HGV's taking over UK roads

[caroll72]

Been back in Uk since March & our job involves a lot of travelling around the Uk.
I'm quite shocked at the amount of HGV's on our roads, many of them foreign.
Have witnessed some appalling driving from them & have to say, am totally freaked out, especially on motorways.
Witnessed a bad accident on M6 today that involved a HGV, looked like it had toppled over into the front passenger side of a car.
Can't help wondering how many lives are lost through accidents with these monsters on our roads.

[9PLUS]

Worry then there's no HGV's on the road


x

[Ecky Thump]

Been back in Uk since March & our job involves a lot of travelling around the Uk.
I'm quite shocked at the amount of HGV's on our roads, many of them foreign.
Have witnessed some appalling driving from them & have to say, am totally freaked out, especially on motorways.
Witnessed a bad accident on M6 today that involved a HGV, looked like it had toppled over into the front passenger side of a car.
Can't help wondering how many lives are lost through accidents with these monsters on our roads.

We have Baron Richard Beeching to blame for that with his Axe closing five thousands of miles of railway, which was then the beginning of a massive growth in freight road transport in a country with a pitiful road network.:dontknow:

[Vortex Wake]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feyifQJtreQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[Harmonicaman]

We have Baron Richard Beeching to blame for that with his Axe closing five thousands of miles of railway, which was then the beginning of a massive growth in freight road transport in a country with a pitiful road network.:dontknow:


And the canals! When I were a lad....Zzzzzz:snore:

[Ashro Autos]

Take a look at this (http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2011/tables/11s1106.pdf) and this (http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2011/tables/11s1102.pdf)
The figures dont lie.

[kieraj]

My other half drives a hgv for a living and its not a nice job, and He commented that a lot of drivers on a motorway haven't got a clue especially the white van drivers. Another thought without these monsters ! on our roads you would have no food in the supermarkets etc etc everyone has to make a living and I worry every day about bobby on motorways and the car drivers who don't appreciate the skill of these drivers. When you apply your brakes you stop when they apply theirs they don't stop as quick as you, when you have driven a hgv then make comments about bad driving x

[Ecky Thump]

My other half drives a hgv for a living and its not a nice job, and He commented that a lot of drivers on a motorway haven't got a clue especially the white van drivers. Another thought without these monsters ! on our roads you would have no food in the supermarkets etc etc everyone has to make a living and I worry every day about bobby on motorways and the car drivers who don't appreciate the skill of these drivers. When you apply your brakes you stop when they apply theirs they don't stop as quick as you, when you have driven a hgv then make comments about bad driving x

I think that you should also accept that there are some HGV drivers who are a danger as well as the majority who are safe and have a excellent driving history.
My father drove HGV vehicles from 1931-2003 without any accidents that were attributed to him.

[caroll72]

While i admit there are good & bad drivers, regardless of what type of vehicle they drive, i can only state what iv'e seen myself.
And as i said, the foreign one's appear to be the worst.
Have you never been on a motorway, when a hgv decides to pull out in front of you causing you to break suddenly, which then causes a ripple effect on the traffic behind.
Then they spend the next 10 minutes riding side by side slowing everyone down as they can't accelerate quickly enough.

[glostergirl]

While i admit there are good & bad drivers, regardless of what type of vehicle they drive, i can only state what iv'e seen myself.
And as i said, the foreign one's appear to be the worst.
Have you never been on a motorway, when a hgv decides to pull out in front of you causing you to break suddenly, which then causes a ripple effect on the traffic behind.
Then they spend the next 10 minutes riding side by side slowing everyone down as they can't accelerate quickly enough.

being a hgv1 driver myself for many years in the uk and europe i have to say the worst hgv drivers are the foreign ones in the uk!! the reason for this being they ignore our tachograph rules by driving days on end without taking the legal daily breaks so most accidents happen because they are tired!! tiredness and a fully laden 44ton hgv are a lethal ticking time bomb just waiting to go off!!!!!!!

Added after 3 minutes:

its not that a hgv cannot accelerate quickly enough, they actually have speed limiters fitted so the fuel is cut off when the vehicle reaches its maximum speed!!

[caliente]

being a hgv1 driver myself for many years in the uk and europe i have to say the worst hgv drivers are the foreign ones in the uk!! the reason for this being they ignore our tachograph rules by driving days on end without taking the legal daily breaks so most accidents happen because they are tired!! tiredness and a fully laden 44ton hgv are a lethal ticking time bomb just waiting to go off!!!!!!!

Added after 3 minutes:

its not that a hgv cannot accelerate quickly enough, they actually have speed limiters fitted so the fuel is cut off when the vehicle reaches its maximum speed!!
I heard that you work Frydays now. :D

[glostergirl]

I heard that you work Frydays now. :D

hi yes i do work at frydays!! truck driving days over for now!!!

[caliente]

HGV trucks must be very hard to drive and stressful. Some incredible drivers out there.
Glad you have a quieter life now gloucester girl, which reminds me of this website, it's deathly quiet isn't it?

[Ian55]

HGV trucks must be very hard to drive and stressful. Some incredible drivers out there.
Glad you have a quieter life now gloucester girl, which reminds me of this website, it's deathly quiet isn't it?

As I do this for a living I agree with most but not all comments here, now for those that shop at that well known store in Las Chafiras,I've had the Dubious pleasure of loading a Container for them !!!! then they want it on a boat leaving yesterday then they moan its late !! I am too old in the tooth to be a cowboy but if it was'nt for us you would be shopping at Mercadona :D Anyway there is a rumour that from 2014 all HGV's in the UK and entering the UK from Europe will be charged upto £100 per year to use our roads WOW I'll have won the euromillions and retired to Tenerife by then ( in my dreams )

[Ashro Autos]

My father was a HGV driver till he retired from as far back as i can remember,i to became a driver at the age of 21 i passed my class 1 and never looked back and eventually becoming an owner driver.After a few years doin that i invested in another couple of trucks and drivers,then all of a sudden we had 18 of the bloody things.When you have people that dont realise what it takes to put up with idiot drivers for a 9 hour shift behind the wheel it is hard to bite your tongue.Have always said new drivers should be sent on a course driving a 44 tonne truck for a day and perhaps they might realise what it takes.

[Ian55]

Ashro belive it or not the legal age now in the UK to drive 44t is now 18 gawd help us ( I have to go now and put on my nice straight jacket and go to bed in a nice padded room !! :crazy:

[glostergirl]

My father was a HGV driver till he retired from as far back as i can remember,i to became a driver at the age of 21 i passed my class 1 and never looked back and eventually becoming an owner driver.After a few years doin that i invested in another couple of trucks and drivers,then all of a sudden we had 18 of the bloody things.When you have people that dont realise what it takes to put up with idiot drivers for a 9 hour shift behind the wheel it is hard to bite your tongue.Have always said new drivers should be sent on a course driving a 44 tonne truck for a day and perhaps they might realise what it takes.

i started off at brs gloucester,then went on to become a owner driver when i came here i had a small fleet of 5 vehicles.my trucks travelled europe and the uk. i double manned my truck with my husband when i first started going to spain we could go to dover out to spain back to london and still not be speaking to each other!!! i sometimes think i could write a book on my life on the road it would make interesting reading!! i loved my job so much when i was pregnant with my first son i was still travelling to spain right up until two weeks before he was born,much to the annoyance of my midwife!! it was a life i enjoyed and hopefully when the new port opens here i will be putting at least 1 truck in there with my oldest son driving it!!

[bonitatime]

Take a look at this (http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2011/tables/11s1106.pdf) and this (http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2011/tables/11s1102.pdf)
The figures dont lie.

No but if you only looked at the first link and the top of the second on you would not realise these figures are for the US where they have spent almost no money on roads over the last 20 years. The figures in Spain are decreasing.