h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Have you ever wondered why a truck will pull out to overtake another which is doing almost the same speed?

It's because a heavily loaded truck has very poor acceleration at speed. If it fails to keep up every bit of its momentum it is condemned to climb the slight incline (which to a truck is akin to the north face of the Eiger) at the speed of a slug on Mogadon.

So next time a truck indicates to pull out, let it. Your car has a massively higher power-to-weight ratio, and you will be held up for only a short time compared to the seething frustration of a truckie nobbled on a hill.

Most trucks are also capped to something like 58MPH. This speed varies by about 3MPH in total, hence lots of very slow overtaking manoeuvres...

Obviously you're not a US driver, because I rarely see any truck going anything close to 58 mph. I drive at about 65 in 55 zones, and I don't pass many trucks. In fact, I'm still passed by massive death-machines on wheels going about 70mph. Through rain, sleet, hail, or snow, the trucks never slow down.

Sure, the truck driver himself isn't in any danger while driving at excessive speeds in poor conditions. When a semi plows head-on into a Geo Metro, both going 65mph, who do you think is gonna be walking away from it? Certainly not the guy in the Metro.

Trucks need to slow down, and cops need to stop the ones who don't.

In the U.K trucks are governed to a speed of around 60 M.P.H.
This is the law, the truck is fixed mechanically at production, so the driver can not exceed this max speed.
Also in the U.K. drivers of heavy vehicles cannot use the outside lane (that is the lane closest to the median) exceptions are when there are lane closures.

In the US, trucks are also forbidden to use the far left (consider it the 'passing') lane if there are more than 2 lanes.And, as a general rule, truck speed limits are about 5-10 MPH SLOWER than regular auto speed limits.
Generally, accidents involving Tractor-trailers (I think those in non-US coin them articulated lorries... Am I right?) are caused by the smaller auto driver not knowing how to react to what a truck MUST do while travelling. Departments motor vehicle do not do a good job in informing the general populace.A truck driver is a regulated, alert, courteous driver. Those that AREN'T should NOT be behind the wheel! The general populace tends to treat trucks as just larger cars, as far as corners, stopping, and reaction times go. This is a dangerous thing.
Oh, and a truck of any kind, when it's in motion, is working. No matter what, if it's hauling something or empty. That's the LAW. (realise us poor Truckers have to put up with the equivilant of about 500 people a day coming into our offices, and walking around our desks!)

The Police have a code for those who hog lane 2 on a motorway, L2OD,
lane 2 owner driver
most trucks have a speed limiter which allows them to do around 52 to 56 mph according to the terrain (ups and downs for those without a dictionary). People who sit in lane 1 (not called the slow lane!) at 53 mph do so deliberately as they want to disrupt hte delivery of fresh goods to the supermarket so that they can get a rebate on the rotting food that they buy tomorrow.
I prefer to do night trunking as most of the other people on the Mways are other LGV's who know the score (lions 10, christians nil).
It is down to ignorance of the offending drivers as they have never been told what PRATS they are!
(Do you want the job of making a TV comercial telling them?)
Please car drivers, give us a break and drive at 60 1/2 mph s as to keep out of our way.

Rhogar, I agree; those are very good rules. And if they were followed by all truck drivers, then there would be no problem.

Unfortunately, they generally aren't. I live in Pennsylvania, which gets more truck traffic than any other state in the U.S. (due to the fact that it is the only way to get to and from New York and New England from the rest of the country), and I see VERY many poor truck drivers. They don't follow the truck speed limit OR the auto speed limit. They fly by smaller cars at 75mph in heavy rain and snow, completely blinding the poor drivers that they pass with their spray.

And I rarely see a truck pulled over. All the regulations making truck traffic safer are useless, because they are neither followed nor enforced.

As a final note, I would like to say that not all truck drivers are inconsiderate maniacs. I have encountered good truck drivers on the road, and sometimes they can be more considerate than most car drivers. They are in the minority, however, and I think something needs to be done.

Well, in the UK a commercial vehicle driving license takes a considerable amount of skill to obtain. Truck drivers are far better trained, in the main, than anyone in a car - police drivers excepted.

Sure, there are variations around the mean of skill, but the mean is positioned far higher than it is for car drivers. And yes, they can be a pain in the arse, especially the ones who spend 25 minutes overtaking an identical vehicle from the same depot, only to have the other one immediately pull out to overtake in turn. But in the main cars cause much, much more aggravation to trucks than vice-versa.

Well, my firm put me through a truck-driving course, which I failed twice, so I know how tough it is to drive these things. (Don't worry - I gave up after that, so I'm not out terrorising anyone on the highway). But much as with car driving, ability to pass a tough test does not confer life-long skill, care and courtesy on the driver. People who've been driving for years inevitably get blase. The Highway Code is forgotten and relegated to a set of rules for other drivers or people with a test to pass. I remember feeling I could intimidate other road users with the sheer bulk of a truck, and I can't see why truck drivers with a deadline to meet and a dithering cloth cap in a Honda Civic in front of them wouldn't be tempted to do so. Of course there are good drivers out there, but they're not the ones anybody remembers, as the endless line of stories you get in the pub when you bring up the subject of bad driving proves. So we ALL remember the trucks doing 70 in the outside lane, and it's no use truckers claiming this can't happen. As to overtaking on a hill at 1mph, the big rigs have around a dozen gear ratios, don't they? Why not select one that matches the speed of the vehicle in front, or drop down a couple to give some acceleration like you'd do in a car?

My lorry has only 8 gears, runs at a gross weight of 44tons you can not drop a couple of gears and give it some welly. I try not to overtake at "1 mph" but if the lorry in front is going slower then I must overtake. The firm I work for retest each driver so skills are not given a chance to get lost. Herrison the reason you failed was probably becouse you felt you could intimidate other drivers. I get intimidated by car drivers trying to overtake when they want to leave the moterway 100 yards in front. Although I agree with you on the cowboy drivers who speed

This could get nasty!!! (said the car driver to the truck driver)

Hi Cornish, nah - I failed because I was crap. And I couldn't master a crash box with a dual-ratio switch. Or rather, once I had, there wasn't time to learn anything else for the test

I realise that SAYING I felt I could intimidate drivers with a truck probably makes it sound like that's what I did. What I meant was, you realise how you could be a terrorist with something that big. You have that moment when you think about it, but then it's gone - you don't act upon it. I remember being scared of cyclists sneaking up on the inside most of all, for example.

the worst is knowing that just one moment of inattention could cause the deaths of (depending what you are carring) alot of people. I also admit I get an adrenalin buzz out of near misses

*looks a little worried!!*

maybe some of these problems could be solved if everyone who wants to drive ANY vehicle would have to drive a 40 ton truck across europe (or the states...), set a scedule on when to be done, before they get their license ... the they would know why truck drivers drive the way they do....

I came to the conclusion it is impossible to intimidate cyclists using just a truck.

I did a stint as a delivery driver in Oxford some years back, home to many a manic cyclist. The truck was nothing huge, (some may argue it is not a proper truck) just a 7 ton, but it will still make a mess of their skull, should it happen to get between one of the wheels and the road. However, nearly every day some joker would try to find out if their head/cycle helmet was harder than my near-side mirror

Probably the scariest moment of my life was seeing one disappear under the back of my truck after they rode straight into the side of it (from behind I hasten to add) as I was turning!

Playing chicken is all very well but one of you has to flinch, and if the other one doesn't know they are currently engaged in a game the options are limited.

Oh they lived by the way, in case you wondered, only a few grazes, although the same could not be said for the bike.

As an ex truck driver & a current cyclist still living, but fearing the worst as driving gets more hectic by the day.

Most truck drivers are careful when near cyclists, people like myself who have driven trucks, are aware of the difficulties of seeing cyclists when they are close by.

Most cyclists have not driven trucks & and are at risk if they take chances.

Having said that all, 8 wheel tipper drivers should be shot!

Care to explain why?

As I said I ride a bike, the near misses (or should I say hits) due to tipper trucks outnumber any other vehicle.
I put this down to drivers pushing to tip too many loads in too little time, they won't drop down the box or touch those brakes (hey it's only some cyclist) I wont feel it if I hit him.

I know what you mean about tipper drivers. their bonus system means they are always racing. Sometimes overweight. Sometimes in poorly maintained lorries. There is a high % of cowboys in the tipping game. But overall the industry is going down the pan. Thare is one man at the place where I work who was earning more when he started 25 years ago than he is now. The only reason he stays is that he is near pensionable age.