cav551:
After nearly 40 years, I still hate driving a loaded rigid along narrow A roads, with adverse camber on bends and humps as you meet a side road joining on the nearside, which leans the vehicle over to the o/s and then brings it heaving back down to the n/s and the ditch. I just hate that swaying from side to side building up more momentum all the time.
Oddly enough though, I have far more confidence in a double deck bus, which must come from the knowledge that if stationary it won’t fall over until it reaches 28 degrees.
Exactly the same thing is happening to the trailer of an artic, but you just don’t feel so much of it in the cab, so keep an eye out in the mirrors to see what is going on behind you.
Your instructor will have emphasised ‘plan ahead’ to you. It is this awareness of what all the road conditions are like that is the answer to being safe. Spot the overhanging branches that will break your mirrors. Adjust your speed so that you don’t meet an oncoming heavy where the road narrows, or on a bend where either of you might be near the white line. On the Motorway be even more alert near junctions - be prepared for someone to do something really, really stupid.
There are many Motorway exit slip roads and some bends too, which don’t have reduced speed signs, where I often slow down even if only ever so slightly, to name two, the bend on the exit of the M25 onto M20 coastbound and the bend on the M26/M20 coastbound. There are others worse then these, like the M25 M3 southbound, but I can’t remember if these are signed 50 or not. Maybe others will agree and highlight some of them.
Above all, don’t worry, only do what YOU think is safe. Let the others go charging past to their accident if they want to, don’t join in with them because you think they might know more… they don’t.
My favorite is from jct 8a on m40 to Oxford after the second roundabout
We get a few loads of glass to run up the A76 from Dumfries. If you don’t know the road it’s pretty twisty in places. I’ve pulled more or less identical loads as the one above up there with some ‘enthusiasm’ on several occasions without any trouble. Glass loads like that look scary but you’d be surprised how stable they are, especially strapped up like you have them. You can push a truck through corners pretty fast when you get the hang of it. Looking well head and being smooth is the trick. Just don’t ask the truck to do anything suddenly.
Wind? If it’s going to get you it’s going to happen anyway. Speed won’t play much of a roll unless you’re really pushing it round a corner and you get a Big gust on your inside.
Oh, and the heavier you are the less likely you’ll get blown over.
Just a thought from an Oldie- When someone else has loaded the vehicle or trailer, DO NOT TRUST THEM !!!
For goodness sake, take ten minutes to open the curtain & make SURE that the load is safe & secure to your own satisfaction.
You may meet the night shunter as you arrive for the day’s work. He may well tell you, “It’s all O.K.- ready to go”.
DO NOT BELIEVE HIM! Check for yourself.
Safety starts on Day One. Confidence will follow with experience.
When I first started I was very wary about my lorry being loaded by others. Luckily there were only three shunters and two of them got to know that I liked my loads roped like a fishing net. It caused some amusement behind my back possibly, but I was happy. I also learned a lot from them, which has stayed with me ever since eg: the rear of a rigid and the front of a semi trailer sway on corners the most so secure this bit well.
+2. I also never trust anyone else to couple my trailer, to the point that if I get to the yard and they’ve hooked it up for me I drop the legs, pull the pin and bang under it again, just to make sure it’s secure
My first response to the OP, was going to be MTFU, but I must be going soft in my old age
Always drive at the speed that you feel comfortable, you can go too slow a million and one times, you’ll only go too fast the once
A strategy that I use to conquer fear, for example, getting on a mental rollercoaster, is to look around and try to find someone that has died on the ride, I’ve never seen that happen yet, so I figure that it won’t kill me either Do that on the roads, if everyone else is clipping along a decent rate of knots, you’re safe to do the same, just maintain a safe distance and you’ll be fine
philbo1973:
Ps anyone that uses the phrase “guys” is a bumder (imo)
Anyone that thinks the WORD “guys” is a phrase is also a bumder (imo)
Thats odd because where im from, “bumder”, or gay, is when you’ve got your ■■■■ up another mans arse.
Kansas:
That’s the same load as I was pulling today, I went to a wine bottling place in Stanley
how strange !! I think I had 46 pallets on, didn’t realise how loaded it was until I pulled the curtain back lol, night staff loaded it
How do you secure it? internals?
Yeah it’s secured using internal straps, took me a while to trust that they held the load sufficiently, but they do a good job and the load doesn’t move as long as you done throw the trailer about.
Do that on the roads, if everyone else is clipping along a decent rate of knots, you’re safe to do the same, just maintain a safe distance and you’ll be fine 