There has been a few threads and comments on here about how, and why, the standards and calibre of truck drivers have declined over the last 10 to 20 yrs, or so. You know the ones the DWLs (Dicks with licences) who keep you out in the middle lane for miles after you have pulled over ONLY to let THEM out 
, the smartarses that donāt need to be flashed in because "they know EXACTLY where the back of their trailer is " 
(but actually prove they donāt when you have to brake to keep your mirrors and grille 
) ,the ones who canāt be arsed to flash you in, even in bad visibility, the 56mph men in thick fog, the agressive tailgaters who give us ALL a bad name, the ones who try and put the knob in a car who has just cut them up into the hard shoulder even though he has his kids with him, we even have hgv middle lane hoggers now, the ones who would rather die than give way to you and lose 2 minutes, those who sit in their cab when a driver with a flat is struggling to fold his sheets on his own in a hurricane.
I could rattle on for ages with more examples and yehā¦ I know a lot of these points have been already discussed on here to death, and with that in mind letās put them to bed by having a DWL āamnestyā 
, where somebody admits to being one of these superstars and explains why they do it, and other wiser and more experienced drivers will try and explain the errors of their ways, and thatās it ā¦no more saidā¦fresh start 
ALL of us on here canāt be proper ādriversā in terms of consideration to others, itās against the law of averagesā¦So come on who on here has the Davina McCalls to own up ā¦Me?? ā¦well Iām the perfect model driver 
ā¦end of 
Personally, I like about 20ft of room before I flash people inā¦ More often than not, theyāre coming across before theyāve got that far, so flash is pointless. I never flash coaches in any more, been snubbed too many times now.
My road rage stems from when I was a kid driving Merc 307 Luton vans. They couldnāt pass anything. And getting stuck behind an artic in Lincolnshire, meant a lot of drops were closed when I got there. Resulting in an overnight in one of those horrible things. I wanted to be home at night doing what 18 year olds did at night. So to this day I hate being stuck behind articsā¦Well, you asked and I admit it. NEXT!
bigvern1:
My road rage stems from when I was a kid driving Merc 307 Luton vans. They couldnāt pass anything. And getting stuck behind an artic in Lincolnshire, meant a lot of drops were closed when I got there. Resulting in an overnight in one of those horrible things. I wanted to be home at night doing what 18 year olds did at night. So to this day I hate being stuck behind articsā¦Well, you asked and I admit it. NEXT!
No excuse, any normal 18yr old would not have been bothered about getting home and done the business that 18s do, in the back of the Merc on an overnighter, and judging by my knowledge of a lot of things in Lincolnshire, (not personal experienceā¦Honest 
) finding a companion (Iām thinking Immingham ) wouldnāt have been much of a problem.
I was in love at that time and had one willing and waiting for me back home!
i dont think there is a single driver that hasnāt done at least 2 of the mentioned items, i hate rigid drivers with a passion, they are all ā ā ā ā ā in my book. and are either claiming to learn the job or are too scared to drive artics. btw thatās all rigids, that includes you Mr wagon and drag (glorified rigid)
It seems the biggest drop in standards over the years is simple risk management! 
Is there really a shift in standards or is that the interweb access in the last 10 / 20 years means people can come on forums and have a whinge about something that would have been forgotten about, then look back with rose tinted glasses about how it use to be?
Ziffy:
i dont think there is a single driver that hasnāt done at least 2 of the mentioned items, i hate rigid drivers with a passion, they are all [zb] in my book. and are either claiming to learn the job or are too scared to drive artics. btw thatās all rigids, that includes you Mr wagon and drag (glorified rigid)
I must be a ā ā ā ā ā ā then ? Its not the fact I am happy in my Rigid Job, or the fact I cant afford another Ā£1000+ to do another test and then be out of work for another 18months (like I was before I got this job) because I have not got 2years Class 1 experience
Ok I must be a broke ā ā ā ā ā ā Or a Broke Rigid ā ā ā ā ā ā who canāt drive ? What am I ? Please God ā ā ā ā ā ā ā Tell me
stevieboy308:
Is there really a shift in standards or is that the interweb access in the last 10 / 20 years means people can come on forums and have a whinge about something that would have been forgotten about, then look back with rose tinted glasses about how it use to be?
No, definitely a change in standards, especially in the the" Iām OK so zb you" area, after saying that I do love a whinge , and Iām taking the rosy specs off as we speak.Donāt agree with the opinion on rigids , they arenāt all wannabe artic men, and a lot of them show better driving standards than some of the trumpets on artics today.
The change in standards is very apparent sadly. I started in 1988 and the way things are now is shocking, the sad thing is that it makes me feel like becoming just like them because Iām so tired of being treated like a doormat. Saying thanks for letting someone in seems like too much trouble now, and is it me or are all drivers unable to use an āon rampā on the motorways these days without forcing or waiting for the vehicle on the motorway to move over ? Finally the lack of ātogethernessā amongst drivers these days is sad, a mate of mine said he thinks itās since the cb has died out and we donāt talk to each other anymore while driving. I donāt think it will ever go back to the old days, not enough drivers love the job/driving anymore, itās all about the money and a means to an end for many. 
Phil
Agree the slip road thing is my pet hate I have moaned about it too much already on here, just about everyday I see people stopped at the end of a slip road. Many times I try to avoid moving over and just slow my speed abit or flash them in but still they hesitate it amazes me its like they exspect you to move over. I never see the CB days I could imagine that was a right laugh
I think lorry drivers are their own worst enemy in many cases; When on the road, one of the first things at least one colleague would say is āthat (womans genital area) doing the same job again, I get the crap, he gets thought more ofā etc etc. Our lorry drivers are also conspiracy theorists, that if a rule is brought in itās done againt the drivers.
Back to confessions, I admit to being the stereotypical shovel driver if the above mentioned drivers start their rants; I just have to fill a pothole or grease the bucket when their rushed.
I also confess to letting the load go a bit quick if theyāre our tarmac driveway friends or burying their tools.
Oh we had so much fun on the cb. Itās better than the Ipod or radio anyday. All kinds of fun about any subject, and telling each other when a nice lady was approaching
Crash boxes, sticky seats, boneshaker suspension, manual wind-down windows, no air-con, Managers who didnāt need to hold a licence to get their job, steering wheels you need arms like popeye to turn, handbrakes practically under the seat, and of course everyone else and you are belching smoke, because itās the emissions limitations have not been thought of yetā¦ AND finally - Bunks in Cabs were an optional extra, rather than bog standard like now! 
I canāt say I want to be going back to these so called āGood Old Daysā!
I have two takes on the DWL, those who need a flash and those who expect a flash. The first driver is the one who overtakes me on the A66, more so when it was more single then duelled carriageway.
The ones who expect a flash are the ones who overtake and start to indicate just after the centre axle of the trailer is level with my window. Since around 1990 I have driven a vehicle with a speed limiter, long before they were necessary. With chemicals we did strictly 80kmh in Europe and did that in the fatherland too. It was no hardship to continue this practice when I came back to blighty.
The overtakers who take 7 miles to get past donāt bother me because I am either much slower than them or they are much faster than me. Before you blame me for holding traffic up, there are various speed limits set on trucks, from the supermarket dollies trundling at 48mph to the more loosely legislated 60mph. The lorry in the inside lane is always going to be held up by the slowest, much like the coach driver will be held up by the centre lane traffic.
Drivers of today have to learn that you are not driving a racing car, we had to learn how to navigate our way around F Troop.
robroy:
stevieboy308:
Is there really a shift in standards or is that the interweb access in the last 10 / 20 years means people can come on forums and have a whinge about something that would have been forgotten about, then look back with rose tinted glasses about how it use to be?No, definitely a change in standards, especially in the the" Iām OK so zb you" area, after saying that I do love a whinge
There used to be hundreds of factories around that delivered their own stuff with their
own fleets of rigids and in most cases these were sought after jobs and the pay and benefits were generally miles better than any artic job. One of the first things I learnt after passing my class 1 at 21 was that a big motor doesnāt necessarily mean more money in the bank.
That is true about the bigger lorry pays more thing. I know a guy who was on artics and now does class 2 work for a oil company just because the wage is so much better
axletramp:
robroy:
stevieboy308:
Is there really a shift in standards or is that the interweb access in the last 10 / 20 years means people can come on forums and have a whinge about something that would have been forgotten about, then look back with rose tinted glasses about how it use to be?No, definitely a change in standards, especially in the the" Iām OK so zb you" area, after saying that I do love a whinge
There used to be hundreds of factories around that delivered their own stuff with their
own fleets of rigids and in most cases these were sought after jobs and the pay and benefits were generally miles better than any artic job. One of the first things I learnt after passing my class 1 at 21 was that a big motor doesnāt necessarily mean more money in the bank.
^^
The rigid job I have at the moments pays better, just as well or only slightly less than most artic jobs around my area at the moment and Iām home between 3&5pm every night. I have my class 1, have driven them a bit before and would do again for the right money, but at the moment am happy with my easy job driving a rigid about.
I take comfort from the fact that when I watch an artic driver who might think iām a crap driver/wannable struggling to blindside his trailer into a tight spot that he probably isnāt earning that much more than me, by the time heās done that Iām tipped and going home.
Itās not just driving standards that have changed, it the whole way of life. Ive said before, on many occasions, itās changed to a me me me society these days, nobody has time for anyone but themselves. The standard of driving has gone down over the years but itās not just in trucking. Spend any time on the road and you will see some crazy driving. The attitude to other drivers on here amazes me sometimes. Lack of patience & tolerance is sadly lacking in all walks of life around the UK at the moment.
As for driving rigids! I drive whatever Iām told to drive, itās linked to how many pallets are due for delivery/collection from the hub. Itās an effort to save cash by the company. This week itās been 2x rigids & 3 x C&E, and there is a marked difference in how you are treated on the roads by other so called trucking brothers. Ziffy just take a chill pill, they are not all out to get you.
Or are they?