Hauliers Protest About Petrol Prices

[Harry Monk]

As a very brief aside, how big (cc and cylinders) are lorries?

TFH

Here's the tractor unit I drive, it's a Volvo FH12.

I pull various different trailers. The whole point of articulated lorries is that the trailer can be loaded while the engine and driver are off elsewhere doing productive work.

It has a 12 litre, straight 6-cylinder 460bhp engine, turbocharged and intercooled, a total of 16 forward gears including the crawler gears, and four reverse gears, although I generally only use two of them.

It does around 8 mpg, would cost about £80,000 new nowadays but its current resale value is around £12,000- the resale price of trucks has collapsed because, er, the recovery is here and I have missed the boat etc.

For five days a week, it is my home. Cooker, telly, fridge, this laptop I am bashing away at, etc.

Here's a trip I did from Aberdeenshire to Gdansk shipyard in Poland, that was fantastic...

http://www.trucknetuk.com/phpBB/viewtopic....f=2&t=24950

I am an employee on PAYE and have no more interest in promoting the road transport industry than one of Brian Souter's bus drivers would have in promoting Stagecoach's interests.

I will answer any genuine question about road transport as honestly and openly as possible. I just do the job because I have always loved driving and particularly ultra-long road journeys.

[Tin Foil Hat]

Thanks for that. They're big old beasts then. Not much change from a fiver when you go down the shops for some milk then

Anyway, time for bed and I await the fuel queues and or disruption to come.

TFH

[Concrete Jungle]

I quite like truckers, they are the only people who have the courtesy to thank you if you allow them out at a junction. Strike away, I would support any strike.

[eightiesgirly]

My hat is off to you Harry, I couldn't do your job, I bl00dy HATE driving. The roads seem to have too many pink princesses in small pink fluffy cars or boy racers in cars once only middle aged men could afford. I'm too past it!

[mitchbux]

Firstly, I brake whenever I need to and have the choice of a manual or automatic brake system.

Secondly, if you are experiencing an inordinate number of near misses with HGV's, you might wish to consider that the fault might lie with something you are doing rather than all of them.

Thirdly, a car is almost twice as likely per vehicle kilometre to be involved in an accident than an HGV.

Fourthly, I've driven to Siberia and back during the coldest month in Russia for over 100 years and I really don't care what you think about my driving.

As I said it's my only gripe. Perhaps you are unique, two of my mates have trucker OHs, both of them would 'rather burn a fiver than brake'.

I think the layout of the roundabout has more to do with the near misses than what I'm doing, it happens when I'm a passenger too

From where I live, straight across at the roundabout takes you down a narrow one-way street. Too many users of the main road assume you are either going left (the opposite direction of travel to them), or right to go where they are headed. It's as though this little road doesn't exist in their heads. They wrongly assume that because I am in the left hand lane that I'm going left and just can't be bothered to indicate (ESP does seem to be favoured over indicators in Derbyshire ). Car drivers, having a shorter stopping distance, generally manage to stay behind the line, it's the HGV's, trying to coast through, that are part on the the roundabout before they stop.

Shouldn't grumble though, no HGV has ever gone in the right hand lane overtaken on the roundabout and gone straight head. That seems to be the preserve of the local up-their-own-backside A6 drivers.

[The Ayatollah Buggeri]

Failing to indicate at roundabouts is one of my biggest pet hates. Motorists in vehicles of all shapes and sizes tend to assume that because they know where they're going, everyone else does too. It may be obvious to them that they're in a right turn feeder lane, but someone approaching the junction opposite isn't necessarily going to see that.

The result is that as I approach a roundabout, unless a vehicle approaching it from another entrance or already on it is signalling left, I have to assume that they're going right (i.e. across my path) and wait. As a result I frequently get beeped at by vehicles behind who think they can second guess the oncoming car's 'body language'. But of course it's not their no claims bonus at risk if they guess wrong. Simply indicating as the Highway Code tells you to would speed up the flow of traffic through roundabouts no end, and for that reason IMHO there is a strong case for slapping fines and points on drivers who fail to do so.

[mitchbux]

Failing to indicate at roundabouts is one of my biggest pet hates. Motorists in vehicles of all shapes and sizes tend to assume that because they know where they're going, everyone else does too. It may be obvious to them that they're in a right turn feeder lane, but someone approaching the junction opposite isn't necessarily going to see that.

The result is that as I approach a roundabout, unless a vehicle approaching it from another entrance or already on it is signalling left, I have to assume that they're going right (i.e. across my path) and wait. As a result I frequently get beeped at by vehicles behind who think they can second guess the oncoming car's 'body language'. But of course it's not their no claims bonus at risk if they guess wrong. Simply indicating as the Highway Code tells you to would speed up the flow of traffic through roundabouts no end, and for that reason IMHO there is a strong case for slapping fines and points on drivers who fail to do so.

You'd hate living in Derbyshire

If I had a pound for every time I've yelled 'give us a bl00dy clue then'...

[Peter Hun]

For anyone who doesn't like trucks, the answer is blindingly simple- stop buying things.

Wherever possible, thats what I try to do. Increasing fuel tax should mean the costs of goods going up and Hauliers getting paid more for their work. The problem is that they are not getting more income to cover the extra cost and using it to improve efficiency.

[SNACR]

Wherever possible, thats what I try to do. Increasing fuel tax should mean the costs of goods going up and Hauliers getting paid more for their work. The problem is that they are not getting more income to cover the extra cost and using it to improve efficiency.

A big problem with road haulage is the operator licensing regime, Huge long story about mad bureaucracy, EU etc. etc.

The small operators suffer and struggle to make money because many big operators play fast and loose with the operator's licensing regime in a way smaller operators can't. Also small operators tend to get the book thrown at them more than big operators.

Bottom line in road haulage is there are no easy efficiency wins you have control over. You either pay your drivers less or maintain your vehicles less and compromise road safety.

[three pint princess]

A big problem with road haulage is the operator licensing regime, Huge long story about mad bureaucracy, EU etc. etc.

The small operators suffer and struggle to make money because many big operators play fast and loose with the operator's licensing regime in a way smaller operators can't. Also small operators tend to get the book thrown at them more than big operators.

Bottom line in road haulage is there are no easy efficiency wins you have control over. You either pay your drivers less or maintain your vehicles less and compromise road safety.

Edit: to bring something lighter, company car drivers are more likely to injure cyclists "than by pure chance" they actively have a higher hit ratio.

Seeing as brakes and loading cause so many accidents, and adding in side swipes by foreign reigstered vehicles, the best way to save money is cut safety.

4.4 Explanatory factors in work-related accidents

An explanatory factors list with 64 items was used to categorise each accident in the

sample. This list was summarised further into seven ‘background’ factors and eight

major ‘behaviour’ factors. Table 2 shows the results of a standard normal residual

analysis of these factors in all ‘at fault’ accidents across the six major vehicle types.

Signiï¬cant ï¬gures (p , 0.05, threshold value +/ 1.07) are shown in bold.

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/resea...workrelated.pdf

Poor observation covers both an inablity to observe and failure to observe so that is more complex.

Edited June 15, 2009 by Tom Peters

[SNACR]

Here's the tractor unit I drive, it's a Volvo FH12.

I pull various different trailers. The whole point of articulated lorries is that the trailer can be loaded while the engine and driver are off elsewhere doing productive work.

It has a 12 litre, straight 6-cylinder 460bhp engine, turbocharged and intercooled, a total of 16 forward gears including the crawler gears, and four reverse gears, although I generally only use two of them.

It does around 8 mpg, would cost about £80,000 new nowadays but its current resale value is around £12,000- the resale price of trucks has collapsed because, er, the recovery is here and I have missed the boat etc.

For five days a week, it is my home. Cooker, telly, fridge, this laptop I am bashing away at, etc.

Here's a trip I did from Aberdeenshire to Gdansk shipyard in Poland, that was fantastic...

http://www.trucknetuk.com/phpBB/viewtopic....f=2&t=24950

I am an employee on PAYE and have no more interest in promoting the road transport industry than one of Brian Souter's bus drivers would have in promoting Stagecoach's interests.

I will answer any genuine question about road transport as honestly and openly as possible. I just do the job because I have always loved driving and particularly ultra-long road journeys.

I drove a Volvo hire truck a long time ago and couldn't get it to move until someone showed me how to remove the jake brake. Don't know if they still have those?

I've got mostly Ivecos and MANs mostly tractor units but a few rigids. People are a bit snobbish about Iveco but they've always been good economical trucks for me. Won't have anymore because don't want adblue so need something EGR. Probably go all MAN as Scanias are overpriced and over-rated IMHO.

Everything's going autobox now which seems to be better from a maintenance point of view. People moan about them but we've not had any serious trouble with the Stralis's. Your 16 speed is getting a bit old school.

Read your blog. The load looked like it was secured ok to me , they couldn't seem to get their heads round that you hadn't finished. Luckily we just have to put a metal bar across.

Ahem, I don't know if you have to share trucks but there seems to be some scuff marks on your nearside bumper. I hope you didn't hit a cyclist.

[impatient_mug]

When I used to drive a 1.2 Corsa I hated trucks - slow enough to be annoying but long enough to be a suicide mission trying to get around them. Fortunately I don't have that asthmatic mule of a car any more so I don't find them quite so annoying

On a more serious note - I don't have a problem with truckers or any other private profession. Having said that, if they decide to block the exit to a fuel depot and prevent those willing to work from leaving I expect the same to happen to them as would to me - the vehicle forcefully removed from a right of way by any means required and then a hefy fine for recovery if applicable after the removal process.

This has probably been said already - have to admit I've not read all 13 pages.

[SNACR]

When I used to drive a 1.2 Corsa I hated trucks - slow enough to be annoying but long enough to be a suicide mission trying to get around them. Fortunately I don't have that asthmatic mule of a car any more so I don't find them quite so annoying

On a more serious note - I don't have a problem with truckers or any other private profession. Having said that, if they decide to block the exit to a fuel depot and prevent those willing to work from leaving I expect the same to happen to them as would to me - the vehicle forcefully removed from a right of way by any means required and then a hefy fine for recovery if applicable after the removal process.

This has probably been said already - have to admit I've not read all 13 pages.

The state has very little apparatus at its disposal to forcibly remove trucks. Only the limited Foden recovery trucks the army have, of which, many are usually broken down. This is what happens when a government underinvests in the armed forces. In fact, I don't think the army has hardly any trucks that are current production models they're mostly decrepit old Leyland tat.

[happy_renting]

It is patently clear to me that if Zeppelins used canals all our problems would be sorted.

[Guest มร หล&#3]

I like Harry and his ilk as well. They are, if you like, the articulate articulated lorry drivers.

The ones I don't like are the gravel/sand transporters, particularly when empty. Thay are not articulated and, I suspect, are inarticulate.

When it comes to matters of safety and consideration around London, they appear to be the provisional wing of National Express.

p-o-p

They're not professional lorry drivers.

They're usually just thugs.

I have too deal with them often.

[SNACR]

They're not professional lorry drivers.

They're usually just thugs.

I have too deal with them often.

I seem to recall hearing a lot of the ones round London are cartels with gangland connections and woe betide anyone who moves on to their patch. Heard it as gossip, could well be BS.

Edited June 16, 2009 by Soon Not a Chain Retailer

[Guest มร หล&#3]

I seem to recall hearing a lot of the ones round London are cartels with gangland connections and woe betide anyone who moves on to their patch. Heard it as gossip, could well be BS.

Gangland might be a bit extreme, but they can get upset with each other.

[mitchbux]

They're not professional lorry drivers.

They're usually just thugs.

I have too deal with them often.

To be fair to Harry, regarding me having issue with HGV's braking, a large percentage of the trucks around here are quarry trucks headed for the M1.

[profitofdoom]

Does this imply that there were only 5 per 100 million for any other vehicle?

62-(36+21)

Surely that isn't right. As a driver, and a biker too I can pretty much guess what my eighteen wheel brothers are going to do. whereas a maniac sales rep will always leaving me guessing.

An experienced driver is without exception a better than average driver in terms of skill.Someone who drives 100k miles a year is always going to be better than someone who runs the kids to school.HGV drivers are very rarely going to be drunk or drugged and these factors are present in as many as 50% of accidents.

I have no quibble with the quality of HGV drivers per se,I just wish they would move over out of that outside lane,or their colleague would just lift off for a second to let them pass.

[InternationalRockSuperstar]

What makes your 'grievances' any more important than anyone else's? Personally I'd like the government to increase fuel tax not reduce it.

What you are saying in effect is that the government should give in to the biggest bully in the playground.

the gov't is the biggest bully in the playground.

[profitofdoom]

the gov't is the biggest bully in the playground.

And let's face it,at 99p a litre petrol isn't historically expensive and the premium for diesel has almost disappeared (I paid 99.9p at Sainsbury's last week) When I first started driving in 1969 it was three gallons for a quid.Today that would cost £13.65.I could drink bitter at 8 pints a quid.That costs £20.80 today.I could buy a new Ford Escort for £600,cheapest Focus £13,500 so actually fuel looks a bit of a bargain.

[Harry Monk]

My hat is off to you Harry, I couldn't do your job, I bl00dy HATE driving. The roads seem to have too many pink princesses in small pink fluffy cars or

Yes, I've never understood that- boys don't seem compelled to put blue things all over their cars

[Stars]

the gov't is the biggest bully in the playground.

Yeah - Stop playing so ruff, give the second biggest bully a fair chance

[lithanwif]

You'd hate living in Derbyshire

If I had a pound for every time I've yelled 'give us a bl00dy clue then'...

mate, you should check out Cumbernauld. Not only is it the armpit of Scotland, with the amount of roundabouts in it you'd figure the locals would know how to use them. I had one guy turn right from the left hand lane on a three lane roundabout, he cut across all three lanes too, made sure he missed no inch of the road. Then turned and did angry faces when I applied the brakes and horn sharpish. I accept it if you put up a hand in a, "sorry i'm an idiot", kind of way. But thats just dangerous driving pure and simple.

Thank the lord I dont live there anymore.

Had a cyclist today bang on my rear window after he cut me up on the road and I had to swerve to miss him. I was leaving enough room for a little lady on a cycle. He, Urban cycle commando that he was, decided he could skip round me from behind and cut across my face. I ended up on the other side of the road and hit the horn. Then passed him and forgot about him, he sped up behind and thumped the window. When I hit the brakes thinking he had hit me accidentally he shot round the front and sped up a side road. I followed him and we had a chat about the highway code. I think the poor guy actually wet himself. He sees a forty year old bald guy in a saloon car and thinks he can bully him. What he got was 6'2", 100 kilo's bent nosed martial arts instructor in his face.

I would accept with most big trucks its down to the fact that when I choose to pass, I go invisible for a certain amount of time between mirror and side window. As long as I accept this and am very aware of it I seem to be okay. Obviously not accounting for nutters, but you can get those in any vehicle.

[ralphmalph]

An experienced driver is without exception a better than average driver in terms of skill.Someone who drives 100k miles a year is always going to be better than someone who runs the kids to school.HGV drivers are very rarely going to be drunk or drugged and these factors are present in as many as 50% of accidents.

I have no quibble with the quality of HGV drivers per se,I just wish they would move over out of that outside lane,or their colleague would just lift off for a second to let them pass.

You want to have to chat to any mates you have in the police. It is well know that HGV drivers from Eastern Europe have no respect for Drink drive laws. The police have been stopping them and finding them drinking bottles of Vodka and juice in the cab whilst driving and this is not a one off occurance.