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Post Info TOPIC: A letter from a Truckie
Bevandy2


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A letter from a Truckie
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Hi all,

This appeared on another forum, I thought it worth passing on, as these guys are our friends on the road that we share, and we should work with them not against them as was the case in this mans experience,

here's what he wrote:

Hey Guys,

I am a roadtrain driver (and 4WD enthusiast) and I travel around 11,000km every fortnight in a triple roadtrain transporting food and other essential supplies from Perth to towns and mines in the north-west of WA. This means I get to witness the annual migration and sometimes the debris left on the side of the road by those unfortunate enough to come to grief along the way.

The problem I have been encountering lately, of which I hope this feedback will raise awareness, is the practice of caravan and campervans setting up for the night right in the middle of the parking bay - equal distance from the entrance and exit and effectively rendering the parking bay useless to a vehicle the size of mine, especially if the parking bay was already on the small side as many in the Pilbara, Gascoyne and Murchison are.

If you observe the parking habits of most long distance truck drivers you will find they will try to park as far forward as they can in the parking bay and as far to the left as possible. This leaves the maximum amount of room free for additional vehicles ( be they roadtrains or caravans ) to pull in behind and get some sleep and it also leaves an unobstructed exit free in the "right lane" so if any vehicle wishes to leave before the one(s) in front it is not blocked in. It is a simple system that has worked for many years.

There is another issue related to a much smaller subsection of the transport industry, it is my specialty - refrigerated trailers. Refrigerated trailers run 24/7 while loaded with all the frozen peas, ice cream, milk, lettuce, apples, etc that people expect to be able to buy anywhere in Australia. If I park my noisy trailers next to you at night it's not because I'm an inconsiderate and aggressive truck driver hellbent on ruining your nights sleep.

Consider this: truck drivers hours are regulated by law - when our hours have run out for the day we must pull over or face prosecution (some think it's closer to persecution but I won't go into that). I'm sorry if it happens to be your parking bay I take my mandated rest break in. Everyone will be a lot sorrier if I continued driving and fell asleep at the wheel.

Also, triple roadtrains are bloody big! There are limited places we can safely pull off the road for our rest breaks. Parking bays just happen to be ideal for the task, especially after significant rainfall - no driver in their right mind would pull off the road into anything less than a bitumen or heavily compacted gravel area (parking bay). To do otherwise usually results in immediately becoming bogged with, considering the size and weight involved, limited means of recovery.

So please keep these points in mind next time you are looking to pull up for the night or even just stopping to make a sandwich. If you are the sole occupant of a parking bay the chances are somebody will pull in behind pretty soon - are you positioned to give them easy access? I am happy to share parking bays with all road users but everyone has to apply a bit of common sense and consideration. I will always try to minimise the impact running fridge motors may have on anyone I'm sharing a parking bay with. Parking nose to tail with other vehicles instead of side by side is an effective way of do this - park in front of me and you are a minimum of 20ft from my lead fridge motor, park behind me and you are at least 45ft from my third fridge motor. Park beside me or force me to park beside you and you might be as little as 5ft from it. I've gotten used to the noise, in fact, I find the constantly running fridge actually masks other irregular noises which would normally wake me. Such as irate campers yelling at me to shut it off

I know there are people out there who are just not right in the head and certain concepts never seem to take hold. On behalf of all the sensible truck drivers I apologise in advance for the actions of the, thankfully, few truly stupid individuals that may at some point in their life write "Truck Driver" on their tax return.

End of message.

So folks, (me again) hope we can be among the ones the truckies love, I have suggested on the ACC forum we see if we can get that letter out there into the caravanning magazines, the last thing we need is to be offside with these guys,

Bevan



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Bevan

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Bryan


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Well said Mr Truckie

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Jonathan


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.. It's well-placed here Bevan .. thanks for posting !

(ACC: N00794)



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Sharke


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Thank you Beven and thankyou to the Author.
Cheers
Jeff

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Blue


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im surprised that he didn't mention inconsiderate travellers who crawl along at 70 to 80 ks an hour blocking traffic for several kilometres behind them not allowing anyone to pass when able to do so...

or running of generators...

it never ceases to amaze me how every single caravan traveller will swear how they don't hold traffic up and pull to one side when they can etc... but when travelling myself around Australia... I find the exact opposite... no

 

I like big trucks... I like them in front of me, not behind me... they are good for drafting.. wink



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Blue


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which also reminds me..

the last time we travelled across the Nullarbor, we pulled into a rest area to one side for a cuppa tea...

only to very nearly put my foot straight onto a human turd... evileye

 

come on people.. we're not animals are we? blankstare



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Nelly


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Lets face it - we all need the truckies - great letter.

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GaryKelly


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It all gets down to being considerate... doing unto others, etc.

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jules47


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Well posted - thanks. Keep on truckin'!

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Jenzarl


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Very useful info would not have thought of keeping to the left and moving to the front of the bay. Have never parked in a truck bay but you never know when you might have to. Common sense really



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SnowT


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Blue wrote:

im surprised that he didn't mention inconsiderate travellers who crawl along at 70 to 80 ks an hour blocking traffic for several kilometres behind them not allowing anyone to pass when able to do so...

or running of generators...

it never ceases to amaze me how every single caravan traveller will swear how they don't hold traffic up and pull to one side when they can etc... but when travelling myself around Australia... I find the exact opposite... no

 

I like big trucks... I like them in front of me, not behind me... they are good for drafting.. wink

 Hey Blue Have I slowed you up on the Road in the last few Month's...?

I regular travel at about 80k's as its the best speed to get a good economy out of my Bus... I'm not sure what other have to Say but I do try to give the people behind me the chance to pass me when it's safe to do so...

I have a Rear-view Camera system in my bus and when I see a chance for the Vehicle to Pass me I flag them thru....

Re the Letter yes it is a very good thing for this forum...

I actually think some stuff likes this should be Stickies..

 

 

Juergen



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Friar Park


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Thank you Bevan on behalf of The truckie that wrote that letter, My grandson who, also, is a road train driver and myself a frequent sharer of parking bays in the north and west of this great country for putting that letter in front of us all. May it have some real effect

Thanks

Friar



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Zoomtopz


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Yep .

Blue ' In ALL my years of driving , I found - Most truckies DON'T care What speed anybody is doing .

As long as it Is consistent , if you want to do 73k , STAY on 73 , NOT up & down like a horse draws .

When th bloke gets a chance to overtake  , LET him go . WE , DON'T Need to say "I'll get you around

big buddy" . When it all boils down . We overtake each other Several times each day we are on th road.

I Have had this attitude ALL my driving life - "I don't think I own the road & I'm Going to take it . I Know

I own the road & I Am Willing to share it"

Richo



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Richo
Bruce and Bev


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I agree about Truckies and their job. One of the big problems with some of them are not the guys - but the companies they work for. Despite maximum driving and mandatory rest times, more and more trucking companies are forcing their drivers into breaking the road laws - we see it as speeding, forcing other vehicles, not just vanners, and generally risky driving behavior. The trucking companies need to stand up to their customers who price cut them

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The amazing things you see when nomading Australia
Dougwe


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Very good post and info direct from a very experienced and by the sound of it, nice truck driver, as would be probably 90% of the truckies.

I for one try to do the right thing and work in them all, on and to the side of the road.

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frangipani


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Yes very good post, i always try to keep far left or sneak in between little hideouts, to give truckies a chance, I love it when they pull in, makes me feel that Iam not alone, YES we need the truckies



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Vic41


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Here's another that is worth reading....

Not on a Sixpence.jpg



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Blue


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Zoomtopz wrote:

Yep .

Blue ' In ALL my years of driving , I found - Most truckies DON'T care What speed anybody is doing .

As long as it Is consistent , if you want to do 73k , STAY on 73 , NOT up & down like a horse draws .

When th bloke gets a chance to overtake  , LET him go . WE , DON'T Need to say "I'll get you around

big buddy" . When it all boils down . We overtake each other Several times each day we are on th road.

I Have had this attitude ALL my driving life - "I don't think I own the road & I'm Going to take it . I Know

I own the road & I Am Willing to share it"

Richo

 

I don't know one truckie that likes to sit under 100 ks... not one, and im in the transport industry...  

 

they are under pressure to get the job done in a timely manner...

 

one of our transport company's in town dropped the speed limit on their new trucks to 90 ks and a lot of the truckies left... they get paid by the kilometre so dropping the speed to save themselves fuel costs takes money out of the Drivers pocket...



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Zoomtopz


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Exactly Blue .

That's what I meant , as long as Anyone , whatever speed they do , Or don't do .

As soon as it is safe , let me go .

Off topic .

Went to Coffs this arvo , sth bound off Dirty Ck Range . Right in th middle of a parking bay ,

that you could fit 5/6 semi's . A flash for cash .  could only have got 2 in .

Another TRUE Richo story . Two locals , both uni educated , one with 2 degrees .

Criticise me for overtaking them . "yep , you only do 70 in a hundred zone . I do 90 .

BUT when I slow down for the 80 zone , you catch up to me , you Must be doing 85/90 .

But that's ok to go a bit quicker in th 80 zone , it's safer" . True

Yep . we get em.

Richo.



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Richo
Blue


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I may as well bring up another one of my gripes... biggrin

 

people who crawl along and can't do 100 ks

 

then when an overtaking lane comes up, miraculously, they can do faster than 100 ks.... say what? evileye

 

truckies are speed limited at 100 so how are the supposed to get passed?

 

and why not let him go rather than have a HUGE truck up their butt??

 

 



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Kantiki


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This is a real ly good post. How do we use the star rating system. I can't remember.

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The Hats


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Blue wrote:

 no

 

I like big trucks... I like them in front of me, not behind me... they are good for drafting.. wink

 G/Day Blue,

Mate some friendly advise Please for your own safety don't slipstream,or draft.

we had a tyre shred on the roadtrain and a chunk of rubber that weighed about 15kgs took out the windscreen and the driver of the car and van that was drafting us. It was not pretty mate. A roo that you don't see but the truck has run over can do the same damage mate.

Just some freidly advise for all that is all biggrin

Cheers

The Hats

Ron



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The Hats


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Blue wrote:
Zoomtopz wrote:

Yep .

Blue ' In ALL my years of driving , I found - Most truckies DON'T care What speed anybody is doing .

As long as it Is consistent , if you want to do 73k , STAY on 73 , NOT up & down like a horse draws .

When th bloke gets a chance to overtake  , LET him go . WE , DON'T Need to say "I'll get you around

big buddy" . When it all boils down . We overtake each other Several times each day we are on th road.

I Have had this attitude ALL my driving life - "I don't think I own the road & I'm Going to take it . I Know

I own the road & I Am Willing to share it"

Richo

 

I don't know one truckie that likes to sit under 100 ks... not one, and im in the transport industry...  

 

they are under pressure to get the job done in a timely manner...

 

one of our transport company's in town dropped the speed limit on their new trucks to 90 ks and a lot of the truckies left... they get paid by the kilometre so dropping the speed to save themselves fuel costs takes money out of the Drivers pocket...

 The Last bloke I drove for and still do a bit of training for him. I drove for Brian Cook for 12 years and our road speed was 90kph that is a two up roadtrain from brissy to perth and back every 6 days leave Brissy on a Tuesday arvo and get back on the next Monday morning. Even in WA and west of PT Augusta were the speed limit is 100kph for roadtrains our speed was 90kph end of story that was Brian's rules if any driver was caught traveling in excess of 90kph you got one warning then after that you got the bullet simple biggrin. because we did the same trip every week and brian has been doing the same run for 30 years you know wee you should be at the end of your 5 hr shift if you get there before time you were speeding simple. Baring flat tyers or some other trouble we could estimate our arrival time into Perth from Southbrook were we hooked up the roadtrain to within 15mins.

Cheers

The Hats

Ron



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Blue


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thanks for the tips Hats...

there are some people who try and push a safer agenda... but most will sit on 100....

in my own company I, along with the operations manager, push for a 90 ks limit for ALL of our school buses...

it was like asking the drivers to give up their first born child...

where's the fire I ask?

travel safe, save fuel and wear and tear on the vehicles..

but on tour on Main Highways I have no gripe on sitting on 100 ks...

when im on tour myself I often only sit on 90 ks with van on tow... if trucks catch up, i'll mover over in town, move over say when turning a corner, or use a parking bay as a pullout and back on area if its free...

 

on a long straight like across the Nullarbor they get by easy..

 

 



-- Edited by Blue on Monday 8th of September 2014 07:24:48 PM

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