First ride in a truck...

[Beemer]

Believe it or not, this week I got the chance to have my first ride in a truck! I am doing a profile article for NZ Trucking so went out for a couple of days with a local truckie who moves livestock. I wasn't really expecting to enjoy it but I had a ball and felt quite sad this morning when I realised there would be no more truck rides! And strangely enough, despite visiting a couple of abattoirs, all I fancied for tea last night was steak!

I take my hat off to all you truck drivers, it's certainly not an easy job and I was amazed at the idiotic behaviour I saw while on the road. People doing U-turns when a truck is about 100m away from them - considering the one I was in weighs about 45 tonnes, it's not going to stop in a hurry! And I love the "ooh, there's a stock truck, I don't want to be stuck behind him, I'll quickly pull out in front, he won't mind" morons.

I know I'm too old, but in my next life I think I want to be a truck driver!

[jrandom]

I know I'm too old...

Sez who?

Just go get your HT licence and start driving, you silly girl. You'll probably double your income...

[Toaster]

True, lots of people do silly things around trucks, but then I've seen many a truck driver drive very stupidly as well. Especially in such large heavy and slow to stop vehicles.

Maybe we are all just a big bunch of plonkers and none of us should drive anymore!!

[Beemer]

Sez who?

Just go get your HT licence and start driving, you silly girl. You'll probably double your income...

Sez me! Seriously, I'd have to find a little truck to start with - those Macks are not that user-friendly to short-arses like me (155cm tall) - I could only just reach the first foot rail! And as for negotiating narrow farm driveways, no thanks!

Doubling my income? So I'd get double sweet FA?

[jrandom]

True, lots of people do silly things around trucks, but then I've seen many a truck driver drive very stupidly as well.

In general, truckies are awesome. Riding a pushie in heavy traffic and on the open road gives you a very good perspective on just how good or bad drivers are. Truckies and bus drivers, almost every time, very quickly make it clear that they've seen me and give me heaps of space, slowing and moving aside whenever necessary.

A very noticeable difference from the average cager.

[Beemer]

On the whole I'd have to agree - most truckies I've seen on the road are pretty courteous. And the guy I was out with said they try to pull over if traffic is building up behind them but it's not always possible. He says people will see a truck at the head of a line of traffic and assume that is what is holding everyone up, but often there is a very slow moving car in front of them that they have no chance of passing unless there is a passing lane - and then of course everyone gets pissed off with them when they use the passing lanes to overtake what was holding them up too!

[bell]

I reckon the standard of our driving could only improve if everyone had to do a few hours in the passenger seat of a decent sized truck - it certainly gives you a new perspective on the issues they create for the cars/bikes/bicycles etc that share the road with them.

The most interesting figures I heard quoted while working with the large triple trailer Road Trains that haul stuff around Australia were these:
- Fully loaded, cruising speed (90+ km/h), stopping as quickly as possible (ie. emergency stop - probably shredding half the tyres) requires 400 metres to stop....
- Fully loaded as above, stopping in a way that keeps the cargo alive still needed almost 1 kilometre.

You soon learn to get off the road and let them have as much as they like when that's approaching you on a single lane dirt road.

[merv]

Doubling my income? So I'd get double sweet FA?

Yep that's about what a truckie gets paid. Slave labour.


.... and you old, nah you're not into blue rinse yet you young thing!

[Timber020]

I drove stock trucks and general cartage for a while, most NZ truck drivers are top rate, American and Aussie drivers are generally good driving forwards in straight lines, and thats about it for many of them.

I had a few close calls in trucks (cars pulling out infront of course) and with 45 tons and no safe way avoiding them, the idea of killing some little old lady and not being able to do anything about it gets on your nerves a bit.

[RT527]

Going to dargaville tomorrow to pick up 2 containers from a farm that one of the dargaville riders lives at, fark, cant remember his site name.

taking my 8 wheeler tractor unit and a 3 axle swing lift.

will be there around 10 ish.

and yeah it can be hair raising driving the open road....but , dare i say it.....what I`d like to see is drivers driving to the conditions, and I see an awful lot of other truckies who are obviously not driving to the conditions, and would have to agree with toaster.

sometimes its easier to slow down and stick behind that slow car , and its not worth it getting raged up at other idiots, its part of driving any vehicle on the road.....you need to look for what everyone else is doing , and drive accordingly .

anyways if you Norf crew are out riding and see a truck driver waving at you then its probably me.

Ah thats it , Madddog131

[ynot slow]

- and then of course everyone gets pissed off with them when they use the passing lanes to overtake what was holding them up too![/QUOTE]

agree with you but what pisses me off is when there's a que of cars behind a car and then the truck,the bloody truck pulls out to pass and uses most of the passing lane,then traffic slows as said truck is governed to 90km or so.i drive a mazda furniture small truck(5tonnes max),if i'm behind slow car and passing lane coming up i'll let cars past first then make the pass or not,more often if a larger truck behind me i'll let him go first, as in head wind i'm lucky to do 80km when loaded with carpet or furniture.agree it's hard to pull over nowadays as the camber on edge of road is to steep,also when i pull over to let cars pass and they stay behind pisses me off, i do it couple of times if they don't pass to bad.some drivers just can;t judge the left side of their cars,i.e won't pass as not sure if they can get passed or not sure if they can get between vehicles.

[jafar]

Nice to see there are a few fellow truckies on this site.

[Colapop]

I've had my HT since I was in the Army. It's proved invaluable over the years... if I've had no other job I've always been able to go and drive. Loved it but never did any long haul. Some really good honest hard working people - a couple were rogues that I wouldn't trust with a dead cat.. but that's life...

[Chisanga]

About how much does it cost to get a class 4 from scratch these days?

[Colapop]

From my missus the AA lady... About $300 ish...
Have to have your class 1 first. Then 2, then 4.
Most people are doing the whole lot through a polytech course which usually covers you for hazardous goods certificate too...