Tourist season

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

As the tourist season is once again upon us I, and other HGV drivers across the Country, are going to be faced with Numpty holidayers.

I drive the 160 odd mile round trip from Fort William to Inverness practically every day. The normal journey time is approximately 2 ½ hours each way… but in the tourist season it all goes ■■■■ up.

Why do tourists insist on driving along at 20mph whilst admiring the view?

Why are tourists incapable of using passing places to let following traffic clear?

Why do (almost universally) the same tourists — when you reach one of the few straights where you CAN safely overtake the idiots — immediately floor the accelerator and slam along at 70+ thereby ensuring that you can’t get past at all?

You can flash your lights; you can (or could) drive 3 feet off their back bumper — nothing ever works. They blithely carry on in their own little world, totally oblivious to the frustration, angst, stress and annoyance that they are causing.

Of course, alongside the stress etc, is the fact that when people — cars and lorries — start getting frustrated they start taking chances and risks. The A82 is NOT the road to do either and I’ve been witness to several accidents as a result.

And it’s because of these numpties that drivers lose their rag hence the HGV1 driver who, a few years ago, rammed a driver who insisted at driving along at 10mph (on a 60mph limit road!); the driver who reached into the stopped car (they had stopped at one of the bridges crossing the Caledonian Canal which was open at the time) of a tourist said something along the lines of “You’re an idiot who shouldn’t be driving”, grabbed the keys out of the ignition and threw them into the canal!

I’d never condone those gents — but I can perfectly understand why they did what they did!

Allied to all that - and in some cases worst of all - are the rented campers; so many of them haven’t the vaguest idea of how big the ■■■■ this is (they always, but always, over-estimate) and as a result manage to cause you to slam the anchors on because they’re on, or sometimes over, the white line and using far more room than they need.

As an aside, my personal - summer - record for the journey is 6 hours 15!!

So, obvious question:- which is your least favourite road in summer - and how do you cope with the Lemmings?

2

Come to Devon.
It’s even worse down here.

3

Fort William to Skye up there twice a week during the summer :cry:

4

J_K:
Come to Devon.
It’s even worse down here.

Used to live in Devon (but I escaped!)

Trust me… it’s a lot worse up here!!!

:smiley: :smiley:

5

Forget parking a truck anywhere from Birmingham to Cornwall in a Msa.
The caravans take over in the truck parking which doubles as an overflow area for wobbly boxes.
Doodling car drivers on the M5 which are not safe to be on the road.
The bottleneck at Stonhenge.And when Glastonbury is on forget it.
Overloaded camper vans and cars with trailers.
Caravans that are over loaded.
It is two weeks at Butlins not an overland trip to Kabul,Basra or the Hellmand Province…
They blow their tyres as the vehicle has been in storage for a year and the tyre walls have perished.
They cause hours of delays when they over turn and rubber neckers get a free show on their boring journey to Bodmin and back.

6

Sunny Friday before a bank holiday weekend…
Hang your keys up. You’re going nowhere in a hurry.
You will encounter 4 times the normal traffic volume. Horrendously loaded caravans. VW campers doing 40mph creating rolling road blocks. etc etc etc.
Makes my blood boil.

7

J_K:
Sunny Friday before a bank holiday weekend…
Hang your keys up. You’re going nowhere in a hurry.
You will encounter 4 times the normal traffic volume. Horrendously loaded caravans. VW campers doing 40mph creating rolling road blocks. etc etc etc.
Makes my blood boil.

This isn’t just the Friday before the Bank Holiiday weekend - in tourist season this is every single bloody day!

And as for speed…40?..40■■?

if they were doing 40, I wouldn’t mind; when I said they do 20 -and sometimes 10(!) - I’m not kidding!!! :frowning:

8

Win-Stone:

J_K:
Come to Devon.
It’s even worse down here.

Used to live in Devon (but I escaped!)

Trust me… it’s a lot worse up here!!!

:smiley: :smiley:

should have seen the Hub ( Bristol on Friday ) it was still shafted at 22.00 :unamused:

It wouldn’t be so bad if ppl understood how the lanes work

Lane 1 for driving 2, 3 and 4 at times are for overtaking and not sitting there waiting to pass something 1/2 mile down the way .
Then the RW Wonker that sits at 45 in lane 2 with nowt in lane 1 FFS :unamused: Its about time plod started prosecuting.
Rant over for the mo :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth: :open_mouth:

9

To give this topic some balance, I shall be heading out on the roads with my touring caravan next weekend. Will be travelling at 60mph on the motorways and 50mph on the single carriageways. :grimacing:

10

Every day is bad. But Friday’s are just a joke.
Thats 40 on the dual carriageways.
Half the NSL everywhere is pretty standard here too.
Don;t go near any seaside towns or dartmoor.

People not using the correct lane is a huge wind up for me.
I often undertake in my car or van and trailer. I know it’s illegal. 4 points and large fine.
But if a fully loaded 3.5 van with a car on a trailer can legally (speed wise) undertake you and then get around the next vehicle in lane 1 without tail gating it or pushing undertaken car out a lane then obviously, you shouldn’t have been in lane 2.
I’m pretty disgusted that the laws about sitting in lane 2 have been introduced but nothing ever actually done about it.

11

LIBERTY_GUY:
To give this topic some balance, I shall be heading out on the roads with my touring caravan next weekend. Will be travelling at 60mph on the motorways and 50mph on the single carriageways. :grimacing:

Please make sure that you load your caravan so that all the weight is at the front so your car is at a minimum 20 degrees nose up posture. That is the correct way. I think 300-400kg nose weight in the caravan should do it.

12

J_K:
Every day is bad. But Friday’s are just a joke.
Thats 40 on the dual carriageways.

I’m sorry but this is The Highlands of Scotland. What’s a “Dual Carriageway”■■ :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

13

lol and there are all the ‘numpty’ wagon drivers that tourists have to put up with?the roads are open to every one,I would have thought as ‘professional’ :grimacing: drivers you’d be able to deal with with the job?but it seems road rage/blood boiling is all part of it,relax,don’t get the blood pressure up,dry yer eyes cos crying aint going to change a thing!

14

Win-Stone:

J_K:
Every day is bad. But Friday’s are just a joke.
Thats 40 on the dual carriageways.

I’m sorry but this is The Highlands of Scotland. What’s a “Dual Carriageway”■■ :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

Fair point.

15

Its no joke ,why cant the tourists stop and look at the scenery rather than tootling along at bicycle speed.There could be a doctor or retained fireman trying to get to an emergency caught up in the tailback.

16

Every road around the Derbyshire Dales and Peak District, one reason why we stay indoors on Bank Holidays! :slight_smile:

Pete.

17

The o/p mentions the A82, it aint just holiday making idiots on there but a few truck driving idiots, one of them was sat right up my arse a while ago loaded with logs, I was sat at 40 and was not too familiar with the road.
Obviously Mr Head :unamused: was in a hurry as he kept straddling the line in my mirror, so I pulled in a lay by to let him pass, I couldn’t believe it when I caught up with him about 2miles on, sat in a lay by reading his paper, he had also passed a couple of lay bys so he can’t have been in a rush to stop for a break.
I also had to watch my mirrors further on when passing a few more loggers,that were obviously over familiar with that road, although not ALL of them were airborne a couple did slow down a bit on narrows etc. so I’m not saying all those guys are alike.
Anyway the combination of these guys and a few cars & caravans should be a laugh. :smiley:

18

Maybe the OP was one of them Robroy he more or less has admitted trying to shove folk along the road!!!. Oh just asking but where does the OP go for his holidays. Eddie.

19

erfguy:
Maybe the OP was one of them Robroy he more or less has admitted trying to shove folk along the road!!!. Eddie.

I didn’t think of that maybe you’re right :smiley: :laughing:

20

Is sightseeing new in Scotland then?