Thread: Its about time they took action on the cowboy trucking companies.

Originally Posted by slug_burner

I believe the behaviour of trucks rolling up close behind you before overtaking is to minimize the time they are out overtaking. Usually only an issue on single carriageway/undivided highways. On dual carriageways it is only likely to happen if there is a lot of traffic in the right-hand/overtaking lane.


But then again the behaviour of a few can reflect on the whole industry as we all tend to generalise.

I could understand the logic on a single carriageway and often I'll lift back on the power significantly and they'll pick up on this by flashing the right indicator in acknowledgement.

But this has consistently occurred on dual carriageways.

IMHO the very worst offenders are the larger mobs that hire rookie drivers and have wound up the diff ratio setting in the computer. Both the speedo and the limiter under read with drivers who think they are sitting on the limit actually doing significantly over it and getting frustrated with "other slow poke drivers"

An interesting and emotive argument at the best of times, but as always there are two sides to the story.
Are there really that many cowboy companies out there, or perhaps a number of reputable companies that employ the odd idiot cowboy drivers. If this is the case, how to weed them out?
Many years ago there was a lot of journalistic hype where it was proven that 17% of road fatalities in Australia involved heavy transports. Pretty worrying statistics until one looked a bit harder at the statistics and realised that these same statistics proved that in 83% of the cases, no heavy vehicles were involved, and even more frightening was the fact that approx 97% of these cases involved "normal" motorists.
The question then arises, "Who is the most dangerous person on the roads?"
There are good and bad in all walks of life, even amongst the 4WD fraternity, I seem to recall having read somewhere earlier in this very thread that some 4WD drivers set their cruise controls at 115!! How do you pick which speeding driver is the worst threat - the size of his vehicle apparently!
I have driven both heavy and light vehicles over a considerable number of miles in Australia over the past 50 odd years and I really don't think my personality changes that much depending purely on what class of vehicle I happen to be pushing at the time.
I do personally agree that the caravan towing and mobile home driving fraternity, whatever their age group, should have to sit for a heavy or articulated vehicle drivers licence test, but where do we stop? I know a vast number of motorists, young and old, who class themselves as "good drivers" (as do we all) who have no idea how to back a 6x4 trailer and yet these people are allowed blissfully on the same roads as you and I, often grossly overloaded and unaware of what is happening behind them.
I don't profess to know the answers to this but fining the Companies does absolutely nothing towards solving the problem, in fact possibly aggravates things even more. A bit like the old story of fining a prostitute for soliciting. How does she pay the fine? By soliciting even more!
Rather than having the normal arguments and blame laying on the mysterious "THEY", why can't we collectively find a new more sophisticated way of removing the temptation to break laws. Have a talk to a truckie or a transport operator today and see what hurdles they already have to jump through, ask what happens after three speeding offences, why the average motorist is allowed to drive on the roads at .05 blood alcohol but a heavy vehicle driver is .00, why there are different speed limits for different vehicles traveling on the same road? Why can one driver only drive a limited number of hours before resting but another can drive all day and night with no checks whatsoever? What is the difference if a truck runs into a car or if a car runs into a truck. It is the same accident. Why the different rules?
There has to be a better way to do things and so far we are not heading in the right direction.
There!!! I feel better already!
Regards
Glen

As I often have to drive a low loader for work to move my drilling rig around, I do feel sorry for the professional driver out there trying to make a living driving the things.

You have a limited amount of hours you can drive and you are constantly held up by people with no idea how hard it is move these things along.

Like everything, there are those who muck it up for everyone by being idiots and they do need to be tought a lesson, but, I do belive everybody should be taken for a drive in a big truck to see how difficult it is and how they can help by their own actions.

The old Mack that I drive has just a bit more acceleration than my deefa, maybe. The only way to get past a caravan driver with the rest of their life to see Australia and no idea about pulling over is to, 1, hold back about 100m and wait for an opportunity 2, see the opportunity and start coming 3, hope by the time I catch up the gap is still available to get round or you have to stop and get ready to go again.

If your really lucky they start picking up speed as you get beside them, putting everybody in danger

UHF 40 helps a lot, the good truck drivers are polite and will work on back scratch system. By the same token, you also get to hear the ratbags of the bunch that this thread was started about. You just get out of their way and hope you have helped stop an accident by reducing their temper. Shouldn't have to I know, but it is the best way to handle them. They do get caught.

As for sitting in the slipstream, it does work for going faster and using less fuel. The guy in front keeps the rest up to date by radio.

Hi Glen

My comment is all about the cowboys, if you read the article, "Eight vehicles have been found to have defective equipment, including equipment to make the vehicle send out false readings to the speed limiter which allows the vehicle to travel faster than its limited speeds," this is a good indication of cowboys in the company and possibly cowboys in charge of the company.

The driver involved in the case is only 33 has had his licence suspended previously and was already due to appear in court over another matter.

There are a huge number of professional drivers in both name and the way they conduct their driving and it is not about these people who are a worry. I would far sooner trust a semi driver's predictable actions over a car drivers.

On the road statistics, I have always thought that they should be calculated on the driver miles per year Vs crashes. I'm sure that 17% you speak of would drop to only a few percent, its just that trucks do more damage and the fear factor takes hold.

Diana

Whilst living in the Territory, rule of the road was, pull over for road trains, only tourists @ blowins ignored the rule. they were usually explained the rules if they stayed at a truck stop.[uhf is the truckies friend] My attitude whilst driving is to pull over for all Truckies, and keep out of the way of lunatic toyota drivers. [ worked so far]. Lifes too short to let ego get in way of getting there safely. Bob.

Originally Posted by zulu Delta 534

There has to be a better way to do things and so far we are not heading in the right direction.

RAILROADS

My comment is all about the cowboys, if you read the article, "Eight vehicles have been found to have defective equipment, including equipment to make the vehicle send out false readings to the speed limiter which allows the vehicle to travel faster than its limited speeds," this is a good indication of cowboys in the company and possibly cowboys in charge of the company.

ha ha . I almost wet myself seeing this SERIOUS copper saying how terrible it all is.
Travelling the F3 once or twice a week, I doubt whether 10% of interstate trucks have an accurate speed limiter. The easiest fix I am told is to just put smaller tyres on for the calibration.

IMHO based on observation, most seem to do around a REAL 110 Kmh but the occasional does more.
It seems completely beyond the RMS ken to be able to control, just like the "excessive emissions" that were supposed to be stopped in the M5 tunnel.
I had another laugh at "why do they tailgate you before overtaking?" Why? because they can and to intimidate you on single highways, and I have seen many a poor old grey nomad with a Kenworth up his bum , probably going faster than he wants.

I have another few questions. Why on almost any journey Northbound on the F3 do I see a semi overtake another on Hawkesbury hill , one at 20 Kmh and one at 22.5 who swings out into the 100Kmh centre lane scattering cars everywhere. Are the drivers so competitive that one will not let the other ahead on the flat?
I am afraid I do not buy the only a few rogues. I think the behaviour of a large minority of drivers is unprofessional and the government does not give a stuff until they "have to do something " when a bloodbath happens.

It will all go away in week and we will be back to normal at 110Kmh plus.
Regards Philip A