as a human being.
Everyone should be treated as second rate on the road, until they show otherwise, that’s defensive driving.
However, to judge the driver by the vehicle they are in is frankly ridiculous, but all too common.
Watching drivers attempting to park artics, wherever you go these days, should be enough to dispel the opinion that
their drivers are in some way superior.
Mind you, I saw a driver of a tiny rigid reverse it over the bars on a bay at an Asda tray wash last week.
Probably one of those superb artic drivers demonstrating his skill in a different lorry. 
Regards,
Nick
ncooper:
It’s the same mistake as made by those among us who think that the size of their lorry,it’s
engine, the quality of the paintwork or the number of add on lights in some way reflects
their worth as a human being.
Everyone should be treated as second rate on the road, until they show otherwise, that’s defensive driving.
However, to judge the driver by the vehicle they are in is frankly ridiculous, but all too common.
Watching drivers attempting to park artics, wherever you go these days, should be enough to dispel the opinion that
their drivers are in some way superior.
Mind you, I saw a driver of a tiny rigid reverse it over the bars on a bay at an Asda tray wash last week.
Probably one of those superb artic drivers demonstrating his skill in a different lorry.
Regards,
Nick
Very well put.
I personally have a lot of time for rigid drivers just because I know the kind of work they do is normally pretty crap. I’ve turned up at jobs in 7.5ts and had rigid drivers looking down their nose at me so their hardly victims!
I know it’s not all thankfully, just amazes me the difference every time I drive one of the stupid things, if anything I hope my post might make one of those people who do differentiate between the two to consider the facts that one, does it matter if your willy is bigger than theirs, two the driver might be a willy waver of the same size normally, and three, we are all drivers out there trying to make some doh with the rest of the driving anarchy surrounding us, does it really hurt your ego so much you can’t treat a class 2 as an equal and help each other out there ■■
I concede 7.5t drivers generally drive like tossers and have no manners however, I am mature enough to not let that generalisation preclude me from a good standard of etiquette tho.
I used to love turning up at RM, and driving and LDV on class 1 money, I dont care what I drive as long as it pays
I’m a driver. If i am given the keys for 44t artic or a ford fiesta van it doesn’t matter to me. I get paid the same rate whatever. I can jump from one to the other with little thought. regardless of what i am driving, i treat all drivers with the same respect. It is far harder to get a class 2 licence than to go on and get your class 1, as you already have the basic truck skiils when you do class 1.
When I’m reversing, i can ■■■■ up just as easily with a transit van as with a rear steer 40 footer, i also have days when i can park the same 40 footer blind side into a single parking bay, put the rear off side wheel on a sixpence, without a single shunt.
As far as i am concerned, the only ■■■■■■■■ drivers are the ones that make themselves look like ■■■■■■■■■ by trying to be superior, like the company driver who won’t talk to an agency driver. Anyone who has made the effort to gain a vocational licence deserves to be treated with respect until such times as they show themselve to be ■■■■!
I dont look down on rigid drivers, i enjoy getting out in a rigid sometimes, hell one of the best trucks ive driven was a rigid…granted it ad a big cab,460 horse and left everyone in my dust but hey
truckerjon:
I’m a driver. If i am given the keys for 44t artic or a ford fiesta van it doesn’t matter to me. I get paid the same rate whatever. I can jump from one to the other with little thought. regardless of what i am driving, i treat all drivers with the same respect. It is far harder to get a class 2 licence than to go on and get your class 1, as you already have the basic truck skiils when you do class 1.
When I’m reversing, i can ■■■■ up just as easily with a transit van as with a rear steer 40 footer, i also have days when i can park the same 40 footer blind side into a single parking bay, put the rear off side wheel on a sixpence, without a single shunt.
As far as i am concerned, the only [zb] drivers are the ones that make themselves look like [zb] by trying to be superior, like the company driver who won’t talk to an agency driver. Anyone who has made the effort to gain a vocational licence deserves to be treated with respect until such times as they show themselve to be ■■■■!
+1 quad, tractor, van, artic … makes no odds to me though I make more when our quads and tractors are out working than driving someone elses artic 
They do at msa’s. If you pull into a very busy one and u the lonely rigid driver takes the last space then shortly later an artic turns up you can almost feel the artic drivers parked up giving you evil stares expecting you to give ur space up and go find a lay by!
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I treat them the same, for all I know they could be hugely experienced ex euro drivers who have been made redundant or chosen to do a more local job getting home every night, in fact that is what happened to a bloke up my local club, so i treat every driver respectfully.
A lot of firms/agencys use class one drivers for rigids anyway, makes no difference.
We have a couple of superior drivers in our place , to good to do the class 2 local work , they just won’t unless they really have to , they see it as beneath them ! I have class 1 but happily drive class 2 dkoay in day out & I’m the only one comfortable with hooking up the drag on our rigid to go do block work , the other class 1 drivers view that as beneath them too , although I know having witnessed it first hand its because they can’t reverse it …
I’m sure there must be a two Ronnies sketch that works with this…
ncooper:
It’s the same mistake as made by those among us who think that the size of their lorry,it’s
engine, the quality of the paintwork or the number of add on lights in some way reflects
their worth as a human being.
Everyone should be treated as second rate on the road, until they show otherwise, that’s defensive driving.
However, to judge the driver by the vehicle they are in is frankly ridiculous, but all too common.
Watching drivers attempting to park artics, wherever you go these days, should be enough to dispel the opinion that
their drivers are in some way superior.
Mind you, I saw a driver of a tiny rigid reverse it over the bars on a bay at an Asda tray wash last week.
Probably one of those superb artic drivers demonstrating his skill in a different lorry.
Regards,
Nick
You want to try driving a 3.5 Tonner then, that can get annoying! I have a lot of time and respect for Artic drivers as I know what the muppets on the road can be like, and anyone propelling 44 tonnes in that minefield deserves all the time in the world in my eyes. Always make the effort to help out where I can, keep the van out of the way when delivering, or flash them back in on the motorway. Very rarely seems to work the other way though! 
Yeah Barr drivers seem to look down on you a lot when you pull into their industrial tip to empty the rigid.
I’ve observed this myself over the years, driving scruffy little 13t Iveco’s you were invisible to all and sundry, the 18t 10m long ones were slightly better for getting flashed in / out or let out of places. Whilst driving 6 wheelers I used to find that I was respected a bit more but more often than not by other rigid drivers. It seems that bigger is better as back with an 8 wheeler it is roughly on a par with driving an artic, other drivers often flashing in / out etc and often keeping out of the way at junctions when a bit of extra space is needed.
Me? I just hate puddle jumpers, vans, cars, motorbikes…
