HGV's on secondary routes

prospect

I was on my way home last night, a route which involves several turns etc.

I started off behind an Argos artic, but wasn't to bothered (yet!, i was glad to be finally finished work...), i took one of the turns required, and it wasn't too long before i ended up behind an incredibally long Merc van.
I got past him and took the next turn, another truck, approx 30ft with a curtain side, I'm starting to get bothered now.
Took another turn and got away from him, no probs, happily tipping along now.
Second to last turn, all seems okay, no, wait, TWO bloody big construction trucks, ARRrrrrrrrrgggghhhhhh.....

Is it just me, or does anyone else experience boiling blood when these truck drivers take to the back roads and hold everyone else up, create potholes, muck the place up, increase the danger levels on smaller roads, etc??? :mad: :mad: :mad:

'Look at me, i'm in a big fat truck, i don't want to sit in the traffic on a main road so i think i'll tear up some country roads :mad: :mad: :mad: , and in the mean time hold up the users who actually live along them....'

prospect

It looks like i am on my own for this one...
It seems that my wife could be right :eek:

Calm down, deep breaths, it is only a big road hogging, tar ripping, pothole generating, slow a r s e truck... :mad:

Oops, sorry, got a bit carried away again.

camarobill

i drive a hgv,and there intitled to use any road that has no weight restriction,ur p.s.d of trying to get home,so how do u think the lorry driver feels driveing all f.....g day,its not there fault that the roads are a f......g dissgrace.eg no good back roads

samo

There's a road in Celbridge where from one direction near the Hazelhatch train station it has a big huge sign up with a 3 Tonne limit yet practically every time I'm on that bridge there is something practically double 3 tonne coming the opposite direction or in front of me!

Its a small enough bridge and always wonder what would happen legally where the driver would stand if an accident happened god forbid the other side of it the damage that would be done!

My biggest gripe at truck drivers apart from the eejit belting around the M50 roundabout today is the bloke that managed to dislodge part of the Rathcoole bridge before Christmas by driving a truck that was too big underneath it :mad:

Apart from that Truck drivers are no worse than the people that drive at 40-50 kph on an 80 kph road with no concern about the endless tailback behind them!

Squirrel

People really should lay off truck drivers, they're only doing their job, they have a right to be on whatever road they choose, as long as they are breaking no weight restrictions. How about people start complaining that they have to move out of the way of an ambulance and miss the lights because of this, they would have been home quicker, but no-one does because the ambulance driver is doing his job in making you aware of his presence to get out of his way, same principle.

BrianD3

Saying that trucks should stick to good roads only is pure crap. How can they? Probably 95% of Irish roads are national secondary standard or worse.

If you get stuck behind a truck on a bumpy, twisty, dangerous road, blame the government for the poor infrastructure, not the trucker.

BrianD3

leeroybrown

In my experience while it's annoying to be stuck behind a HGV, the majority HGV drivers are excellent and will give you every opportunity to overtake if possible.

beller b

prospect wrote:

I was on my way home last night, a route which involves several turns etc.

I started off behind an Argos artic, but wasn't to bothered (yet!, i was glad to be finally finished work...), i took one of the turns required, and it wasn't too long before i ended up behind an incredibally long Merc van.
I got past him and took the next turn, another truck, approx 30ft with a curtain side, I'm starting to get bothered now.
Took another turn and got away from him, no probs, happily tipping along now.
Second to last turn, all seems okay, no, wait, TWO bloody big construction trucks, ARRrrrrrrrrgggghhhhhh.....

Is it just me, or does anyone else experience boiling blood when these truck drivers take to the back roads and hold everyone else up, create potholes, muck the place up, increase the danger levels on smaller roads, etc??? :mad: :mad: :mad:

'Look at me, i'm in a big fat truck, i don't want to sit in the traffic on a main road so i think i'll tear up some country roads :mad: :mad: :mad: , and in the mean time hold up the users who actually live along them....'

I agree, here what about that muppet this morning on the lucan road... How often have you heard on traffic news bus broken down on M50?? Ok **** happens a bus can break down the same as the rest of us but this was a "Dublin Bus" & I passed at least another 6 in the space of about 2 miles .... What are dublin bus doing on the M50 ? Is there a Bus Route that goes along the M50,? By the looks of it in the mornings there's a few!!!

Seth Brundle

beller b wrote:

I agree, here what about that muppet this morning on the lucan road...

Are you suggesting all truckers are like that?
Im curious to know what speed he was doing though!

beller b wrote:

How often have you heard on traffic news bus broken down on M50?? Ok **** happens a bus can break down the same as the rest of us but this was a "Dublin Bus" & I passed at least another 6 in the space of about 2 miles .... What are dublin bus doing on the M50 ? Is there a Bus Route that goes along the M50,? By the looks of it in the mornings there's a few!!!

Are busses not allowed use the M50 to get around Dublin? I presume those you saw were all empty

Rabies

leeroybrown wrote:

In my experience while it's annoying to be stuck behind a HGV, the majority HGV drivers are excellent and will give you every opportunity to overtake if possible.

I agree with you on that. Most truck drivers a decent enough.
HGV drivers have the right to use the roads the same as us. Very few roads ban HGVs.

Dub13

kbannon wrote:

Are you suggesting all truckers are like that?
Im curious to know what speed he was doing though!
Are busses not allowed use the M50 to get around Dublin? I presume those you saw were all empty

Of course Busses are able to use the M50..

Seth Brundle

Dub13 wrote:

Of course Busses are able to use the M50..

I was being sarcastic. A poster here mentioned a few weeks ago about how they move busses from one depot to another via the M50 - hence my comment about them being empty

prospect

Hey, i never questioned whether hgv's are allowed to use the secondary roads or not.
You are allowed do 100km/h on alot of main roads, but if there are kids on/near the road you don't do it ('sir, how did the accident occur?, 'Well the sign says i can do 100km/h so its the kids fault, cause the sign says so').
Just because the law doesn't explicitly state that you cannot do something doesn't mean you have every right to do it! It is called *the spirit of the law*.

1. HGV's cause the severe fall off at the sides of the roads from their wheels going off the tar into muck - This can cause accidents
2. HGV's are usually well over half the width of the road - This can cause accidents
3. HGV's are the reason the secondary roads are in bad condition with potholes etc. - This can cause accidents
4. They hold everyone up selfishly, which causes people to overtake, or try too make up lost time later on their journey - This can cause accidents

Now i have been behind trucks coming out of the lidl distribution plant in newbridge. These guys are being paid to be in their truck, and instead of queueing in traffic at one roundabout before hitting a dual carrigeway, and then a sliproad to the motorway, they go the back road through oldtown, athgarvan, kilcullen and then onto the main road south. This is bullsh1t, why, read the reasons above.
This is only one example, i have seen similar happen on the secondary routes along kilteel, punchestown, celbridge, newcastle, barberstown etc.

Most truck drivers on suitable roads are very courteous and allow cars exit onto the road in front of them, or overtake etc. but these roads are just not suitable.

I am not getting at all truck drivers because i do not believe in generalising, but this really does annoy me, and as usual in this country, they will wait for a few fatalities etc, before they act.

Maybe the best solution is to upgrade these roads, by widening them and improving them to carry heavy trucks (everyone is happy & safe). But until then...

stratos

I tend to take the live and let live approach to truckers ( and indeed all other road users). I drive a lot and if I was to let everything annoy me, that happens to you in a days driving I would be a basket case by now. I learned years ago to stay back, laugh and remember not to take it personally.

However Increasingly I see truckers, especially tippers, making mistakes I can only put down to exhaustion on the drivers behalf. I have had truckes drift across the white line to my side, and blowing the horn visibly startles the guy from his slumber. On 2 occasions tippers have pulled out straight in front of me, both times were early morning, and the drivers seemed amazed to see me after I blew the horn. Skidding up to within a foot of one of them.

Other than that I find most truck drivers, like proffesional drivers are more aware of whats going on around them, and look out for other road users. It's always the truck driver who flashes you, to tell you there is a hazard around the bend.

camarobill

samo wrote:

There's a road in Celbridge where from one direction near the Hazelhatch train station it has a big huge sign up with a 3 Tonne limit yet practically every time I'm on that bridge there is something practically double 3 tonne coming the opposite direction or in front of me!

Its a small enough bridge and always wonder what would happen legally where the driver would stand if an accident happened god forbid the other side of it the damage that would be done!

My biggest gripe at truck drivers apart from the eejit belting around the M50 roundabout today is the bloke that managed to dislodge part of the Rathcoole bridge before Christmas by driving a truck that was too big underneath it :mad:

Apart from that Truck drivers are no worse than the people that drive at 40-50 kph on an 80 kph road with no concern about the endless tailback behind them!

ur getting a 3 ton parking sign,mixed up with a 3 ton limet,how do u expect concast to deliver

Our man in Havana

leeroybrown wrote:

In my experience while it's annoying to be stuck behind a HGV, the majority HGV drivers are excellent and will give you every opportunity to overtake if possible.

I would disagree there, On the N9/N10 waterford kilkenny road, trucks take great pride in pottering along at 50 km/h and won't give an inch. It frequently takes 50 mins+ to cover the 30 miles from waterford to kilkenny. Must be the worst road ever for slow truck drivers.

Irish-trucker

stratos wrote:

However Increasingly I see truckers, especially tippers, making mistakes I can only put down to exhaustion on the drivers behalf the bend.

this is not because there tired :rolleyes: , its because there eastern block drivers - who would not know how to drive a person mad let alone a tipper

john