Thread: Truck Driver Tailgating?,...in the "Nanny State"..Yeah right.

Originally Posted by trout1105

Jesus, What sort of speed was the truck travelling at?

They can go fast,,,
I've had a BD pass me on the Hume who was well over 145,,,

It amuses me how many car drivers are scared of trucks,, we can be following someone, cruising along at a respectable speed, two trucks will be in the #1 & #3 lanes (from the left on 4 lane sections),,, do we slip between them and keep moving on (?),,, naa, lets just wait and not pass at all. Even just a single truck, some just won't pass,, you'll see them move over another lane at least to make a pass.
I get not being a confident driver, I respect that,,, but if you can't handle the situations that arise, and either take some form of courteous action, or keep with the flow, then perhaps they shouldn't be there.

Originally Posted by Wraithe

I was in Melbourne only a month ago, and went out to Geelong area, a couple of times...

Its 100 along there except where the barrier is being worked on... Trucks not allowed in right lane, signs all along...

Trucks have speed limiters, some states allow them to be set as high as 103 kph...Thus a bit hard for a truck to be exceeding the speed limit to overtake...

One thing I did learn about freeways, every one I have been on in Australia, have idiot drivers that have no concern for anyone else... Right hand lane when they are travelling slower than the rest, blocking others from overtaking, cutting others off, and above all else, taking on trucks as if they are driving a dozer...

It amazes me how others on the roads know more about what trucks are allowed to do and take it into there hands to cut trucks off...

One thing I have been abused for is sitting on the speed limit and overtaking a car, car driver came up and informed me that "trucks are not allowed to overtake and they must be 20 k under the speed limit"...
Sadly she didn't try stopping in front of me but she did cut me off to turn onto Toodyay rd...Pity, I could have had a pancake flattened by 50 tyres, that day...

Sorry mate your section relating to speed limiters is not quite true. First they have to be fitted and working. They will allow short periods much more than 103kmph if fitted and working. Very easy to disconnect and fool and seems to be a lot of that. I have been passed by plenty of trucks doing well in excess of 100kmph and often well in excess of 110kmph. Also not using the left lane is rarely enforced here in WA, see it day in and day out on the Freeways. Frequently have to pull into the left lane to undertake a car doing 80 in the right lane.

Originally Posted by Denzo

Well that drew the predictable response from the gallery. Those Bostrom seats must create ****ty livers!!
1. European distances - better get a map out - Check off the distance from Scandanavia to the Balkans - all with the same kitted trucks doing long haul at 80km.
2. The cowboy element in professional truck drivers has largely disappeared. I spent a lot of time travelling between the Riverland and Riverina in the bad old days - glad to not see that chaos again. The loose cannons are still out there though. A few months ago was dodging roos at +115km on the Kidman Way at night and got rounded up by a Bdouble passing and spraying rocks as he chewed up what is left of the pitiful road. Still have the crack in the windscreen as a trophy. Tuned up Ch40 - dont keep it on cause of the purile crap that you have to endure on it - and was told in no uncertain terms to reproduce myself, and that he had all the gear on board to detect the highway patrol, and that he would happily stop in the next town to sort the issue out. Geez, what an ambassador.
3. The main issue is differential speeds - no problem on the 110k sections where you can keep a good separation, but on the 100k sections, my beef is that trucks @ 100k is a problem when we have the siege mentality of the NSW highway patrol. We often have the HP running in tandem 5km apart here, and I know from a recent points loss that those guys have all had a humour bypass.
4. The original post re tailgating - still happens, and it is not pleasant. I can handle it - asked a truckie on a 100km / hr section of the Newell Hwy on Ch40 recently if he would like me do change out his driving light globes while we were travelling. He backed off with a laugh, and all was good. But how does the Hyundai Lantra driver handle the same situation. At least the Disco has a bit more of a chance.
5. Back to my original comment - the education of car drivers is abysmal - especially for the type of driving I do, which is mainly rural long distance. The trucking industry has improved out of sight in the past 20 years, but one clown will destroy a years worth of good will. I believe that this is true of the Geelong incident.
6. As a semi retirement project I intend to upgrade from HR to MC - and do some grain hauling. I am not down on the industry - the opposite, but to say that the industry is without issues is silly.

Well I can't see anything in here to refute the "predictable response". As I said, when you've driven a truck across the Nullarbor or up to the north of the country at 90 km/hr - we might take some note of your opinion. For the record - I HAVE driven trucks long distance at these speeds and lower (I used to work in heavy haulage) - so I do know what I am talking about.

I drive that section of road a bit and have seen what has happened since trucks were banned from the right lane.

It was done at the behest of motorists who felt intimidated, and there there was the occaisional thing, but trucks generally sat on the limit IME.

It must totally drive truck drivers mad that someone is swanning around in the middle lane, pacing themselves with someone in the left hand lane doing 95 or 98 and they have a job to do, yet can't legally pass on the RHS.

Who shot the footage from the LH lane, nicely keeping pace? Was it a setup?

DL

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Originally Posted by BMKal

Yeah !!!!!

I'll call bull**** on that statement. Never seen it enforced in more than 30 years of driving in this state. Perth drivers on the freeways down there are probably the worst I've ever come across in this respect - it's common knowledge that the left lane is the fastest lane to travel in - the slow ******* are always in the right lane.

Actually the emergency stopping lane is the fast lane here sometimes , those drivers shouldn't have a licence

Originally Posted by Fatso

Finaly got to see the footage of the event mentioned on the 7 news Melbourn . Apparently the car was doing the speed limit with the truck right up his/her clacker , finaly went around in the right lane , and as reported did the same to another car a bit further up thr road . Tool .

" Apparently the car was doing the speed limit"?....where did you learn that?,..I haven't been able to CONFIRM what the car's real speed was.....but I'd like to.
Pickles.

It is irrelevant what speed the car driver was travelling at, the speed limit is just that a limit Not a target.
What is relevant is the car drivers rudeness or ignorance by not moving over into the left hand lane and allowing the truck through.
It is also worth noting that tailgaiting is also a rude, ignorant and dangerous practice.