truckman020:
The-Snowman:
truckman020:
still ok for me to drive at 56mph,
Yep im sure it is. Right up to the point where it all goes wrong.
Im sure many a muppet on the road thought the weather conditions were fine to charge on only to end up in a ditch or over a hedge.
If people being cautious in twhe current conditions bothers you then maybe its you who should stay at home.
In fact, given you dont seem to think taking the foot off the accelerator at all when driving in sleet is a sensible idea, maybe you should just stay off the road altogether
Perfectly safe at 56 as the sleet wasn’t settling,it was like a rainy day,nothing on the roads,i think after 38 yrs driving all types i’m experienced enough to know when it’s safe to do 56,i wouldn’t do it otherwise,your entitled to your opinion snowman as we all are on here,even though it’s the wrong opinion.
You have just answered your own question. After 38 years on the road, your at least 55. I am confident you are above average experience compared to the general population. As others have said I would rather people be 10 minutes slower than crash and block the road for hours as most seem to. Side point, what was the temperature? Maybe the driver was worried about ice.
I won’t call either or you wrong but with the current court case ongoing anyone sitting on the limiter in “debatable” conditions is a braver man than me
Well exactly. Maybe we should all keep our collective traps shut when it comes to the question of driving in snow when all the roads appear to be closed due to jack-knifed lorries! Not by people being overcautious in cars.
Some of the comments above have given me heart though, not all truckers have the same death wish.
Sometimes just sometimes complacency can get in the way of reality with experienced drivers.
Sometimes better to be safe than sorry.
I always allow less experienced drivers the courtesy…especially in the current conditions. Everyone can drive at whatever speed they think theyre safe with…i do the same, but on the slower end, and you can give me the fingers, the coffee shake or whatever…i`m doing my own thing to get there in one piece and safe in my own mind i have done the right thing.
I am however totally disgusted with the way this country handles its winter snows…its about time we learned…the gritters dont even have studded tyres or snow chains, and a few have ended up in big trouble…they cannot grit properly with bare tyres alone…airports should have the best equipment ever designed…rail companies should have heated rails…motorways should always be cleared efficiently and no drivers should ever be left stranded…other countries always seem to clear its roads efficiently and its services are kept running…why cant we ?
truckyboy:
I always allow less experienced drivers the courtesy…especially in the current conditions. Everyone can drive at whatever speed they think theyre safe with…i do the same, but on the slower end, and you can give me the fingers, the coffee shake or whatever…i`m doing my own thing to get there in one piece and safe in my own mind i have done the right thing.
I am however totally disgusted with the way this country handles its winter snows…its about time we learned…the gritters dont even have studded tyres or snow chains, and a few have ended up in big trouble…they cannot grit properly with bare tyres alone…airports should have the best equipment ever designed…rail companies should have heated rails…motorways should always be cleared efficiently and no drivers should ever be left stranded…other countries always seem to clear its roads efficiently and its services are kept running…why cant we ?
Money. To be fair our average weather conditions make it difficult to justify the expenditure needed to operate as you think is necessary, unless you’re willing to throw some more wonga in the kitty?
cheekymonkey:
Well exactly. Maybe we should all keep our collective traps shut when it comes to the question of driving in snow when all the roads appear to be closed due to jack-knifed lorries! Not by people being overcautious in cars.
Some of the comments above have given me heart though, not all truckers have the same death wish.
Those that plod along at 20mph when there is absolutely no need to do so are a nuisance, but what can you do?
The ones that deserve much more criticism are the idiots that see advice given not to travel, ignore it because (as usual) the lorry driver always knows better, get stuck and then cause others to have to put themselves in harm’s way by coming out and rescuing them. Then, they moan about it. Couple that with over-exaggerated tales of ‘vital supplies’ (such as toilet rolls, washing up liquid and cans of beer) from the likes of the RHA and it’s no wonder the industry is regard as it is.
truckman020:
today coming home i had two car drivers within minutes in front of me crawling at 10 to 15 mph
- rear foglights
I got so peeved at some twunt doing 15mph on the A47 Leiceter-bound last night, with their fogs on (wasn’t even snowing, nor foggy), that I simply stopped for a 15 so they could get out of my sight.
One thing I’ve noticed is cars going at careful speeds… right up the behind of the car in front. Baffled me lol
Two words truckman - Black ice
The-Snowman:
Two words truckman - Black ice
Good chance of it too in sleat!!
The-Snowman:
Two words truckman - Black ice
The flat to the mat brigade believe they can see black ice or if they do hit it there are so good they can control the skid.
Well, the ones that have not come unstuck yet maybe do.
They know better than us do they not? 
TiredAndEmotional:
truckyboy:
I always allow less experienced drivers the courtesy…especially in the current conditions. Everyone can drive at whatever speed they think theyre safe with…i do the same, but on the slower end, and you can give me the fingers, the coffee shake or whatever…i`m doing my own thing to get there in one piece and safe in my own mind i have done the right thing.
I am however totally disgusted with the way this country handles its winter snows…its about time we learned…the gritters dont even have studded tyres or snow chains, and a few have ended up in big trouble…they cannot grit properly with bare tyres alone…airports should have the best equipment ever designed…rail companies should have heated rails…motorways should always be cleared efficiently and no drivers should ever be left stranded…other countries always seem to clear its roads efficiently and its services are kept running…why cant we ?
Money. To be fair our average weather conditions make it difficult to justify the expenditure needed to operate as you think is necessary, unless you’re willing to throw some more wonga in the kitty?
Good point. Whether or not it`s worth investing in equipment for rare snow events is a debatable point. But if there are likely to be more frequent extreme weather events, then maybe now is the time to pay out more?
Franglais:
TiredAndEmotional:
truckyboy:
I always allow less experienced drivers the courtesy…especially in the current conditions. Everyone can drive at whatever speed they think theyre safe with…i do the same, but on the slower end, and you can give me the fingers, the coffee shake or whatever…i`m doing my own thing to get there in one piece and safe in my own mind i have done the right thing.
I am however totally disgusted with the way this country handles its winter snows…its about time we learned…the gritters dont even have studded tyres or snow chains, and a few have ended up in big trouble…they cannot grit properly with bare tyres alone…airports should have the best equipment ever designed…rail companies should have heated rails…motorways should always be cleared efficiently and no drivers should ever be left stranded…other countries always seem to clear its roads efficiently and its services are kept running…why cant we ?
Money. To be fair our average weather conditions make it difficult to justify the expenditure needed to operate as you think is necessary, unless you’re willing to throw some more wonga in the kitty?
Good point. Whether or not it`s worth investing in equipment for rare snow events is a debatable point. But if there are likely to be more frequent extreme weather events, then maybe now is the time to pay out more?
At the moment I doubt it’s worth investing a fortune for snow and ice equipment however the way things are going it may be necessary in the future as the weather seems to be getting more extreme year by year.
Can you imagine some of these drivers with snow chains on their vehicles. They would think they were even more invincible than they do now and slow down even less.
Maybe educating drivers the dangers of snow and ice and teaching them a bit of courteousy and patience would help but as that would cost money as well that aint gonna happen either.
The-Snowman:
Two words truckman - Black ice
Well maybe i was lucky then,as there was no black ice,it lasted about 5 min and was as i said more rain,we have all done 56mph in the rain,the point being this car driver was taking it way too careful,we have all had them in front of us,there is no need to be overcautious,ie if it’s safe to do for example 30mph they are doing about 10 to 15 mph,if it’s safe to do 50mph they do 30 to 35mph,they are accidents waiting to happen particularly if on dual carriageways.
truckman020:
The-Snowman:
Two words truckman - Black ice
Well maybe i was lucky then,as there was no black ice,it lasted about 5 min and was as i said more rain,we have all done 56mph in the rain,the point being this car driver was taking it way too careful,we have all had them in front of us,there is no need to be overcautious,ie if it’s safe to do for example 30mph they are doing about 10 to 15 mph,if it’s safe to do 50mph they do 30 to 35mph,they are accidents waiting to happen particularly if on dual carriageways.
In your opinion they were being over cautious but I am sure they did not think they were. They probably thought you were an accident waiting to happen and you may have scared them silly.
As someone else said it’s not the over cautious car drivers that cause the accidents or the lorries to jack knife.
Maybe the road was safe enough to travel at 56 and maybe it was not but it’s not fair to critisise others for driving at a speed they feel safe at.( in my opinion )
truckyboy:
motorways should always be cleared efficiently and no drivers should ever be left stranded…other countries always seem to clear its roads efficiently and its services are kept running…why cant we ?
Try telling that to the motorists that spent 24 hrs stranded on the A9 in southern France this week!
I was driving overnight all this week and in many cases was probably the slowest vehicle on the road.
Only been a bendy driver for a year and 40mph was fast enough on the M1 many times although apparently not for the Tuffnells and Hermes wagons who shot passed at full speed. Dont think any of them considered their chances of slowing if anytjing pulled out or skidded in front.
Everyone has their comfort speed and have seen plenty in the past driving what I’d class as overly slow while driving a car, but its usually better to arrive 10 minutes later than spend 2 hours waiting for recovery or worse.
Edit: forgot, it was also -8’c so salt not working. Not a good combo with 40T and double decker trailer.
Héraultais:
truckyboy:
motorways should always be cleared efficiently and no drivers should ever be left stranded…other countries always seem to clear its roads efficiently and its services are kept running…why cant we ?
Try telling that to the motorists that spent 24 hrs stranded on the A9 in southern France this week!
But on the other hand didn’t hear anything about the French,German,Swiss and Austrian alpine regions all being cut off from November to March this year or previously.While I’m definitely going to invest in a set of spare wheels fitted with winter tyres for next winter having got fed up with fighting sudden catastrophic under steer at almost every corner even at a crawl and loss of traction when moving away from standstill even in second gear and with the engine just idling,with a typical modern fwd heap on its standard summer tyres.As for much of southern France all it takes is the right ( wrong ) wind direction and surely they’re in the same boat as the average alpine road user needing the same type of kit to stand a chance of keeping moving ?.
trevHCS:
I was driving overnight all this week and in many cases was probably the slowest vehicle on the road.
Night time temperatures can be lethal combined with thawed snow from the day which then re freezes as patchy ice.
Carryfast:
Héraultais:
truckyboy:
motorways should always be cleared efficiently and no drivers should ever be left stranded…other countries always seem to clear its roads efficiently and its services are kept running…why cant we ?
Try telling that to the motorists that spent 24 hrs stranded on the A9 in southern France this week!
But on the other hand didn’t hear anything about the French,German,Swiss and Austrian alpine regions all being cut off from November to March this year or previously.While I’m definitely going to invest in a set of spare wheels fitted with winter tyres for next winter having got fed up with fighting sudden catastrophic under steer at almost every corner even at a crawl and loss of traction when moving away from standstill even in second gear and with the engine just idling,with a typical modern fwd heap on its standard summer tyres.As for much of southern France all it takes is the right ( wrong ) wind direction and surely they’re in the same boat as the average alpine road user needing the same type of kit to stand a chance of keeping moving ?.
Michelin cross climate, can use all year round and only need 1 set of rims