Came up against the RTA between Southbound M6 j15/14 on thurs am. I sat in it between 16 and 15 for about 30 mins, saw it was still chokker at 15 so decided to come off and go down the A34 towards Stafford, and re-join the M6 at j14. Got to thinking that the 34 would be as bad as most other drivers would have the same idea,…wrong!.. sailed through, among all the local car drivers that obviously had local knowledge, and about only 6 
or so other trucks that I could see.
I remember the same clear run through a few weeks back on the A50 Holmes Chapel/Knutsford road, avoiding another RTA on the notorious stretch between Sandbach and Lymm, again road relatively clear, where as years ago nearly all truck drivers would use it making the congestion as bad as the M6 RTA that they were trying to avoid.
I just wondered what had changed over the years, are today’s modern truck drivers ignorant of other routes apart from Motorways, or are they incapable of using their own initiative, because they have to follow set routes like robots, planned by their “Logistical route planning team” 
or whatever these dicks call themselves who will inevitably ring them up saying… “Why are you going that way” ( ffs!) Or do they not carry maps and just blindly follow their inevitable sat navs, or are they maybe cleverer than I thought 
and sitting in the jam being on an hourly rate 
, I’d like to think it was the last option but somehow I reckon sadly it is one of the others, but I aint bothered as it means that I can carry on using the clear alternative A and (Shock to some of you) B roads and wave at you all sat in the ■■■■ for hours 
I use A and B roads most of the time and find motorways are hateful things full of ■■■■■■■ idiots.
Of course I use them when I have to but depending on the time of day A roads can be quicker.
To answer your question I think it’s a combination of all of them.
Ignorance by newer “corporate” drivers
Planners
Fuel bonuses (loaded = motorway as someone on here told me)
40 mph Law coupled with tracker/ telematics
Far be it from me to suggest lack of ability but lack of ability.
got stuck on the A1 yesterday just on the turn off for the a57 , as I was about due a break I pulled off . had no idea where it went but decided to go for it , find a park , have my sarnie and take it from there . absolutely nothing in front for a couple of miles ,pulled into a layby and a constant stream of traffic sailed past 
I wondered " did they think I knew where I was going ■■"
Simple answer Robroy, the few you saw on the alternative route were old school, had a grasp of geography and the nous to avoid problems en route. The ones that sat in it have probably never held a paper map, daren’t deviate from set routes, are incapable of independent thought or deed.
Btw, I’m not having a pop at sat navs per se, I use one regularly but I also have many many years under my belt when initiative was a prerequisite in this job.
Could be people payed by the hour now more, so a bit of traffic could be a meal out with the miss. Was people being payed by the load or miles more common in years back so missing traffic was better. Or I’m just over thinking this and they just don’t look at maps.
you’ve answered it, you expected there to be loads more traffic, there usually is in them circumstances. we’ve all been in situations where we’ve come off the motorway, gone flat out for 2 minutes, then joined half of the motorway traffic stopped on an A road, only to watch the motorway start moving again!
for every thread like this, there could be one about all the idiots getting off the motorway to sit on an A road whilst the motorway gets going again!!
all you can do is have the traffic reports turned on, decide how bad it is, if you’re far enough away from the incident get off and go another way, if you’re close and it’s not going to be shut all day, then chances are you might be better sitting in it. there’s no right or wrong, there’s no option that works all the time, it’s the chance you take and only time will tell if it was the right one!!
stevieboy308:
you’ve answered it, you expected there to be loads more traffic, there usually is in them circumstances. we’ve all been in situations where we’ve come off the motorway, gone flat out for 2 minutes, then joined half of the motorway traffic stopped on an A road, only to watch the motorway start moving again!for every thread like this, there could be one about all the idiots getting off the motorway to sit on an A road whilst the motorway gets going again!!
all you can do is have the traffic reports turned on, decide how bad it is, if you’re far enough away from the incident get off and go another way, if you’re close and it’s not going to be shut all day, then chances are you might be better sitting in it. there’s no right or wrong, there’s no option that works all the time, it’s the chance you take and only time will tell if it was the right one!!
Yeh ok, but only 6 or so trucks (that I could see in the distance) compared to god knows how many hundred in the majority on the motorway!
If it had been 50/50 or even 70/30 fair point, but I reckon maoster has hit the nail on the head to be honest.
robroy:
stevieboy308:
you’ve answered it, you expected there to be loads more traffic, there usually is in them circumstances. we’ve all been in situations where we’ve come off the motorway, gone flat out for 2 minutes, then joined half of the motorway traffic stopped on an A road, only to watch the motorway start moving again!for every thread like this, there could be one about all the idiots getting off the motorway to sit on an A road whilst the motorway gets going again!!
all you can do is have the traffic reports turned on, decide how bad it is, if you’re far enough away from the incident get off and go another way, if you’re close and it’s not going to be shut all day, then chances are you might be better sitting in it. there’s no right or wrong, there’s no option that works all the time, it’s the chance you take and only time will tell if it was the right one!!
Yeh ok, but only 6 or so trucks (that I could see in the distance) compared to god knows how many hundred in the majority on the motorway!
If it had been 50/50 or even 70/30 fair point, but I reckon maoster has hit the nail on the head to be honest.
na, not buying that the majority of truck drivers don’t have the nouse, authorisation, knowledge etc to use an alternative route, if they decided that was the best course of action.
sounds like older / experienced drivers having a bit of a pop at newer drivers. plus a bit of looking back with rose tinted glasses on! don’t worry, when you was new the older ones thought your generation / breed of drivers were useless too and never be as good as them:lol:
What time did you go through there ?
stevieboy308:
robroy:
stevieboy308:
you’ve answered it, you expected there to be loads more traffic, there usually is in them circumstances. we’ve all been in situations where we’ve come off the motorway, gone flat out for 2 minutes, then joined half of the motorway traffic stopped on an A road, only to watch the motorway start moving again!for every thread like this, there could be one about all the idiots getting off the motorway to sit on an A road whilst the motorway gets going again!!
all you can do is have the traffic reports turned on, decide how bad it is, if you’re far enough away from the incident get off and go another way, if you’re close and it’s not going to be shut all day, then chances are you might be better sitting in it. there’s no right or wrong, there’s no option that works all the time, it’s the chance you take and only time will tell if it was the right one!!
Yeh ok, but only 6 or so trucks (that I could see in the distance) compared to god knows how many hundred in the majority on the motorway!
If it had been 50/50 or even 70/30 fair point, but I reckon maoster has hit the nail on the head to be honest.na, not buying that the majority of truck drivers don’t have the nouse, authorisation, knowledge etc to use an alternative route, if they decided that was the best course of action.
sounds like older / experienced drivers having a bit of a pop at newer drivers. plus a bit of looking back with rose tinted glasses on! don’t worry, when you was new the older ones thought your generation / breed of drivers were useless too and never be as good as them:lol:
Yeh fair point, I do look at one or two of today’s drivers (definitely not all!) as being a bit “special needs”, but even with my red specs on I can’t remember being as ■■■■ poor as some of them as far as intelligence, ability and initiative went.
Terry T:
What time did you go through there ?
Left Crewe T/S about 630 ish.
All our routes are ‘set’ routes so on the rare occasion I meet traffic I’m happy enough to sit in it for however long it takes.
Not only do I not get called into the office to ask why I went off route, I also get a few extra quid in my pocket!
On radio 2 the traffic woman said that all surrounding roads were choatic, so perhaps people simply resigned themselves to the motorway in the belief that nothing was going to make a notable time saving. I used to try and find alternative routes and most of the time I found they were just as bad, and would save a few minutes at best. It is often not worth the effort.
I think it’s as long as it’s broad, TBH - Sometimes you divert to skirt round the problem and have a clear run, other times you’ll take exactly the same route and find it choc-a-bloc all the way. Seems to me Sally Traffic only has to mention congestion on the M6 in Warwickshire and the A5 at Hinckley immediately seizes up completely.
My TomTom helps a lot here, as the Live traffic service is really quite good - a minute or two spent looking at the delays on the alternative routes usually lets me make an informed decision rather than jumping straight out of the frying pan and into the fire.
I tried to use my “initiative” the other week… epic fail, all the signs were saying 20 min delays M1 J23a-24.
Jump off at 23a, run along side the M1 and the traffic was stationary, looked to my right and the M1 had cleared .
The detour added 20 mins and had I stayed on the M1, I would have been delayed about 5 minutes.
trubster:
I tried to use my “initiative” the other week… epic fail, all the signs were saying 20 min delays M1 J23a-24.Jump off at 23a, run along side the M1 and the traffic was stationary, looked to my right and the M1 had cleared .
The detour added 20 mins and had I stayed on the M1, I would have been delayed about 5 minutes.
I think it’s usually called “Sod’s Law” 
ezydriver:
On radio 2 the traffic woman said that all surrounding roads were choatic, so perhaps people simply resigned themselves to the motorway in the belief that nothing was going to make a notable time saving. I used to try and find alternative routes and most of the time I found they were just as bad, and would save a few minutes at best. It is often not worth the effort.
^This
I pride myself on having a pretty good knowledge of the road network, but it’s not often I bother coming off the motorway if it snarls up to be honest. I make a judgement whether to & sometimes it pays off and you feel smug, but when it doesn’t it’s horrible. I’d rather be stuck in a traffic jam on a motorway & leisurely edge forward in a straight lie than be stuck on lesser roads with traffic lights & junctions etc.
robroy:
Terry T:
What time did you go through there ?Left Crewe T/S about 630 ish.
I don’t think it had happened long by then. Our drivers were reporting 2.5 hour delays getting around it via the D Road and A34 later in the day.
I’ve done it myself, suicide jumper just before 13 so I got off at 15 to avoid the inevitable at 14 but Stafford was gridlocked and this was after midnight. Worst part is it had opened by the time I got to it. Might as well have stayed on.
trubster:
I tried to use my “initiative” the other week… epic fail, all the signs were saying 20 min delays M1 J23a-24.
I did that a few months ago. Queued on the M6 from the toll road all the way to 12 and there was a crash between 12 and 13. I thought, I’ll jump off and go up the 449 to J13. Luckily the queue was all the way back to the island. I just got back on the M6 the other side and about 10 mins later it started moving. When I went past 13 the queue was still all the way down the 449.
It’s a gamble really, I tend to stick on the motorway these days.
the maoster:
Simple answer Robroy, the few you saw on the alternative route were old school, had a grasp of geography and the nous to avoid problems en route. The ones that sat in it have probably never held a paper map, daren’t deviate from set routes, are incapable of independent thought or deed.Btw, I’m not having a pop at sat navs per se, I use one regularly but I also have many many years under my belt when initiative was a prerequisite in this job.
+1