ahhh Truck Drivers... why do they get a bum rap?

The little trucks eh? We call 'em 'taxis with a box on the back' because most drive like taxi drivers. But that's a whole different thread isn't it? taxis that is...

[Heeno]

Originally Posted by Aussie Pete

The little trucks eh? We call 'em 'taxis with a box on the back' because most drive like taxi drivers. But that's a whole different thread isn't it? taxis that is...

lol the day i get started on taxi's is the day i get banned, we call them pie carts

[TheSneakiness]

My two cents...

My step-dad drives concrete trucks for his job, and he says the number of times he's been cut off by idiots in cars is unbelievable. What if he saw you at the last second, coming toward you @ 60km/h loaded with 6 cubic metres of concrete? You wouldn't wanna dare try and cut him off.

On the other side of the coin, I was cut off on the Bruce Highway twice in one day by truckies in semi-trailers. Both times I was coming up in the right lane, could have easily spotted me in their mirror, but no, they swerve for lack of a better word right in front of me to get past another vehicle in front of them. Granted that they may have 50 tonne worth of cargo on board, but saving the guy in front of them could've killed me. Luckily my brakes are good enough to slow me right down to let him in.

[Des]

I deal with more truckies each week then most people see in a month. I would say that in 12 years here I've probably met less than 10 that should be taken out and shot. The rest are good honest and cosiderate (on the road anyway) blokes. There are "cowboys" in all road user groups. If there was 5% of idiots in each group, then of course most of them would be in cars. When your bigger that everyone else your few mistakes stand out a lot more....

[JAJH]

Originally Posted by Full Noise

Jeeeez, it’s easy to pick the people who have never driven anything bigger that a car with a box trailer behind it.

For those out there who have never driven a Semi or a B-Double, the reason many trucks stay in the right lane is because semis and B-Doubles don’t always track in a straight line due to the camber of the road. Also, there may be overhanging tree branches or street signs that protrude into the lane itself, something many car drivers would never even consider because they’re not used to looking four metres up from the gutter. A truck driver may be trying to position himself to make a left-hand turn, there’s all sorts of reasons why a truck may be staying in the right lane.

People in Adelaide would be familiar with the signs on Main South Road advising high trucks not to use the left lane because the power poles are so close to edge of the road. Another thing that many car drivers would never even realise is that a truck is 2.5 metres wide, so when some Einstein sticks his or her nose out from a side street wanting to make a turn, they only have to pull out a few inches from the line, and in some cases they have affectively blocked your lane.

All we ask from car drivers is for some courtesy and understanding, which is always returned. I don’t usually answer threads regarding trucks because there’s usually a lot of narrow minded, ill thought comment, however, the best way to give people a better understanding of our industry is to communicate and show them another point of view.

Thanks Big Trev and all the others who contribute with an understanding from our side.

Cheers, Danny

Mate, don't make assumptions about what I have or have not driven. In regards to my previous comments, maybe I should have clarified a little better about truckies hogging the right lane. I was specifically referring to highways and freeways where overhanging trees or the motorists pulling out from the left or the truck turning left wasn't relevant...simply suggesting we all have to abide by the road laws which states we must keep to the left (including trucks).

[irsa76]

Originally Posted by Aussie Pete

The little trucks eh? We call 'em 'taxis with a box on the back' because most drive like taxi drivers. But that's a whole different thread isn't it? taxis that is...

Not all delivery van/little truck drivers are like that. Mostly those on piece rates it seems, glad I'm salaried. As for the big trucks, I figure my L300 can't stop with 3/4 tonne on board so I doubt that KW B double will either so I give them lots of room, even to the point of holding traffic up on a couple of round abouts and corners I know semis need both lanes.

[Charliewool]

Stop being so "loving & caring" guys... EVERY day, look how many of these "cowboys" run red lights? I mean, WATCH!!... My light will turn green at an intersection, and there's a big one approaching the red, EVERY time, they'll run it! EVERY time!
And they'll tell me .. "Oh it's SO hard pulling up 40 tonnes"... bananas!... they are equipped with brakes on every wheel, ABS (on most late trucks) It is purely & simply a bully thing!! An "I'm bigger than you" complex. And it s the cripe outta me.

[Charliewool]

AND, BTW... I drove for 5 odd yrs doing OD glass for Pilks interstate, so my above is NOT said without a certain degree of knowledge...
What I am saying is truckies (yes, mostly local) have their own definition of traffic-light compliance...They simply don't care!... I see it 20 times a day around Nth Laverton, Brooklyn..

[Trevor 57]

Do you report them?

If not, then you are as bad as them

[chief]

Dad was a truckie and can reverse down a very tight alley way in one go. He ran over a BMW 3 series for trying to go up the inside while dad was turning left. There may be dumb truck drivers out there but there are also dumb drivers out there. Sure a driver doesn't have a 42 tonne vechile but to get to that class of licence literally takes years and plenty of hours with a truck driving school.