What is it wih Train & Truck Drivers ?????

kiwijims · Guru

What is it wih Train & Truck Drivers ?????

exa41 · Guru

Kj , I think you have hit it on the head , We started of a week or so ago on our big trip around Oz and stopped at a couple of wayside stops ,well the same bloody thing happened with the trucks , seems that they have nothing to do but to wake us poor old tired buggers up in the middle of the night , I mean its hard enough to get to sleep without them blowing their horns . dam inconsiderate I say.

done dreaming · Senior Member

These are the people who had a attention defficient childhood(awwwwww!!!).No one would take notice of them even in the toilet (little man syndrome),so when they get a big twuck or twain with a big horn they can say "look at me ,look at me".

Happywanderer · The Master

Yes, have experienced it too. With both trains and trucks.
My thought was " Why should they be sleeping while we are working"

brickies · Guru

Would the rest area be a truck rest area , And they were trying discourage people from using it if you are not a truck .Or is it in Camps has an overnight camp .

frangipani · Guru

biggrin biggrin biggrin Yep, happened to me too, but only in the West, maybe the West truckies like to blow there horns????? Or me thinks they do it every so many ks to keep themselves awake......LOL

Fastcoach · Senior Member

We live about 800m from a railway line. It's a busy line and when the wind blows hard from the west we get a real earful of air horns on passing trains.

There is a rail crossing with boom gates next to the station and I assume the trains are required to give a quick toot when they near the crossing, just in case.

In the middle of the night, I often wonder why some of the drivers have to lean on the horn so that it wakes the dead and others just give a gentle toot.

As for the truckies who think it's amusing to wake up everyone, they're probably the same one who are off their faces on ice. Very reassuring!!

Dav4Cris · Senior Member

All train drivers by law have to blow their horns 400 mtrs before a crossing and just before the crossing. Most only do it once of a night, but saying that if there is wild life in the rails they will lean on the horn to get the track clear. Yes I do think one or two are just mongrels but most are doing their jobs and also trying to preserve our wildlife.

kiwijims · Guru

brickies wrote:
Would the rest area be a truck rest area , And they were trying discourage people from using it if you are not a truck .Or is it in Camps has an overnight camp .

This is a designated rest area, (not a truck bay ) it's listed in the Camps 5 Book as site 585 Bea Bea Creek situated 42km N of Auski Roadhouse or 177km S of Hwy 1 junction, there's a bridge there and the Trucks seem to manage to hit a steel plate at every crossing, making a hell of a racket as well as giving the Air Horns a real workout, " mongrels " furious

K.J.

kandagal · Guru

My youngest daughter is a train driver (In Qld) Next time I am chatting to her I will query her about her usual use of horn.

Bevandy2 · Senior Member

They're probably bored, (poor things) put 'em in the same category as the neighbours barking dog.

Dunno about Trainies, but truckies are usually good to us on the road, treat it as a friendly good night or Hi there, and go back to sleep.

Or get up quickly, fire up the UHF on Ch 40 and tell 'em to shut up and stay off the ice. We can have fun too, y' know!

Seriously, they'd probably love it if you called them and gave them some friendly banter. Most of those country road truckies are good guys.

Bevan

jules47 · The Happy Helper

Couple of years ago - Campaspe Rest Area, 90k SW Charters Towers in QLD - about 11pm truck thunders past with his horn blasting the whole length of the camp and across the bridge - Billeeeeeee raced for the UHF, and told the driver his pedigree in no uncertain terms!

wasn_me · Guru

On the other side I was talking to a truckie at a fuel stop about three weeks ago.

He was probably in his sixties, slight build & very polite.

He told me he pulled into a truck stop about 10 pm, a couple of nights previously, for his legally required rest break. There was a van parked up. The van owner came over to his truck & was threatening to pull him out of the truck & bash him, for waking him up. (Pathetic behavior I believe)

I managed a truck repair shop for sixteen years. Drivers, particularly owner drivers have got my sympathy, I know what they go through to make a living.

Cheers Pete

spida · Guru

Maybe they are just giving a warning incase anyone is sleep walking!!!!

brickies · Guru

It has come to me, maybe the truckie owns the local caravan Park you know how low those Caravan Park owners are .Just Joking .

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

They are middle aged envious of others lifestyle ? They have to work till they are 70.. Yes I guess it's a safety thing ..
Like detonators on railway line where maintenance is ahead on the railway line ...

-- Edited by Aus-Kiwi on Thursday 9th of April 2015 04:08:55 PM

Murraman · Senior Member

I was on the railway for near on 27 years driving trains, We had what I called horashio horn blowers, yes you were supposed to blow the horn at every level crossing. But in my case I only used it when necessary.
I always found the worst horn blowers were the ones who had been involved in fatalities, and some were nervous wrecks and shouldn't have been driving.
In the middle of the night at a desolate level crossing with no sign of any vehicle lights I never saw the need to blow the horn.
One story I tell is coming through Scone heading n/w you cross New England hwy. just on sunrise a gent driving a car heading toward crossing lights are flashing no gates. I sense he doesn't realise that the lights are flashing as the rising sun is shining on them, I make a call that if I blow the horn by the time he stops he will be in middle of track, So I didn't blow the horn and hoped if his speed stayed the same we wouldn't collide, missed him by mm. He pulled up about 20m over the crossing and probably realised how lucky he was.
If we had collided I would have been charged. Luckily for me I was never involved in a fatality.
With the truckers I would say payback for all the spots that grey nomads take up in truck stops

Bruce and Bev · Guru

we did from Perth up to Karratha ad then across through Mt Magnet to Leonora and Kalgoorlie, Northam and back to Perth late last year.

The trains were a real problem because there were so many hauling grain 24/7 and every little town with a rest area or CP seems to have about 50+ rail/road crossings that they sound their horns at. A few towns and rest areas we were kept awake by trains so much we ended up staying the morning and getting a reasonable sleep then. Didn't have any problems with truck horns, although many of them used their engine brakes despite road signs to the contrary when entering many towns.

We found WA truckies to be mainly very friendly and took good car when passing (as all of them exceeded the speed limit). We found the best by far to be Toll and Linfox long haul drivers and some of the local truckies. We have "CH 40" on the back of our 'van and many called up and said they intended to overtake and then thanked you after they passed. We had a handful who were either bored/lonely/chatty who had conversations with us about caravanning and our tow vehicle. Most of the truckies also moved right over to the left when passing in the opposite direction to avoid the "sucking syndrome"

We're in S.A and have been for the last 6 weeks and found the drivers never talk to you. One, who had followed me for about 2km on a winding road attached himself to the back of my 'van in an attempt to force me off the road. When I eventually saw a rest stop (and theres not many of them in SA) I called him up - he acknowledged my call, and I told him I would be slowing down from 100kmh and pulling into the rest area so he could get past. He couldn't be bothered even thanking me as he flashed past. The truckies here are very aggressive drivers and bumper ride you to push you over and they don't move to the left when going in the opposite direction. Guess what........I don't go out of my way to help them in SA anymore

The Phantom · Guru

Dav4Cris and Murraman are on the money. Everyone else is talking out their bum.

The Phantom

-- Edited by The Phantom on Thursday 9th of April 2015 11:11:21 PM

iana · Guru

Its funny but when I began reading this post, I thought it was about semi trailer trucks, and road trains. I've re-read the original post and what I read sounded like road trains, how come I'm the only one who's seen it that way.

frangipani · Guru

iana wrote:
Its funny but when I began reading this post, I thought it was about semi trailer trucks, and road trains. I've re-read the original post and what I read sounded like road trains, how come I'm the only one who's seen it that way.

I understand, kiwijim started talking about the trains, its understandable, they have a routine, safety etc.., but then he also mentioned the road trains n truckies on the Great Northern HWY., either way, no one gets to sleep, when horns are blown..,

kiwijims · Guru

iana wrote:
Its funny but when I began reading this post, I thought it was about semi trailer trucks, and road trains. I've re-read the original post and what I read sounded like road trains, how come I'm the only one who's seen it that way.

I don't know how anyone can get confused about this topic,

I started off referring to the noise coming from the Wheat trains , then went on to mention the noise from Truckies along the Great Northern Hwy, At no time did I mention Road Trains, I would suggest a slow a re-read of original Post, will set peoples minds at rest,

As for Negative Posts, like many others, I feel sorry for those who can't post anything of interest. I ignore them. hmm hmm hmm

K.J.

-- Edited by kiwijims on Friday 10th of April 2015 10:55:14 AM

Webmaster · Guru

Hi all,
Thanks for your input on this. I think I'll close this down now.