I say you made the right choice. Why should you be hindered by inferior drivers? If they cant be bothered doing a skid pan course then they can plod along while the better drivers get on with driving instead of putting an old saying into place. Who is the bigger fool? The fool or the fool who follows the fool?
robroy:
Came back over Shap today, I reckon the snow must have been a surprise as it looked like it had not been gritted or prepared for, it just came down real fast, all at once, and it was down to one lane.Anyway there was a big procession of cars in lane 1 sat at 35 to 40 mph, I looked at the snow in lane 2, it did not look packed rather a wet dusting bordering on slush.
I made a judgement and thought [zb] it, and pulled into lane 2 and passed everybody at about 50.
The looks I got were interesting from the car drivers, maybe summet to do with the slush fountain on their bonnets (that went to prove it was all soft and not packed) not to mention at least 3 coffee shaker gestures.
In my mirror I had about 4 other trucks eventually pull out and follow me.
I still say I was doing nothing wrong (but this post might be one of those where you don’t get the reaction you expect
)so if I get stick for being an irresponsible bad driver…hey, I’m a big lad , I can take it
so bring it on.
btw, Not trying to be a hero at all either, it was hardly ‘Ice road truckers’
Who else would pull out, and who disagrees?
Just wondering how you saw their faces with such a speed difference in such conditions ?
Driving on snow is the easy part, its the stopping thats the problem! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg8Iec-uG_c @ 0.58 was quite a hard one.
In one of those cars could be the newly passed driver , wife with baby in back on way to family for Xmas etc , no I’d of dropped in behind them and followed them through not frightened them to death 
.
Punchy Dan:
robroy:
Came back over Shap today, I reckon the snow must have been a surprise as it looked like it had not been gritted or prepared for, it just came down real fast, all at once, and it was down to one lane.Anyway there was a big procession of cars in lane 1 sat at 35 to 40 mph, I looked at the snow in lane 2, it did not look packed rather a wet dusting bordering on slush.
I made a judgement and thought [zb] it, and pulled into lane 2 and passed everybody at about 50.
The looks I got were interesting from the car driversIn my mirror I had about 4 other trucks eventually pull out and follow me.
I still say I was doing nothing wrong (but this post might be one of those where you don’t get the reaction you expect
btw, Not trying to be a hero at all either, it was hardly ‘Ice road truckers’
Who else would pull out, and who disagrees?
Just wondering how you saw their faces with such a speed difference in such conditions ?
Ok, fair enough, I didn’ t manage to see them all, even with me new vari focals (70 quid from Specsavers btw,… great for driving but the wife says I look like Harry Hill ) one or two were looking up at me as I approached alongside them. Had to laugh to myself, one had his window down to make a point, poor sod must have got soaked
Covering their bonnets with all that snow might have woken a few of them up. Keep her lit Rob.
I thought it didn’t even need to snow for drivers to panic and start ‘driving for Miss Daisy’■■ 
I’d have done the same as you though Rob. 
weeto:
Driving on snow is the easy part, its the stopping thats the problem! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zg8Iec-uG_c @ 0.58 was quite a hard one.
That does look bad.
Not back pedalling here btw, but that looks a lot like packed snow underfoot. The conditions were nowhere near as bad, you’ll have to trust me on that,… and as the title of the vid says ‘Extreme weather’
peterm:
Covering their bonnets with all that snow might have woken a few of them up.
+1…the hard part is crossing the lanes and coming back again…all the class crashes on youtube/Russia etc start when the car comes back into the inside lane,and the ruts start them tailswinging.and once your passed the fannies then you can slow down a tad to your own pace as they wont be overtaking you anyway.
scanny77:
I say you made the right choice. Why should you be hindered by inferior drivers? If they cant be bothered doing a skid pan course then they can plod along while the better drivers get on with driving instead of putting an old saying into place. Who is the bigger fool? The fool or the fool who follows the fool?
Ah well not quite true. Did you know if you are skid trained or a skid trained instructor you are more likely to have an accident than someone with no training! I know as I was a skid trained instructor!
Apparently it makes you over confident.
Never trust snow. I did exactly the same, line of slow moving cars, truck comes past me so decided to follow him. Few miles down the road and truck in front starts to squirm and nearly loses it followed by me. Must a hit a dodgy patch. It’s not worth it
I can’t say whether you were right or wrong, as not there to judge, but had a similar situation on a9 at drummocter a few weeks back. Got stuck behind cars that were going slower and slower and I was struggling to maintain braking distance, ended up in second lane where there was nothing in front of me, I found I had better traction in the fresh stuff and tyres were going through to the road no problem, passed the cars at what I considered a safe speed for the conditions and well within my comfort zone. Round the 20 - 30 mark.
You were right in my opinion. You moved out and used a legal lane of travel because others decided they wanted to go slower for whatever reason, most of whom just doing so because the car in front was and their own lack of experience and confidence in snow dictated that they must follow like a lemming, putting themselves in prime position to be in the middle of a multiple car pile up when the one at the front of the queue panics and slows down. Seen it over here, usually in the US of A so many times.
I’ve been in Canada for going on 7 years now and while I hate winter with a passion and do not consider myself an expert in winter driving by any stretch, I do think as a truck driver in a vehicle that’s better equipped and built to handle that sort of condition, that the best course of action is to not put yourself in danger by being amongst a pack of vehicles all traveling in tight formation, but to move out and ease her past the rolling road block to the open road in front of them. Besides, if snow if truly hard packed, which it’ll never really be in England because its not cold enough for long enough and there is never enough snow, but if it was, there’s often more traction to be had on that than on a clearer lane one where tarmac may be visible, but on a much more slippery surface.
Winter has come much later here this year and even this far in to December we’ve had very little. I had some this week in the eastern part of New Brunswick on some back country roads. Looks worse than it was though, good traction, even when empty and a few hours later when I came back the same way loaded, most of it had melted.
Soon it will be like this though, a few images from the last year or so.
Spot on Rob. Most years it’s the same.
I thought I was going to be stuck at Kinloch Rannoch on Friday. Knew I wouldn’t get up either of the steep hills. This was the best way out.
You did right Rob, you did what I and countless other drivers have done. Driving on snow isn’t the nightmare some people think it is, the key thing to remember is that ANY form of braking or steering input is your enemy. Therefore the only risk with sailing past them is when Mr Audi ten cars ahead spots you approaching (in the rare moment he actually uses his mirror) and thinks “I’m gonna slow that killer juggernaut down” and pulls out causing you to brake.
You’re an experienced guy Rob and probably know as much, if not more than me and your judgement call said it was ok. I’ll happily agree that it was.
Just out of interest, anyone here work for a company who fits proper winter tyres to the drive axle for the season?
I’ve seen them fitted to some UK based coaches all round and some (most?) EE lads run them on the tractor units during winter…is there a requirement for winter tyres on HGV’s in some parts of mainland europe same as cars or does it not apply to HGV’s, do our lorries which go over have them fitted to comply too?
Snow! What snow?
I thankfully have off road tyres all round my unit and trailer. Ok for snow but it’s when there is a compacted bit of snow, it’s just a case of hanging on and hoping.
Juddian:
Just out of interest, anyone here work for a company who fits proper winter tyres to the drive axle for the season?
Off road tyres at the firm I am at as we do farm work - code M&S (mud and snow) on the tyre side walls
robinhood_1984:
You were right in my opinion. You moved out and used a legal lane of travel because others decided they wanted to go slower for whatever reason, most of whom just doing so because the car in front was and their own lack of experience and confidence in snow dictated that they must follow like a lemming, putting themselves in prime position to be in the middle of a multiple car pile up when the one at the front of the queue panics and slows down. Seen it over here, usually in the US of A so many times.I’ve been in Canada for going on 7 years now and while I hate winter with a passion and do not consider myself an expert in winter driving by any stretch, I do think as a truck driver in a vehicle that’s better equipped and built to handle that sort of condition, that the best course of action is to not put yourself in danger by being amongst a pack of vehicles all traveling in tight formation, but to move out and ease her past the rolling road block to the open road in front of them. Besides, if snow if truly hard packed, which it’ll never really be in England because its not cold enough for long enough and there is never enough snow, but if it was, there’s often more traction to be had on that than on a clearer lane one where tarmac may be visible, but on a much more slippery surface.
Winter has come much later here this year and even this far in to December we’ve had very little. I had some this week in the eastern part of New Brunswick on some back country roads. Looks worse than it was though, good traction, even when empty and a few hours later when I came back the same way loaded, most of it had melted.
Soon it will be like this though, a few images from the last year or so.
Reckon you Top Trumped me there RH 
I admit when it comes to driving in snow I aint in your league, if the snow yesterday was half as bad as your pics, I too would have been at the back of the slow convoy…at a safe distance.
All the winters I have done, I still hate snow and ice to this day, and when among it I always think there are better ways to make a living and feel like jacking. But then the summer comes and I’m sat posing in my shorts and shades it’s forgotten.