Question for Class 5 truck drivers

[Mom]

How hard is it to keep your trailer inside your lane, on the open road, going around a curve to the left?

Very nearly got taken out by a stock crate trailer today coming home from work. Speed was certainly NOT a factor in this trucks trailer hanging out, unless going too slowly can make a difference.

[awa355]

Watch a large truck and trailer going around a roundabout sometime. The trailer wheels will cut inside the truck wheel tracks by a metre or more in some instances.

[Road kill]

Truck an trailer units tend to follow the line quite well but artic units tend to drag the back across the corner on the inside.

Avoid both as much as you can,try not to pass inside a turning trucks radius because it can really hurt you.

Sometimes In heavy city traffic, trucks are forced by the flow of traffic to cut corners,be very carefull around them if they stop mid corner in heavy traffic or do something else on purpose just to piss you off.
The drivers probably having a real shit day and it has nothing to do with you,so relax for a second fuck it. .

Don't get inside trucks unless your intending to pass and when you do pass,do it quick.

I personally have a thing about staying within the lines,,,most other people have no fucking idea.

On my bike I give the center line a meter or more at all times because of the amount of trucks and other vehicles I've met sharing my lane.

It just happens,it's going to happen,don't be supprised when it does happen,be prepaired.

[carburator]

How hard is it to keep your trailer inside your lane, on the open road, going around a curve to the left?

Very nearly got taken out by a stock crate trailer today coming home from work. Speed was certainly NOT a factor in this trucks trailer hanging out, unless going too slowly can make a difference.

The dog trailers with short drawbars can be twitchy, and weave around also depends on the rear axle center to ringfeeder
distance for reaction.

[BoristheBiter]

Truck's on the motorway have difficulty staying in their lane going in a straight line so it only stands to reason they would have the same problem with corners.

But cars seem to have the same problem as well.

[tigertim20]

Watch a large truck and trailer going around a roundabout sometime. The trailer wheels will cut inside the truck wheel tracks by a metre or more in some instances.


Truck an trailer units tend to follow the line quite well but artic units tend to drag the back across the corner on the inside.

.

she said it wa going around a left hand curve - what you are explaining is true, however this would result, on a left hander, in the trailer cutting into the side of the road, not towards the centre-line.

Some old shitty trailers do have a tendency to 'crab' to the left or the right sometimes. could be that. or it could be just a shit driver

[Road kill]

she said it wa going around a left hand curve - what you are explaining is true, however this would result, on a left hander, in the trailer cutting into the side of the road, not towards the centre-line.

Some old shitty trailers do have a tendency to 'crab' to the left or the right sometimes. could be that. or it could be just a shit driver

Yeah true,but I was just rambling,,,talking to myself an all:o.

Mom,everything cuts corners.

And often to avoid cutting it most drivers will swing wide before entering the corner,,,,another issue for the unwary.

Just do what I do and respect the hell out of that center line.

Where I live I can jump on the bike and put in an 80k loop on one of the best tight flowing demanding medium speed roads in Auckland.

Every time I have people on my side of the road,cars,tractors,trucks,MOTORCYCLES.

I've followed heaps of other bikes just to watch how they ride,very few get 10k out of town before crossing the white line.

Just fuckin' everybody seems to do it and it seems to be getting worse,,,,I've been watching this specific thing for a while now, but I'm not obsessed about it.

Two things really,Tail gating and crossing the center line,,it should be legal to kill an eat those fuckers.

[BoristheBiter]

Yeah true,but I was just rambling,,,talking to myself an all:o.

Mom,everything cuts corners.

And often to avoid cutting it most drivers will swing wide before entering the corner,,,,another issue for the unwary.

Just do what I do and respect the hell out of that center line.

Where I live I can jump on the bike and put in an 80k loop on one of the best tight flowing demanding medium speed roads in Auckland.

Every time I have people on my side of the road,cars,tractors,trucks,MOTORCYCLES.

I've followed heaps of other bikes just to watch how they ride,very few get 10k out of town before crossing the white line.

Just fuckin' everybody seems to do it and it seems to be getting worse,,,,I've been watching this specific thing for a while now, but I'm not obsessed about it.

Two things really,Tail gating and crossing the center line,,it should be legal to kill an eat those fuckers.

Watch for them going around roundabouts. Can fuckers not turn anymore?
I spun one guy around after he hit the front of my car and had the nerve to say I should have given way to him.

It is just a sad indictment of the standard of driving in NZ.

[Road kill]

Watch for them going around roundabouts. Can fuckers not turn anymore?
I spun one guy around after he hit the front of my car and had the nerve to say I should have given way to him.

It is just a sad indictment of the standard of driving in NZ.

Yep,small roundabouts and any Truck just don't go togeather.

There's several in Franklin I use every day and for a 90 degree turn no matter how you come into them,your going to need every inch you can find coming off them again.

A small lapse in concentration will see you intruding on the incoming lane just before your turn off because they seemed to be designed with small cars in mind an not a lot else.

Still no excuse for messing it up but a lot of cars in opousing lanes will creep foward as your coming around,,you know just to makes things a little harder for you by stealing the last inch of your already very tight turning circle.

If you use the same round abouts for a U turn your going to need the extreme outside line all the way around and will still likely clip the curb on the way out.

I've had to stop mid turn for lots of cars that have creept forward and even though their only just over the line,it's totally fucked my ability to carry on around so I have to stop to effectively give way to the cunts.

This is what I ment by being forced by the flow of traffic to modifiy your line mid turn.

One day I'll just say "fuck it" and take the front off one of those pricks then he can come on line tell half the story and put shit on me.

[kevie]

I'm assuming you were coming toward the rig not following it .....

As mentioned could be a crap driver, but as you mentioned the rigs speed wasn't an issue then maybe not that, could have been a problem with the road surface, road/weather conditions (eg. greasy road) or with his trailer configuration OR ....... maybe all his stock were large (heavy) beasts and all up the same end of the trailer making it slightly unstable to transport.

I guess without seeing the full picture this one is hard to come up with the correct answer ........ rule of thumb ...... be dam careful around trucks, we swing wide to turn, some roundabouts we have to take up both lanes to get around them (worse now there's so many longer 'H' class rigs out there, oh and also ... they say "If you cant see my mirrors, I cant see you". and many drivers (like car drivers) don't look at the mirrors anywhere near often enough.




** I don't give good advice because I'm clever........ I have good advice cos Ive done some dumb shit**

[kevie]

it's totally fucked my ability to carry on around so I have to stop to effectively give way to the cunts.

This is what I meant by being forced by the flow of traffic to modify your line mid turn.

One day I'll just say "fuck it" and take the front off one of those pricks then he can come on line tell half the story and put shit on me.

They do it all the time eh ...... sometimes convinced they cant think beyond their windscreens........ and they seem to be getting worse.
had a car jump the red in wellington and try to get around me .... I was 42 tonne ..... I DON'T SWERVE FOR CARS!!!!! Went over the nose of her car ....... afterwards she swore she had a right to do what she done ..... I barreled her, told her in her homeland (India) she might have that right but you're in NZ now and try obeying our laws ..... and "what the f**k were you trying that shyte for with your young daughter in the front passenger seat where the first one that could have been hit would be her"

AND ... she toodled off to the Porirua Police right across town and done a 'statement' which i got a copy of showing I WAS IN THE WRONG !!!
I rang the officer (yes he was a senior officer) and told him i want him to charge me LMAO after discussion and explaining what actually happened he conceded aqnd sent a letter to my boss stating since investigating the incident the lady was in the wrong :) He asked me why I insisted he charge me ... I told him I don't really want to be .... I just want his badge and sue them for putting a statement on an official police letterhead and signing it .... incorrectly stating me as the at fault driver .... I have been driving since 1969 and never had an at fault accident yet, I give the credit not to my driving ... but to DON WILLIAMS, a traffic officer and driving school instructor that taught me to drive as a 15 year old. He always said to me "Make safe driving a habit" dam good advice, do it right ALL THE TIME not just when theres others around you and it becomes habit. many motorists out there need to learn and heed this I recon.

[caspernz]

How hard is it to keep your trailer inside your lane, on the open road, going around a curve to the left?

Very nearly got taken out by a stock crate trailer today coming home from work. Speed was certainly NOT a factor in this trucks trailer hanging out, unless going too slowly can make a difference.

What, no video clip of said incident?

Trucker may have been working on the "might is right" approach, or polishing his cowboy boots, adjusting his ten gallon hat...then again some road users like to put all the blame for any close call on the other party :yawn:

After 25 or so years of trucking and about 30 years of biking, the only thing that surprises me these days is that as roads and vehicles are improved to become near idiot proof...someone comes along and proves that idiots are getting more idiotic on the roads as well.

Eternal vigilance seems to be the key, and a good camera that's on all the time :eek5:

If only I had the time and patience to bundle together all the weird stuff the Drivecam in my truck captures :brick:

[Grubber]

[QUOTE=kevie;1130630012]I'm assuming you were coming toward the rig not following it .....

As mentioned could be a crap driver, but as you mentioned the rigs speed wasn't an issue then maybe not that, could have been a problem with the road surface, road/weather conditions (eg. greasy road) or with his trailer configuration OR ....... maybe all his stock were large (heavy) beasts and all up the same end of the trailer making it slightly unstable to transport.

I guess without seeing the full picture this one is hard to come up with the correct answer ........ rule of thumb ...... be dam careful around trucks, we swing wide to turn, some roundabouts we have to take up both lanes to get around them (worse now there's so many longer 'H' class rigs out there, oh and also ... they say "If you cant see my mirrors, I cant see you". and many drivers (like car drivers) don't look at the mirrors anywhere near often enough.

I've been in the game for more than 30 years as both contractor and Transport Manager.
I would have to say with all the late model gear nowadays it is becoming near impossible to screw up. But it still can happen.
We now run 23 metre H units in most of our felt and they track extremely well, but in saying that, yes we do have to take a bit of a wider berth around the odd roundabout and also some reasonable bends need a bit more width to get around.
I would have to say though, with a decent operator on board, trucks are probably safer than we have seen them for many years.
They have serve control, EBS, auto retarding, lean control and all sorts of other little electronic aids that make them great to drive.

[kevie]

What, no video clip of said incident

If only I had the time and patience to bundle together all the weird stuff the Drivecam in my truck captures :brick:

I use the free software "FREEMAKE VIDEO CONVERTER" to edit my truckcam footage and then put it up on Facebook's "NEW ZEALAND DRIVING IDIOTS" page

Freemake is real easy to use .... just select the file and then click edit and you can tag the start and finish of the parts you want taken out and leaves the part you want...... then click OK and save it as any of many file formats at its disposal, I normally do them as WMF

[Road kill]

I've resently bought a traffic cam from super cheap for $100.

It came in handy a couple of days after buying it when a 4x4 pulled out of a gas station in front of me,then in response to my sounding the horn he stopped just after the next uncontrolled intersection and stopped me while I was still blocking the oncoming lane.

After that he pulled a couple of brake checks on a straight section while travelling at around 85-90 kph one hand on the wheel the other giving me the finger .

I got back to the yard to find this prick had then rung in and complained about my tailgating and abusing him.

The boss called him back later to explain we had the footage and it would getting passed on to the local cops.

Funny he didn't have much to say after that.;)

Love my little camera.:yes:

[quickbuck]

worse now there's so many longer 'H' class rigs out there, .......



Wow, I must have been living under a Rock..... Slightly embarrassed to say i have only just worked out what the H means on really big Rigs!!!
This might be because I have never been told, and there is nil requirement for drivers to know everything...... (I do have only class 1 + 6 after all).
After a quick search: http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/factsheets/13g/high-productivity-motor-vehicles.html

That said Always treat trucks with respect and give them room.
You never know how much attention the driver is paying to the task, you never know at what point in his driving hours duty cycle he is.
From motorcycle it is really hard to appreciate how difficult it is to maneuver such a big vehicle.....
The list goes on.

Reminds me of a little incident that I avoided on the Forgotten World Highway very near Taumaranui on Saturday afternoon:
I was in the car heading away fro Taumaranui when I noticed a big cruiser type of motorcycle coming down the hill. For me it was a Left Hander, so a right hander for him...
I had to slow up the car something wicked as I could see very early what he was about to do. He might not have noticed I had to slow up the car, but I could tell he was going to put his entire body over the line into my path...... The only part of his bike on the Left side of the road was his tyres.
If I was not paying attention, or indeed a very big rig, this gentleman would have had a very long delay getting to Taumaranui.....

The lesson here is this:
When turning right USE THE LEFT HAND WHEEL TRACK.
Also: TURN IN LATER AND USE A BIGGER INPUT TO THE BARS (ie turn the bars faster).

NEVER PUT YOUR BODY OVER THE CENTER LINE.

Follow these rules all the time and you will do it all the time. Not just when other traffic is around as kevie said.

[caspernz]

I've resently bought a traffic cam from super cheap for $100.

It came in handy a couple of days after buying it when a 4x4 pulled out of a gas station in front of me,then in response to my sounding the horn he stopped just after the next uncontrolled intersection and stopped me while I was still blocking the oncoming lane.

After that he pulled a couple of brake checks on a straight section while travelling at around 85-90 kph one hand on the wheel the other giving me the finger .

I got back to the yard to find this prick had then rung in and complained about my tailgating and abusing him.

The boss called him back later to explain we had the footage and it would getting passed on to the local cops.

Funny he didn't have much to say after that.;)


Love my little camera.:yes:

Haha, funnily enough I have a standing agreement with a member of the local traffic constabulary. I send him video clips of drivers who break the law, he sends them a ticket. All along the lines of a picture is worth a thousand words...or one ticket it seems haha!! Not sure if this will help me if I ever get busted on my Busa at warpspeed in the backblocks though...:wacko:

[cynna]

Truck's on the motorway have difficulty staying in their lane going in a straight line so it only stands to reason they would have the same problem with corners.

But cars seem to have the same problem as well.

and bikes......

[SPman]

Our local road into Perth (Toodyay) road has a couple of quarries on it, and there is a steady stream of Artic and trailer gravel trucks using the road. The seal is 7m wide, it's a moderately windy, hilly road...sort of South Waikato'ish . There've been 2 serious smacks involving these f*cking things in the last 6 months - the last when the trailer "stepped out" on a downhill left hand 90 degree bend, and annihilated a Landcruiser coming the other way - killing the Mom and her 2 kids inside - the thing looked like it had a 100 kg bomb go off underneath.
Officially, it was nobody's fault - the road's maybe, because it was wet and greasy, but, trucks are known to really boot it when empty and we've seen numerous occasions when the trailers are all over the road, moving 2-3 feet off line, side to side - and that's on the straight bits, when you're trying to get past! On the downhill, off camber, tightening radius, left hander, with bush obscuring the oncoming traffic through 70% of it corner...............