Trucks leaving massive gaps infront of them, in traffic

shakenbake

What is the story with this phenomenom?

It's almost like they're having a competition with each other to see how long of a gap they can leave, whilst drivers behind them are completely oblivious to the fact that the truck driver is effectively taking the piss.

Any truck drivers care to offer an explanation, becuase I'm stumped !

Stephen

They have a much, much longer stopping distance than a car does and they must abide by lower speed limits than cars?

swingking

Yeah but do they actually abide by the lower speed limit

OldmanMondeo

Makes a change, I usually see them up the arse of the car in front. Or driving side by side on a motorway as one tries to over take the other, leaving a long que of cars behind them

Buffman

shakenbake wrote: »

What is the story with this phenomenom?

It's almost like they're having a competition with each other to see how long of a gap they can leave, whilst drivers behind them are completely oblivious to the fact that the truck driver is effectively taking the piss.

Any truck drivers care to offer an explanation, becuase I'm stumped !

All to do with stopping distances, if an artic weighs 10 times as much as a car, how much distance do you think it will take to stop compared to a car at the same speed?

It's not taking the piss, it's safe driving.

spadder

Buffman wrote: »

All to do with stopping distances, if an artic weighs 10 times as much as a car, how much distance do you think it will take to stop compared to a car at the same speed?

It's not taking the piss, it's safe driving.

+1 The truck driver is trying to maintain his braking distance, this is responsible driving.

Shankenbake, Think about the physics of what going on before you overtake a 30 ton truck.

Cabaal

Two reasons why they'd leave such a space
- They are obeying the speed limit for trucks
- They need the extra stopping distance

If you think they are doing it for the fun of it then you need to get out more, truckers like everyone have deadlines to meet

ninty9er

To answer the original question...it's called a blind spot. You'd be the first person here complaining if a trucker ran over your granny because he was too close to the car in front and couldn't see her crossing.

Buffman

Just saw the 'in traffic' bit of the OP's title, as ninty9er said, there is a blindspot directly in front of the cab.
Some trucks have a mirror on top of the windsreen facing out for the driver to see this, but most do not.
Anyway, is that extra few metres really gonna affect your journey that much?

Neilw

It's also to do with not having to start and stop to match the traffic, it's more fuel efficient to keep moving rather then stop start driving with a loaded truck.

peasant

It's also to do with a minimum safety distance that trucks are supposed to leave from each other by law ...at least on the continent.

and if you're a really nice driver, you let them keep that distance by not squeezing in right in front of the truck once you have overtaken it ...or at least speed up for bit so that the gap is re-instated.

BrianD3

Neilw wrote: »

It's also to do with not having to start and stop to match the traffic, it's more fuel efficient to keep moving rather then stop start driving with a loaded truck.

+1. If the driver leaves a decent gap he can regulate his speed using the throttle and won't have to brake, clutch or change gear nearly as often as the drivers who are driving up each others arses. It is more relaxing to drive this way and saves wear and tear on the vehicle, it is especially beneficial for a 40 tonne truck as each stop/start means overcoming 40 tonnes of inertia.

shakenbake

ninty9er wrote: »

To answer the original question...it's called a blind spot. You'd be the first person here complaining if a trucker ran over your granny because he was too close to the car in front and couldn't see her crossing.

Actually, my best mates mam was run over by a truck and killed instantly on the quays some years ago. Her 7yr old grand daughter was there to witness the event. So I'm fairly atuned to concepts of safe driving and stopping distances, being a full licensed driver for 16yrs thank you very much.

Just to clarify myself because most of you seem to have misunderstood the key component of the observation. When I said "in traffic" I mean at a stand still / virtual crawl. I'm not sure where most of you drive but where I'm from, Dublin, traffic doesn't move too quickly. I'm perpetually seing trucks stopped (more or less) in traffic with *huge* gaps between them and the next car. We're not talking about two car lengths here, we're talking unnecessary and obstructive gaps.

The thing that annoyed me on the way to work this morning was, as I was taking the tallaght exit on the m50, I passed by a truck that was at a virtual stand still with about 100ft between him and the next car, whilst a row of cars sat behind him oblvious to the fact. I see this *alot* !

Berty

I drive a lot and I can say what you see it not very common.

Im just home from a 1,300km round trip across the west coast, through the midlands and home through Dublin.

When stopped in traffic the driver/drivers just probably could not be bothered moving, thats about it. Its not really something indicative of all truck drivers.

Having up to 16 or more gears does get to you after a while. BTW, I used to be a rigid driver and never needed to leave any gaps in traffic except when I know another truck is going to need a wide berth, then I hold back.

Wishbone Ash

shakenbake wrote: »

When I said "in traffic" I mean at a stand still / virtual crawl

I don't understand your point. If traffic was at a virtual crawl, what difference would the size of the gap make? You're not going anywhere anyway!

To move a fully laden 12 speed atic a few metres involves changing gears five of six times, using a heavy clutch pedal, and checking blindspots etc. It's much easier and more efficient to leave a bigger gap.

ninety9er wrote:

You'd be the first person here complaining if a trucker ran over your granny because he was too close to the car in front and couldn't see her crossing.

A larger gap wouldn't make any difference in that scenario. The reason some elderly people have been killed crossing in front of a truck in start/stop traffic is because they cross right in front of it sometimes using it's bumper as a handrail. Without a cyclops mirror, the driver is unlikely to see them especially if they are small or stooped over and may move the truck forward with serious consequences.

Leaving a large gap won't make any difference in this scenario.

ergonomics

ninty9er wrote: »

To answer the original question...it's called a blind spot. You'd be the first person here complaining if a trucker ran over your granny because he was too close to the car in front and couldn't see her crossing.

During the summer I was smacked by a truck who couldn't see me crossing in front of him, despite being a good two feet in front of him. He was absolutely mortified and explained the whole blind spot thing to me. It was something I never realised before.

RandomAccess

ergonomics wrote: »

During the summer I was smacked by a truck who couldn't see me crossing in front of him, despite being a good two feet in front of him. He was absolutely mortified and explained the whole blind spot thing to me. It was something I never realised before.

Just remember if you cant see him then he cant see you..

RandomAccess

shakenbake wrote: »

... When I said "in traffic" I mean at a stand still / virtual crawl. I'm not sure where most of you drive but where I'm from, Dublin, traffic doesn't move too quickly. I'm perpetually seing trucks stopped (more or less) in traffic with *huge* gaps between them and the next car. We're not talking about two car lengths here, we're talking unnecessary and obstructive gaps.

Stop start driving in "traffic" is a waste of fuel and effort, it can also cause small accidents because people having to stop and start all the time may not be paying attention when the vehicle in front comes to a stop.

And before you argue the point here is a statistic taken from the article which follows,

75 per cent of all reported collisions occur at low speeds of up to 30 km/h (18.7 mph)

You may have heard of the new system by Volvo called city safe, it is designed to prevent exactly these kind of shunts.

shakenbake wrote: »

The thing that annoyed me on the way to work this morning was, as I was taking the tallaght exit on the m50, I passed by a truck that was at a virtual stand still with about 100ft between him and the next car, whilst a row of cars sat behind him oblvious to the fact. I see this *alot* !

Explain this a bit further please!
You are taking the tallaght exit off of the m50, so I assume this truck was queuing in a line of traffic at some other exit of the m50.. how does it matter a damn how much space is in front of him then?? its not like anybody was going to get anywhere if they are all queuing for the same exit?

If I have failed to understand this example then please provide more details.

P.C.

^^

shakenbake have you ever driven a truck?

I have - I drove trucks when I was in the Navy.
I drove everything from small trucks, six wheel drive trucks, artics, etc.
It is a total different driving 'style' depending on which truck you are driving.
It is easier to 'creep' forward in stop/start traffic in smaller trucks, but in large trucks it is more difficult - heavy clutch, more gears, etc. Oh, and then there is the person who pulls in front of you and slams on the brakes, just as you have started to move :eek::eek::eek: do these people want a big truck to drive over them?

A bit more patience is what we all need on our roads - and if you are going to be late for work, leave home earlier.

JMSE

I'm a rubber ducky mother trucky(er). I leave that gap for different reasons every time. The constant clutching, constant changing into a reluctant higher box and then back down AGAIN every time (i.e. gearbox's in trucks arent like your average ford focus). Another time and maybe today at the tallaght exit you didnt notice but maybe the truck was giving space for another in the outside lane to take his place in the queue, you said 100 foot, one artic alone can be 60' long without buffer zones around it. Another time at a junction like Newlands Cross I might be leaving a gap so I can get the truck moved off and rolling by the time the car in front has pulled away giving me and others a FAR better chance of making the green light. The next time it could be that I'm fed up been forced by lane hoppers to stop and start coz every time i leave a safe gap, someone slinks into it FROM THE LEFT, the next time it could be I want to regulate the whole thing as someone else said and get the traffic moving at a constant speed so I leave a big gap develop then I move off slower than everyone else did and the science you can understand. Another time could be that the bus lane on the left has just ended and all the private cars that were illegally using it are trying to get out but I am enjoying making them wait a tad longer by not moving on. Another time I could be making tea, having a shower. You get the picture.

Seth Brundle

Just on this topic, I used the port tunnel on Tuesday for the first time (windows down, revs up ) going each direction.
Anyhow, there are signs up informing car drivers to stay 2 chevrons apart (marked in 50m increments on the road) and trucks to keep 3 chevrons apart.
I passed a number of trucks which in several cases were travelling in convoy and with about 3m between them!

JMSE

The lad in front was doing what he was doing, its the fools behind who want HIM IN FRONT to create the 3 chevrons and not themselves to stay back the 3 chevrons. I still dont get why the 'overtaking lane' in the 'port' tunnel cannot be used by port traffic i.e. HGVs

On the OP's issue, wasnt a trucker shot while driving in that same area only a few years ago. He managed to stop the truck from full tilt to parked despite being shot by rifle bullet. Copycat incident for sure. Maybe he's still there, shot, and drinkin tea.

tallaghtoutlaws

JMSE wrote: »

The lad in front was doing what he was doing, its the fools behind who want HIM IN FRONT to create the 3 chevrons and not themselves to stay back the 3 chevrons. I still dont get why the 'overtaking lane' in the 'port' tunnel cannot be used by port traffic i.e. HGVs

On the OP's issue, wasnt a trucker shot while driving in that same area only a few years ago. He managed to stop the truck from full tilt to parked despite being shot by rifle bullet. Copycat incident for sure. Maybe he's still there, shot, and drinkin tea.

JMSE I was thinking the same as you haha your first post in this thread was the same as I was going to write haha good call.

cormie

Don't forget about yellow boxes too, vehicles that long need a much larger clearance space on the far side of the yellow box so they wont be blocking it. Same applies to junctions or turns if they don't want to be blocking the path of other vehicles with their ass. Think there's been enough good reasons mentioned anyway

Tea drinker

Neilw wrote: »

It's also to do with not having to start and stop to match the traffic, it's more fuel efficient to keep moving rather then stop start driving with a loaded truck.

That's what I think it is as well, it's more easy on the driver and transmission not to be beating the clutch and gears out of it, jerking along with every whim of the traffic. I sometimes do this (car driver) while in slowly rolling traffic, even out the pace. It's a lot more relaxing.

At the other extreme I often see jeep drivers drop the clutch and tear up behind someone only to jam on the brakes and repeat as necessary.
Not saying it's bad, just another way of doing it!