Today I got caught up in a crash that saw an artic on its side across the lanes after demolishing 100m of the central reservation.

See here,
http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=700&ArticleID=1768819

I'm sick to death of being delayed by truckers, if they are not doing a rolling road block at 55mph they pullout on you with one flash of the indicater, doesn't mattter if you are along side or not.

The drivers think they own the road and it stinks. I drive around the northern motorways a lot between car plants and they just continually pi55 me off!

Today saw me take 4 hours to get to Halewood from Durham, 1 1/2 of them in the tail back from the above crash. 2 hours to get down the M6 60 miles, and 5 hours to get back to Durham from Walsall.

Someone tell me why there was a queque on the M1 sliproad down off the A38? I'll tell you, a line of slow moving trucks on the inside lane of the M1 holding rank and stopping everyone getting onto the M1. Tossers!

Mr Beeching has a lot to answer for here as there are just too many of the things on the road. Time to get the freight back on rails, I say!

Another thing that puzzled me was the way they all moved into the middle lane approaching the above mentioned crash.. very strange.

And straddling two lanes in slow moving traffic in an attempt to regulate the flow just tops it off. Who do they think they are? Policing the roads is down to the authorities not pompt up truck drivers.



A cold bath beckons....

[Edited on 14/9/06 by coozer]

you need a beer mate

erm... several I think

Caravaners are worse mate. Should only be allowed on the road from 11pm till 6am.

That'll f*ck 'em

I agree about caravanners but they are few and far between. On the rare occasion I see one, (I dont go out in the car on a bank holiday!) it does make my blood boil.

I have a nervous recollection of the time I was stuck in a queque from Brampton to Hexham......

Feel sorry for you mate!

That's why I gave up my last two jobs, motorway miles. They were both based in Newcastle, but I had clients from Aberdeen to Brighton. It's no fun being stuck in traffic jams when you are going to a big meeting, or rushing to get home.

Now I have a specific geographical area to work in, north is the Scottish Border to the south at the Humber and west is the Pennines. Luxury!

Mike

I get caught up in the mass exodus by waggons from Hull every morning.
They overtake each other even though they are governed to 56 MPH and it takes miles to complete the manouvre and this on a two lane road. motorists, who are allowed 70 mph get really pixxed off.
I think all HGV's should have a hook on the rear end and an A frame on the front...... hook the A frame on the hook of the truck in front.... voila. a train.
Regards Kipper.

I drive from Huddersfield to Scunthorpe every day to get to work and I got caught up in this as well, also got caught up in another crash on the M62 on the way home today as well.
Yesterday it took me two and a quarter hours to do seventy miles, all but 5 are on the motorways.

this will cheer you up on the m6, a14 j
i saw a lorry try to park his cab in the back of a caravan it didn't fit to well

Having to travel the A14 from Cambridge to nearly Felixstowe most days I completely understand your frustration.

Dave

Look on the bright side and take a chill pill at least you won't have got any speeding tickets

We don't get poo like this to often in the far north east.

Saw a lovely sight on the A28 on the way to Le Mans this year.

Lorry sat *on top* of the concrete central reservation...wheels overhanging both sides.

Looks like it had had a total tank slapper taking chunks out of crash barriers on both sides of the road before jumping on top of the barrier.

Worrying thing was it looked like it had only happened minute before we caught up with it. Luckily it seems the driver was OK but the chunks of concrete strewn across the carriageway are quite tricky to navigate in the Fury.

feel i need to put up a bit of a defence for truckers here.

i used to think pretty much as you do, they are slow take up too much room and shouldn't be on the bloody roads slowing me down. then i had to take my HGV 2 test for my job, you start to see the world in a whole new way.

most of the accidents trucks are involved in are caused by car drivers with the attitude of i'm faster than him. cars overtake a truck, pull back in leaving very little gap then have to hit the brakes, cars got no worries of stopping, however the 40 ton of artic he's just pulled in front of hasn't got a chance in hell.

car drivers rarely use mirrors, in a truck you live and die by your mirros.

obviously there are exceptions to either side of the argument. just remember it's not always the truckers to blame though.

oh and if you wanted to put all freight back on the rails then expect to wait til hell freezes over before things get delivered! can't get a reliable train service to cover the 10 miles from here to leicester to get out for a night on the pi$$ never mind one for the whole country to rely on!

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Originally posted by need4speed
Having to travel the A14 from Cambridge to nearly Felixstowe most days I completely understand your frustration.

Dave

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Originally posted by kipper
I get caught up in the mass exodus by waggons from Hull every morning.

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I got stuck in the traffic for that accident this morning too - took me 2 3/4 hours to do 25 miles - and the first 10 were pretty clear - and I was headed in the direction for which the motorway wasn't actually closed. With the time I set off I should have been in Manchester at 9 am, but it was 10.40 when I arrived!

Hope tomorrow morning is better.

[Edited on 14/9/06 by andyps]

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Originally posted by john_p_b
feel i need to put up a bit of a defence for truckers here.

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If they weren't governed it would be a different story, they might be able to overtake each other instead of driving side by side up every slight incline. I will agree that alternative transport was a better idea, rail them to a marshalling yard then transport them a few miles to their final destination. I used to see train loads of cars and rolls of steel go through where we live and it was impressive to behold but it's all transported by road now.

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Originally posted by coozer

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Originally posted by kipper
I get caught up in the mass exodus by waggons from Hull every morning.

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Toyota In Derby build over 1,400 vehicles per day. Nearly every one is transported to Hull docks along the A38/M1/M18.

8 cars on a transporter? 8 into 1400... hmmm

Well over 150 trips a day EACH WAY!!

And thats just one contract!!

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I became a taxi driver so that it took the stress out of driving, once I pick my fare up my job is to get them there. If it takes forever so be it the meter is on.
Most drivers that I see are driven by time constraints, (appart from the retired drivers who have almost forever anyway and can be recognised because they generally travel at 50mph everywhere) Yes there are a few good profesional hgv drivers around, they can be recognised because they leave large gaps between themselves and the vehicle in front, the rest of the motorists (CAR & HGV) generally are under the impression that their brakes exceed the laws of physics and travel a cars length (OR LESS) behind the vehicle in front.

On the continent (I beleive) that trucks are NOT allowed into the second lane of a two lane motorway/dual carriageway. So why aren't our laws harmonised with the continent. Also not movment of truck or caravans on a sunday. if it aint there by friday then tough.

The recent roadworks on the M1 Jnctn 32 saw a contraflow system on the adjoining M18 Northbound. Due to breakdown on the M1 traffic was slowing down on the M18 link. One guy in a very large artic was straddling the two lanes on the link road causing traffic to back up 3 miles onto the M18... this is clearly dangerous and should not be allowed. As such a penalty should have been placed on him/her.

BUT we are the ones to blame... if we stop cutting other drivers up and be reasonable we could all get to where we are going much quicker. Drivers of trucks are IMO very dangerous - 2 drivers of trucks with 28 tonnes of cargo each driving with less than a cars distance between them!!!

I've said it before and I'll say it again... when in europe they have a filtering system on the place where there are lane restrictions and you have to join one lane in alternation. This is by far the easiest, simplest and most effective way of filtering... but we don't do it over here!!! Maybe because our roads are in effect privatised by the local councils that have to maintain them...

My 2p

The Germans have laws which prevent commercial vehicles from travelling on the public roads over weekends/bank holidays and IIRC there are restrictions on the time of day during the rest of the week.... Seems to work well for them! (that being said the standard of driving in Germany is FAR superior to the UK - largely down to their licensing/testing process!)

Crikey, I tend to go to Mancehster most days but yesterday I didn't. I'm soooooooo glad!

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Originally posted by iank

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Originally posted by need4speed
Having to travel the A14 from Cambridge to nearly Felixstowe most days I completely understand your frustration.

Dave

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Nnnnggggg he said A14 Seriously hate that road.

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I hate lorries too. They cause all the problems on our roads! Get rid of the bloody great things and lets invest in the railways instead!
I'm one for sweeping statements by the way

I'd go one step further and say get the freight back on the canals. Three weeks delivery sir?............. No problem, take it easy.....

Phil

Canals?! pah, what's wrong with donkeys I ask ye?

Nice too see it's not just me!

I posted the rant on the truckers forum but they banned me. Can't understand that unless I was cutting too close to the truth!!

I travel to the Ford plant in Genk Belgium every 3 or 4 weeks and because they are banned from the outside lane I can get up there no problem. But also there doesn't seem to be as many trucks on the roads there.

If you look at Genk from Google earth or Local.live you can indeed see a canal. And yes Ford ship cars out on the canal but most go out on trains. I can also say the same for Jaguar at Halewood. Most of the cars leave the plant on a train.

Both have a train track that goes right into the plant to pick the motors up.

I'm all for more railways in this country. We now have more cycle tracks that used to be railways than actual rail tracks! How mad is that??

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Originally posted by coozer
I posted the rant on the truckers forum but they banned me. Can't understand that unless I was cutting too close to the truth!!

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Originally posted by need4speed
Having to travel the A14 from Cambridge to nearly Felixstowe most days I completely understand your frustration.

Dave

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I take it you managed to pass your exams then?
I have some experience of the red tape from the odd occasion when I help the old man shifting expensive cars about. Takes forever to sort out the paper work.

[Edited on 15/9/06 by DIY Si]