jakethesnake: Disagree with you there Jakey boy. When I was taught to drive heavies my instructor always said that you must take all the room you THINK you need to complete the manouvre, everybody else must wait. Even if you didnt actually need the room but you are unsure, it doesnt matter if you hold up Mr Impatient so long as you dont rip out the traffic lights or rearrange the street furniture.
You may disagree but if that’s what your instructor told you I’m surprised you passed your test. Everybody else must wait? Really. Or do you force them to wait? ? Or do you wait till other traffic has cleared then go?
I know what some impatient lorry drivers do and I know what the good ones do.
I’m talking about the OP original question about straddling both lanes at a junction.
And you ■■■■ well know that you must and should take all the room you THINK you need.
I actually failed one my of practical test for taking ‘more’ room then i needed at a roundabout i split the lanes on a 2 lane roundabout because i was driving a artic and i thought maybe il mount the kerb so splitting would mean i would 100% would avoid kerb however examiner said there was no need to straddle there and i would potentially be holding others up, i did no cause anyone to swerve or slow down either but w.e you cant argue with these but yes you shouldnt take extra room when its not clearly needed
Yep and hopefully you learned from it? I hope your instructor hadn’t been telling you to split lanes at that roundabout? As I said earlier it comes with experience. Inexperienced, take the room you think you require rather than do damage etc. but within a short period a good driver will know how much room he needs and will only split the lanes if necessary.
It’s experienced drivers that do it out of badness that causes problems. Some will freely admit to doing it I’m afraid.
jakethesnake: Disagree with you there Jakey boy. When I was taught to drive heavies my instructor always said that you must take all the room you THINK you need to complete the manouvre, everybody else must wait. Even if you didnt actually need the room but you are unsure, it doesnt matter if you hold up Mr Impatient so long as you dont rip out the traffic lights or rearrange the street furniture.
You may disagree but if that’s what your instructor told you I’m surprised you passed your test. Everybody else must wait? Really. Or do you force them to wait? ? Or do you wait till other traffic has cleared then go?
I know what some impatient lorry drivers do and I know what the good ones do.
I’m talking about the OP original question about straddling both lanes at a junction.
And you ■■■■ well know that you must and should take all the room you THINK you need.
I actually failed one my of practical test for taking ‘more’ room then i needed at a roundabout i split the lanes on a 2 lane roundabout because i was driving a artic and i thought maybe il mount the kerb so splitting would mean i would 100% would avoid kerb however examiner said there was no need to straddle there and i would potentially be holding others up, i did no cause anyone to swerve or slow down either but w.e you cant argue with these but yes you shouldnt take extra room when its not clearly needed
Yep and hopefully you learned from it? I hope your instructor hadn’t been telling you to split lanes at that roundabout? As I said earlier it comes with experience. Inexperienced, take the room you think you require rather than do damage etc. but within a short period a good driver will know how much room he needs and will only split the lanes if necessary.
It’s experienced drivers that do it out of badness that causes problems. Some will freely admit to doing it I’m afraid.
Do you drive in the UK now or are you residing in Europe?
You are forgetting one big thing. The way car drivers drive. At roundabouts they usually drive too fast and instead of keeping to the right of their lane often come very close to the nearside thus causing a near miss on entering the entrance lane of the new road as they are too far to the left. With an artic you are usually turning left then right then left again onto the new road. This is a major danger area rather than the exit lane from the roundabout. In the final left turn you obviously need to mind the near-side but the car drivers driving is often very bad at this point. IMO it is because they are driving too fast to keep to the right.
jakethesnake:
I hope your instructor hadn’t been telling you to split lanes at that roundabout?
Obviously…
You’re a better instructor than this guy then? What makes your advice worth more than another instructors? Lemme guess, you train instructors, fridge repair people and budding astronauts right?
Why are you right and the other instructor is apparently wrong?
Quotes from a retired Police driver about large vehicle driving: “dominate the road, stop them doing anything silly.” "They have a pedal in the middle, make them use it. "
No Sand I don’t drive or live in the UK. I am retired and have been for quite a while although I did all my vocational driving in the UK. I fully understand how appalling some car drivers are and how their bad driving can interfere with the positioning of a truck. All I am saying is I don’t like seeing bad driving coming from cars or lorries and unfortunately it comes from both in different ways.
I don’t like seeing drivers deliberately blocking other drivers whether it be a car or a lorry. It ain’t their job.
jakethesnake:
I hope your instructor hadn’t been telling you to split lanes at that roundabout?
Obviously…
You’re a better instructor than this guy then? What makes your advice worth more than another instructors? Lemme guess, you train instructors, fridge repair people and budding astronauts right?
Why are you right and the other instructor is apparently wrong?
Hang on, you just can’t help yourself, can you. Don’t jump the gun. Ben has not said his instructor told him to split the lanes. I only asked but if he did tell him and that caused his fail then yes I am a better instructor.
Being an instructor is just the same as being a driver. You get better with practice and experience however a lot depends on your training as well. I have met lots of instructors over the years, some far better than me and some far worse.
A big problem is when instructors deviate from what they are meant to do during training and teach what they think is correct. I have said it hundereds of times on here and I’ll say it again.
Some companies employ one of their drivers to train or assess other drivers and that very rarely works well as all they do is teach their own bad habits which is what COULD have happened to Ben.
cav551:
Quotes from a retired Police driver about large vehicle driving: “dominate the road, stop them doing anything silly.” "They have a pedal in the middle, make them use it. "
Yes, I quite believe that and have heard it many times. It’s fair enough as long as you are not a bully which unfortunately some are. Common courtesy is sadly lacking with many.
PS Unusual to hear traffic police getting praise on here.
I see quite a few HGVs lane splitting at hangar lane.
Coming from the A406 and the A40.
It is not strictly necessary. But as anyone knows who has been there. The lanes are tight and it is a pinch point so stacking traffic.
I probably would not split lanes there in an artic but if I was in a 28t rigid with a nasty overhang I would.
adam277:
I see quite a few HGVs lane splitting at hangar lane.
Coming from the A406 and the A40.
It is not strictly necessary. But as anyone knows who has been there. The lanes are tight and it is a pinch point so stacking traffic.
I probably would not split lanes there in an artic but if I was in a 28t rigid with a nasty overhang I would.
Quite right Adam, it’s all about using your experience combined with a little common sense.
Unfortunately we aren’t all blessed with these qualities.
jakethesnake:
PS Unusual to hear traffic police getting praise on here.
I rarely, if ever criticise traffic police, in fact I’d be over the moon to see their number increase tenfold. Like you Jake I despise arrogant, lazy and bad driving. I may not be as vocal as you with regards to it but it still boils my ■■■■.
jakethesnake:
PS Unusual to hear traffic police getting praise on here.
I rarely, if ever criticise traffic police, in fact I’d be over the moon to see their number increase tenfold. Like you Jake I despise arrogant, lazy and bad driving. I may not be as vocal as you with regards to it but it still boils my ■■■■.
Good man, Yes it would be great to see them out and about in big numbers stopping all the inadequates on the roads and trying to explain their poor abilities etc.
Apologies for being so vocal, I try not to be but sometimes I just have to let loose.
ezydriver:
These days I split not just to stop car drivers squeezing round me coming into roundabouts, but increasingly lorry drivers too.
Ditto. I split more often than I have to just to make sure everyone gets home safely. I’ve only got 2 eyes and they can only look at one place at a time. Splitting properly reduces the risk for everyone.
ezydriver:
These days I split not just to stop car drivers squeezing round me coming into roundabouts, but increasingly lorry drivers too.
Ditto. I split more often than I have to just to make sure everyone gets home safely. I’ve only got 2 eyes and they can only look at one place at a time. Splitting properly reduces the risk for everyone.
Me too. Especially since a car collided with me coming into a roundabout 2 years back. There was enough room for us both to fit in our own lanes, but he did the usual thing of cutting his nearside wheel over my line, and ‘bang’, he bounced off my offside corner. The extra paperwork was a pain the backside. I split a little more than I strictly have to. Whether I’m considered a bad driver or not I don’t care. All I care about is that the masses and muppets are behind me, out of the kill zone, and I don’t get hit by a sloppy, complacent driver again.
ezydriver:
Whether I’m considered a bad driver or not I don’t care. All I care about is that the masses and muppets are behind me, out of the kill zone, and I don’t get hit by a sloppy, complacent driver again.
This is the thing. Holier than thou Jake can preach all he likes about what is or isn’t in the rulebook, but when things go wrong and the finger of blame is pointed at you with all the relevent paperwork, then I use all the room I require to complete my manoeuvre safely.
I really dont care if muppet car drivers get impatient or God himself (No not you Jake) gets the hump…I manoeuvre to keep everybody safe and make sure we all go home to our families at the end of the day!
ezydriver:
Whether I’m considered a bad driver or not I don’t care. All I care about is that the masses and muppets are behind me, out of the kill zone, and I don’t get hit by a sloppy, complacent driver again.
This is the thing. Holier than thou Jake can preach all he likes about what is or isn’t in the rulebook, but when things go wrong and the finger of blame is pointed at you with all the relevent paperwork, then I use all the room I require to complete my manoeuvre safely.
I really dont care if muppet car drivers get impatient or God himself (No not you Jake) gets the hump…I manoeuvre to keep everybody safe and make sure we all go home to our families at the end of the day!
This seems to be a big thing in today’s society. " I DON’T CARE " IT’S ALWAYS SOMEONE ELSE’S FAULT "
You know these cyclists, the ones that block traffic because there are a few little bumps near the kerb or the ones that ride two abreast even although they know they are holding up traffic.
They don’t care either and then all cyclists get tarred with the same brush.
There’s also the times driving my car I have been cut up by an artic on a roundabout because the truck driver could not be bothered to keep to the nearside. Some seem to forget some car drivers drive lorries as well when they intentionally place their trailer across another vehicles path for no other reason than badness.
I’m afraid it’s the same with all categories of vehicles.
I have always been one that if I’m doing a job I like to do it correctly and to the best of my ability and that’s what I was like when I was on the road. I liked to drive in a professional manner and was generally a polite courteous driver. Of course I had my moments like most where I lost it and got out the cab if some ■■■■ tried to wipe me out but that was in my younger braver days.
I got extremely cheesed off if I saw another lorry being driven badly as I knew I would be tarred by the same brush and I can tell you the bad driving was far less than it is now and attitudes to other drivers were far better. Now it’s ME ME ME and ■■■■ everyone else.
ezydriver:
Whether I’m considered a bad driver or not I don’t care. All I care about is that the masses and muppets are behind me, out of the kill zone, and I don’t get hit by a sloppy, complacent driver again.
This is the thing. Holier than thou Jake can preach all he likes about what is or isn’t in the rulebook, but when things go wrong and the finger of blame is pointed at you with all the relevent paperwork, then I use all the room I require to complete my manoeuvre safely.
I really dont care if muppet car drivers get impatient or God himself (No not you Jake) gets the hump…I manoeuvre to keep everybody safe and make sure we all go home to our families at the end of the day!
This seems to be a big thing in today’s society. " I DON’T CARE " IT’S ALWAYS SOMEONE ELSE’S FAULT "
You know these cyclists, the ones that block traffic because there are a few little bumps near the kerb or the ones that ride two abreast even although they know they are holding up traffic.
They don’t care either and then all cyclists get tarred with the same brush.
There’s also the times driving my car I have been cut up by an artic on a roundabout because the truck driver could not be bothered to keep to the nearside. Some seem to forget some car drivers drive lorries as well when they intentionally place their trailer across another vehicles path for no other reason than badness.
I’m afraid it’s the same with all categories of vehicles.
I have always been one that if I’m doing a job I like to do it correctly and to the best of my ability and that’s what I was like when I was on the road. I liked to drive in a professional manner and was generally a polite courteous driver. Of course I had my moments like most where I lost it and got out the cab if some ■■■■ tried to wipe me out but that was in my younger braver days.
I got extremely cheesed off if I saw another lorry being driven badly as I knew I would be tarred by the same brush and I can tell you the bad driving was far less than it is now and attitudes to other drivers were far better. Now it’s ME ME ME and [zb] everyone else.
Rant over…feel much better now.
I stand with what I say…“I manoeuvre to keep everybody safe”
Mr Angry who has been held up for all of 10 seconds whilst I position my vehicle for a safe manouvre will get to go home at the end of the day angry but alive!
