Thread: Outback Truckers - Better than Ice Road Truckers!

Originally Posted by Davo

There is a cowboy mentality up here that you notice, as if some drivers know they can get away with a bit. I hate being tailgated at 110kmh, for instance, and I'll have cameras in the car this year because of this sort of thing. But mostly they seem to behave. Here was a big exception:

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I went by last week and the bridge railings look a little cooked!

Ouch !!!!!!!

I'll bet someone got his butt chewed over that.

Reminds me of once when I was driving a loaded 100 tonne float across Willare bridge heading up toward the Territory. I was doing about 10km/h over the bridge as I was under video bridge supervision because of the weight I had on board.

I was well and truly on the bridge, when Ma and Pa came around the corner towards me in Landcruiser pulling caravan and drove straight out onto the bridge - we all met up and stopped in the centre. Pa expected me to reverse the float off the bridge so that he could cross. He quickly learnt how to reverse his caravan as the bullbar of the Kenworth slowly approached him.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruR8TTrksbU]Truck Smart Stopping Demonstration - YouTube[/ame]

from QLD DOT

2. Travel at a safe following distance

Do not follow a heavy vehicle too closely, as you want to see what is ahead (e.g. debris and other cars). Keep in mind the following when travelling behind a heavy vehicle:

Allow for time to stop safely. The table below shows comparisons of stopping distances for cars and trucks when travelling at the same speeds.
Vehicle Speed Stopping distance (metres)
------Car Truck
60km/h 73 83
70km/h 91 105
80km/h 111 130
90km/h 133 156
100km/h 157 185

http://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Safety/Dri...-vehicles.aspx

More car drivers need to be educated on how to drive near heavy vehicles, the above demonstration is a good example!!

If you find you are being continually "tailgated" then you are not driving fast enough.

There is a solution. Get into the driving seat, look down to the floor at the end of your right leg. You will see your foot. Place this on the right side pedal and press down firmly. Keep pressing down until you are no longer "tailgated".

At the risk of bringing this thread back on track...


I love the show. Every time we watch it, it just makes me want to get out there amongst it. Be it the dust or the mud, I get itchy feet.

Originally Posted by BMKal

Ouch !!!!!!!

I'll bet someone got his butt chewed over that.

Reminds me of once when I was driving a loaded 100 tonne float across Willare bridge heading up toward the Territory. I was doing about 10km/h over the bridge as I was under video bridge supervision because of the weight I had on board.

I was well and truly on the bridge, when Ma and Pa came around the corner towards me in Landcruiser pulling caravan and drove straight out onto the bridge - we all met up and stopped in the centre. Pa expected me to reverse the float off the bridge so that he could cross. He quickly learnt how to reverse his caravan as the bullbar of the Kenworth slowly approached him.

A couple of those bridges make me nervous because the road curves on the other side, not only making it hard for me to see ahead but making it likely that some dolt will come flying around towards us. I noticed that a 60kmh sign has appeared on at least one of the bridges now instead of the usual 80kmh!

There are quite a few stories about these bridges: some tourists parking in the middle of one and getting wiped out by a roadtrain; and someone on the main bridge here who went across at night because there was only a motorcycle coming the other way . . . when in fact it was a roadtrain with one headlight!

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

If you find you are being continually "tailgated" then you are not driving fast enough.

There is a solution. Get into the driving seat, look down to the floor at the end of your right leg. You will see your foot. Place this on the right side pedal and press down firmly. Keep pressing down until you are no longer "tailgated".

Ha ha. How amusing. The speed limit is 110kmh, and roadtrains are limited to 100kmh over here. (Supposedly.) So if you're being tailgated while doing the SPEED LIMIT then maybe something is wrong. Like a lunatic towing a million tonnes is about to leave an imprint on your tailgate.

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

If you find you are being continually "tailgated" then you are not driving fast enough.

There is a solution. Get into the driving seat, look down to the floor at the end of your right leg. You will see your foot. Place this on the right side pedal and press down firmly. Keep pressing down until you are no longer "tailgated".

What about when you are being tailgated at the speed limit , this idiocy seems to the case more and more these days , not sure that would care to follow your sage advice in this situation .