motorway lorries travelling very close....

[joko]

travelling on the motorway recently my mate an i were discussing the way so many lorries appeared to tailgate other lorries....some about the length of a small car away!
one after another did it and we were horrified...and just couldnt understand why something of that size would drive in such a reckless manner...and these were supposed to be professional drivers....

however a thought has just occurred...that it may actually be for safety reasons...ie to prevent a small car pulling into the gap.
so that should there be a need to stop suddenly the car wont be crushed between them...if they just shunt each other it is likely not to harm the lorry drivers much ...but a car would be flattened...

any thoughts?

cheers

[joeluke]

Lorries overtaking each other very slowly on main dual carriageways p1ss me off

It just causes a large tailback of annoyed car drivers in lane two

Also they see cars travelling fast towards them in lane two yet they still indicate and start to overtake

[rov1100]

If one assumes that if both the lorries braked hard they would generally have the same stopping distance. Therefore the gap between them should take account of thinking distance only which is a proportion of the overall breaking distance.

[boxtops]

The stopping distance argument is a fallacy in this example - OH is a truck driver and he's said before that car drivers have no idea of the distance in which it takes to brake and stop a truck. Tailgating the car in front is just bad driving.

[joko]

rov...i dont undertsand that...and how would the lorry behind know exactly the moment the one in front was about to break?

the point i am making is by the time the lorry behind has even noticed the brake lights come one, he has a lorry in the face...

even with normal slow controlled stopping at junctions etc, the one behind cannot see the road ahead properly and must rely on the others brake lights to know when to slow down...ridiculous

[TWR]

To add a vital point Rov, you cannot come to that conclusion when the HGV is fully freighted and you definitely cannot say that if you drive a tanker! years gone by tankers did not have the full tanker baffles, by that I mean the load would SLAP in the tank causing the force to push the tanker forwards, tanker drivers know what I mean by that, apart from that drivers try to keep up their speed which is 56 mph & according to the EU that is suppose to be coming down to 50 mph, when I'm not sure but that is the norm in Europe from what I gather, the only thing I can say on this is, never get between two HGVs that, A car can speed up & go but a loaded HGV takes a long run to regain his momentum, regards the queue on a duel carriageway, the driver is not doing that on purpose I can assure you, I have just given an answer to that with the, car can pick up speed in an instant, a loaded HGV takes time.

[pink-kittens]

They are governed to 56mph which is the optimum speed to fuel saving so why would they need to hug the one on front? Foolhardy - damage and carnage would be no different at 56 to 60 - was just easier to type plus many lorries are able to disengage this limit

[pink-kittens]

There is something wrong with me today as I keep agreeing with Eddie ;-)

I've also long thought there should be lessons at the very least for motorway driving

[TWR]

The fine for what you have stated Pink-kittens "Disengage the limiter" can work out in thousands! do you think a driver is daft enough to do that, then if found in an accident the taco card will be blown up to the size of a dinner plate, that will show up any infringements that the driver has committed hat in-turn can loose the driver his license Hence, no job.

[TWR]

Eddie, the lessons they take to drive a HGV is a joke, a 21 year old can start his / her lessons on a Mon with an empty 38 >> 40 trailer, they do not get to a point that the trailer Jack Knifes to get into a yard or any tight place, the whole set set up responds very different with a load on, now this is where they slip up, the people that start the test on Mon passes their test on Frid then is able to pull 44 ton, this is the first sign of a driver coming unstuck, I started off many years ago on a rigid, 8 wheeler then the artics, you had to work your way up & that give you the experience in loaded HGVs, whilst you have the glory boys out there that think they can drive you will always have HGVs running up the one in front's @rse, a lot of people think because the Can size of the unit that they do not crumple, there is as much metal in a HGV cab as what there is in a car but on a bigger scale, if you travel on the Motorways & use the services if the Blue boys are about ask them what THEY think of the 56 MPH? They see the result, drivers dropping off to sleep & before anyone says " Impossible" think again, the sound of that Engine humming at 56 MPH especially if you are doing a long run Eg/ Preston>> Carlisle. seen it, been there.

[lozzer50]

Thing is its not just lorry drivers thee are so many impatient drivers on the roads. my pet hate is drivers who obviously want to drive at warp speed and sit right on your exhaust beeping and flashing lights, i slow down if they do this lol i once reported a driver to his firm for dangerous driving and received an email saying hed be disciplined whether he was or not ill never know but these idiots need to slow down and drive safely, is an accident worth the couplle of seconds youd shave off ur journey??? i value my life so id appreciate it if you would too!

[pink-kittens]

yes I do think a driver is daft enough to do it! From having lived with, been married to and divorced from a lorry driver who worked all over Europe, many, many drivers to use a disengage option, and frequently TWR

[DTCwordfan]

As to the MPG theory, can we see the Truck Tour de France on ITV4 and who is the Mark Cavendish of the diesel world?

[welshlibranr]

yes, and if they can get in the drag of the first lorry, they can maintain a better speed!.........that's what it;s all about!.......

[TWR]

Drag! I've heard some but this at that close proximity NO, takes the tkt,the air flow from the first HGV will run along the top & remain between the rear of the leader to the front of the trailing HGV, If the is incorrect I have not learnt much in 30+driving the things.

[didoatwork]

Completely agree with everything TWR says.