HGV drivers
Just followed a tractor unit (HGV minus trailer) at 40 mph from Dumfries to almost Newton Stuart at 42 mph.every chance of overtaking given up to solo cars.(I was towing my caravan).I always give way to faster traffic because that was the way of the world 40 odd years ago!.Said tractor had several options when he could have let me past without any undue delay.....did he hell !!!!!while I am aware that these drivers have time limits on driving time etc they have become completely selfish and I now find that the "nights of the road "have become amongst the most selfish on our roads! Bring on the arguments for and against HGV drivers.!!!!
As well as the stupid speed limits for goods vehicles in scotland!!!!
Comments
-
yes but then I would have to stop again to let my carer go to the loo ...again
.I was hoping to get home by 2.30 pm for a delivery but missed it by 10 minutes!!!0 -
Quite agree, they just pull out on you and expect you to move because we are not heavy enough to argue. HGV's are limited to 56mph I have to keep pulling out on motorways to pass them but if they had a limit of 60mph I could keep in left lane and non of us would hold each other up.
1 -
As he was doing 42mph he wasn't obliged to pull over and could well have been at his legal limit as it seems this was not a dual carriageway. Perhaps his journey was considered more important than that of holiday traffic. These things happen - it’s best to relax and not get stressed.
Btw, was your legal limit 50mph on that road?
4 -
in scotland the limit is 40mph unless they are irish!!!!!.Ordinary transit types are 50 mph which can be a pain when i am not towing!I agree that hgv ,s should be restricted to lane 1 on dual carriageways and motorways! Why would a vehicle doing 56 mph feel the need to overtake one doing 55 mph !!!!!!
0 -
Yes my limit is 50 on single carriageway roads which makes life very awkward if one needs to overtake on a 1/2 mile section of 2 lane when solo motorists are sitting on ones rear quarter !!!my outfit will accelerate from 40 to well over the legal solo limit in that 1/2 mile but there is always the chance of a mobile camera van sitting in a laybye (they do that quite a lot on the A75!).Legality as regards pulling over is not my point.....my point is "manners"....something sadly lacking these days!!!!!!!!! and as a bye...my holidays was over,on my way home!!!!!!
0 -
At 50 you’d not have a lot in hand to pass him anyway. If you can’t sit back from the truck and get into the outer lane before the traffic behind you, then I fear you’re stuck with it.
Maybe the driver's hours, a commitment to his work, a boss yelling at him, or any other number of reasons prevented him being as courteous as either he or you would have liked. I think he’s to be pitied really and I bet he wished he could have been on holiday without the pressures of work upon him.
0 -
It is quite easy to ignore following traffic and just pull out and go but that is not how I like to behave as it can be an annoyance to the solo motorist who has to be where ever he/(she is going in their german manufactured car before they started their journey!!!!! (other countries cars are available!).At 42 mph I could accelerate to 70mph and pass in short time but there is a risk!I have never had an endorsement or points on my licence.There could be a vehicle pulling out from a side road,we get wildlife wandering across the road....all sorts of possible hazards!!!!lay byes that are easily pulled in and out of without more than 10 seconds delay are used by farm vehicles to allow traffic past...so why can an hgv driver not do the same. Manners!
Moderator Edit:
Part of this post has been Deleted User.
0 -
What you towing with sweetman?
0 -
Yes...stressed.....by bad manners and selfish behaviour we have crossed swords before and I retract my last comment Sorry (again).When conditions dictate I will drive at low speed BUT I am always aware of following vehicles and give way when possible!!!!
0 -
Accepted.
I'm looking at the broader picture and trying to imagine the pressures on the lorry driver who was driving as fast as he was allowed and trying to meet deadlines we can only guess at and which may not have given him the leeway to accommodate the needs of every caravan he encountered.
To have to follow him is just one of those things and far better to accept it than to get hot under the collar.
0 -
Why should he pull over it’s not his fault that his speed limit is 40mph. What you need to realise is that he would more than likely have wanted to go faster than this speed and at 42mph he was speeding probably because he though that he was holding you up. Blame your Scottish government.
0 -
sorento
0 -
SO...the general opinion is.........a car towing a caravan is expected to give way to faster traffic BUT an hgv can plod along without any consideration for other traffic!!!
0 -
What do you hope to gain, Sweetman? 🤷🏻♂️
As they say - "chill"
1 -
just in the mood to start a debate on subjects other than brexit,i pads for school kids,and other issues of the moment !!!!!probably had one too many gin and tonics after a slow journey from Dumfries to newton stewart......the previous section down the A7 etc was no problem!!!!!!
0 -
Often been behind slower moving traffic and HGVs, but just remind myself that I'm on holiday and those drivers are not. I'm be either at home or staying in a caravan after a few glasses of wine while they might sleeping in their cab.
3 -
Even if you got past the particular HGV in front. You are very likely to come up behind another, also traveling at the HGV limit. As to pulling in and letting traffic past. Perhaps they have tried that and then found it almost impossible to get out into the traffic flow again, thus costing them time. It does depend on how busy the road is, but in heavy traffic there is little point in the HGV giving way. Over the distance involved you would have only arrived 11 minutes earlier and that's if you could have maintained 50 mph for the entire distance. I would have just left a decent gap and matched the HGV's speed.
1 -
It isn't always HGV's. I recall a couple of years ago following a Nissan Micra half the length of Loch Ness at a steady 35mph. I could see a gaggle of cars behind who were doubtless cursing 'ruddy caravan'. It was only after the Micra turned off that I could pick up speed and the gaggle behind me dropped back and thinned out. Was it frustrating - yes bit. Did I get up tight - no, that's life.
The Micra sported a CSMA badge, a sign in my experience of irritating drivers.
0 -
I recall a couple of years ago following a Nissan Micra half the length of Loch Ness at a steady 35mph.
When they first came out the Micra was quite a small car
HGV drivers are no worse than anyone else, stupidity and selfishness is a daily occurrence by all on the roads these days. Probably always has been but more noticeable because of increased numbers, just hold back and relax. An uptight driver is a danger to themselves and anyone else in their vicinity.
0 -
The 40 speed limit is the legal limit for the vehicle in Scotland except on dual carriageways and the A9. It causes massive problems and is dangerous due to it frustrating drivers who then take risks.
Tests have shown that it is safer to have a 50 limit but the law has not been changed and will continue to cause fatalities for the foreseeable future.
I accept the driver could stop and let people past but if he did that every time he had a queue he would have a far longer journey.
In England the limit was raised to 50 and it seems to work.
1 -
We have only part of the story here. A tractor unit running without a trailer is not making money, so there would have been a compelling reason to do so. While there are occasions such as to/from repair or vehicle test, the most frequently occurrng reason is to collect the trailer from another tractor unit that has broken down.
There is no information on what was happening beyond Newton Stewart, or on any of the side roads there. I would guess that there was a broken down tractor unit with a trailer sitting somewhere, possibly making it hazardous for other road users or even blocking the road completely, and that this particular unit making all possible speed to assist was a necessity.
0
