Pet Peeves Thread

[nioka]

As ive already pointed out,its a legal substance....

non smokers can suit themselves,simple as...

not illegal to walk the street smoking,i know all the wowsers would like it to be but until its an offence to do so,non smokers can go to hell...

Ah! A caring person who is considerate of others I see. Congratulations for your neighbourly attitude and goodwill to others.

Now what I really think....................is........... (censored.)

 

[bunyip]

Talking of drivers who peeve you, truckies must surely rate up there with the worst of the worst.
They rarely if ever obey the speed limit, they cut in front of you, fail to give right of way, frequently drift over the centre line, they tailgate you, sitting just a few metres behind you in some cases.....no chance of stopping their massive rigs before they steamroll you if you ever had to stand on the brakes for some reason.
They generally show disdain for other drivers and for the rules of the road.
No wonder there is a disproportionate number of crashes involving trucks.

 

[Spaghetti]

Truck drivers that tailgate are a worry. People who speed are a huge worrry. Everyday by my house 98% of cars are over the speed limit. We have 20kmh speed limit for a good reason yet everyone feels they are more expert than those that set the limit.

Smokers/non-smokers? Don't like that argument as both sides have rude members.

My current annoyance is why do I keep buying conditioner instead of shampoo? ATM have 5 bottles conditioner and NO shampoo. Must be a sneaky way retailers get rid of excess stock...cannot be my fault.:

 

[Happy]

We have 20kmh speed limit for a good reason yet everyone feels they are more expert than those that set the limit.

20kmh speed limit looks bit tough.

Having said that, sometimes in 60k or 40k area I just drive much slower, for a reason of course, and I do not understand why people insist to stick to speed limit or go above, as if road rules take over common sense, civil responsibility and good mannered social behaviour.

 

[tigerboi]

Talking of drivers who peeve you, truckies must surely rate up there with the worst of the worst.
They rarely if ever obey the speed limit, they cut in front of you, fail to give right of way, frequently drift over the centre line, they tailgate you, sitting just a few metres behind you in some cases.....no chance of stopping their massive rigs before they steamroll you if you ever had to stand on the brakes for some reason.
They generally show disdain for other drivers and for the rules of the road.
No wonder there is a disproportionate number of crashes involving trucks.

You been watching too much TT & ACA...hows this for a stat:80% of accidents involving a truck & car is the car drivers fault...

If you ever want to see how uneducated car drivers are around trucks you can come in the truck with me next time i do a clybucca changeover,
we go north to clybucca swap trailers then head back to sydney,thats if you are in sydney.

Car drivers havent got a clue how to drive with heavy vehicles,its a skill that all car drivers should be made to learn when getting their licence.

I'll give you an example of their stupitidy that never ends,i drive a b/double,2 trailers,26 metres long,now when i have to turn left i have to use 2 lanes & legally i am allowed,when i am turning i cannot see down the left side of the truck,i need 2 lanes to straighten up,but what do car drivers do??? try do dive up the inside...crunch,bike riders as well..

This is what is required from the car drivers,if i have straddled(they call it lane sharing)the 2 lanes to turn,say into another 2 lane highway,my trailers will take both lanes until i get straight,wait til he gets straight by then he will have got into the inside lane,car drivers just take a deep breath,then you will be ok.

Now if im turning from 2 lanes into a 3 lane highway,i usually go into the middle lane to avoid inside traffic & outside right hand turns,so then the cars have got the inside lane & outside lane to go past,but go past when you can,as some sit in your blind spot right besides the cab...


Bring your video camera & you can post it on here...tb

 

[dutchie]

G'day tigerboi

Don't know about you but most truck drivers attitude I come across on the highway (and towns) is "might is right".

Cheers

Dutchie

PS I never drive on the highway at night when truckies are at their worst.

 

[Happy]

G'day tigerboi

Don't know about you but most truck drivers attitude I come across on the highway (and towns) is "might is right".

I do not want to make excuses for cowboy truck drivers, but I always try to give them right of way, just because of their size, weight, number of gears they have to go to increase speed from 0 or 10 to 60 and because of the hours they spend on the road.

What I am yet to see is truck cruising at or below speed limit, and what makes me wander, how do they manage to fool their on-board system that is designed to register their actual speed.

 

[tigerboi]

G'day tigerboi

Don't know about you but most truck drivers attitude I come across on the highway (and towns) is "might is right".

Cheers

Dutchie

PS I never drive on the highway at night when truckies are at their worst.

There you go mate,you are talking about local drivers,what highway you talking about?

Highway at night is for trucks,thats how your cornflakes are at woolies on time...if you are going to be on the highway then get yourself a 2way/cb
call up a driver & ask him what the go is,as the stat shows car drivers around trucks are very foolish,dont forget we drive cars as well.

The might is right is yours & the publics perception,mate its rubbish just not like that,as i said car drivers have got no idea how to drive with heavy vehicles.go to this site i am a member & have a look around...
www.ozprodrivers.com.au

The best drivers site going,go have a look at the threads..

Night time on the highway is what i run,overnight express.to all capitals on the eastern seaboard & adelaide,see 1 thing car drivers rarely know is we cant sit behind a car who wants to do 80 in a 100 for 50 kms,most drivers have got 12 hours(i got 14) to get to say brisbane you gotta do 100 when possible & yes if you got a p plater on 90 kms on the 2 lane highways the drivers will give him a hard time to get out of the way,

If he looks behind him he will have 30 trucks climbing over the backs of each other,then what happens at the 3 laner,numbskull will speed up,seen it 100s of times.

So because of numnuts wanting to be smart when the drivers get to the gold coast highway,they have got no driving hours left..

imagine if all the drivers just parked their trucks as is instead of driving into brisbane the last hour illegal?

Thats why you see trucks in a hurry,we carry time sensitive freight(not my words)so that you the shopper gets his milk,papers,lampshade from ikea,take a look around your house & ask yourself,what item has not at some stage been on a truck?

The only thing i havent delivered is a baby!..TB

 

[tigerboi]

I do not want to make excuses for cowboy truck drivers, but I always try to give them right of way, just because of their size, weight, number of gears they have to go to increase speed from 0 or 10 to 60 and because of the hours they spend on the road.

What I am yet to see is truck cruising at or below speed limit, and what makes me wander, how do they manage to fool their on-board system that is designed to register their actual speed.

Dont really know what you are on about cruising below the speed limit?
Do you mean on the highway doing less than the limit? or around town?

All heavy vehicles are fitted with speed limiters at 100kmh,once the vehicle hits 100kmh,you can pump the accelerator a 100 times & you wont get any power,when it drops back to 100(most cut at 100-105kmh)so say it cuts in at 102mh you then coast until it gets back to 100kmh then you got gas again,by having it set a little over 100kmh it lets you sit on 100kmh without the limiter cutting in,its better on fuel consumption.

We have 23 safety cam sites which photograph our faces & number plates,S.A. also has cameras but not VIC.we have to know the 100's of combinations between those sites,on the rta website at travel time information it has the times between each camera,if we go through the camera too quick,which means you were speeding,the rta sends your boss a letter asking him for the copy of your log book page,which you hand in each week,if your logbook times dont match the camera times you get fines up to $2800 & 1 mark on your licence,3 marks & you lose your licence for 3 months...

Here is the rta camera times,which gives you an idea of the rules we have to follow..

http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/index.cgi?action=safetcamcalc.form

http://www.transport.sa.gov.au/freight/safetcam/calculator.asp

http://www.transport.sa.gov.au/freight/safetcam/safetcam_sites_02.asp

Despite what you might think there is not alot we get away with,but listen to the meedja & we are all on drugs looking to kill car drivers.

Since the 2 big accidents up north in '89 the road authorities have had a microscope all over us.....tb

 

[Julia]

Well, Tiger, if you are so tightly regulated and your speed so fixed, I wonder how it is that every time I'm on a major highway, the big trucks are passing us when we're doing about 105kmh?

That said, I'm happy to sit on the tail of a truck any time and have never seen any reckless driving.

One more thing: years ago when I had a completely smashed windscreen I'd pulled over to the side of the road as I couldn't see a thing. Countless cars sped past (I was on my own standing outside the car). It was a truckie who stopped and patiently removed all the glass and gave me an emergency screen to get a garage.

 

[Aussie2Aussie]

Talking of drivers who peeve you, truckies must surely rate up there with the worst of the worst.
They rarely if ever obey the speed limit, they cut in front of you, fail to give right of way, frequently drift over the centre line, they tailgate you, sitting just a few metres behind you in some cases.....no chance of stopping their massive rigs before they steamroll you if you ever had to stand on the brakes for some reason.
They generally show disdain for other drivers and for the rules of the road.
No wonder there is a disproportionate number of crashes involving trucks.

My favourite - 3 lanes and trucks in each of them, side by side and going at the same speed.

 

[Happy]

Dont really know what you are on about ... Since the 2 big accidents up north in '89 the road authorities have had a microscope all over us.....tb

If you said 120 instead 102 I would be more inclined to believe you.
Since you said 102 all I can say is - Yea right.

 

[Spaghetti]

20kmh speed limit looks bit tough.

Having said that, sometimes in 60k or 40k area I just drive much slower, for a reason of course, and I do not understand why people insist to stick to speed limit or go above, as if road rules take over common sense, civil responsibility and good mannered social behaviour.

Well the law says to drive to conditions, speed limit is only an upper guide. We live on a very narrow road with a crest. Every time we pull out of our driveway is scary. Cannot see if anyone is coming and when they do always a brake squealing event. Need a second person to wave the coast clear.

 

[korrupt_1]

always a brake squealing event.

geezeeee, that sounds fun... considered getting council to install mirrors or something akin?

my parents lives 1 house from a 50deg blind bend. that too is a scary event when reversing out of the driveway.

PP: hoons driving around blind bends at speeds without thought to possible accident.

 

[tigerboi]

Well, Tiger, if you are so tightly regulated and your speed so fixed, I wonder how it is that every time I'm on a major highway, the big trucks are passing us when we're doing about 105kmh?

That said, I'm happy to sit on the tail of a truck any time and have never seen any reckless driving.

One more thing: years ago when I had a completely smashed windscreen I'd pulled over to the side of the road as I couldn't see a thing. Countless cars sped past (I was on my own standing outside the car). It was a truckie who stopped and patiently removed all the glass and gave me an emergency screen to get a garage.

Dont surprise me a truckie stopped to help you as we as profesionals we just do it,look i wont deny there are a few jerks who think they are big twuck drivers,they are usually the ones ive dragged out of their trucks,dead & mangled...see safety is paramount to 99.99% of us,we drive vehicles fully loaded(in the roadtrain areas) at 115t,doing 100kmh,if i do one stupid numbskull act like car drivers,i can kill alot of people & myself...

See the above post re the speed limiters,you will find on the straight part of the road single trailers are right on 100-101 kms,but with a b/double even on a straight stretch the extra 20 tonne pushes you up to 105kmh,thats why a double(62.5t) is quicker than a single(42.5t) on a flat road,see to the inexperienced car driver you would think the opposite,but thats why you will see the guy doing 105kmh,but when a hill comes like the dipper near mittagong,slow lane on the inside,the single pulls away from me,but on the flat i go past him again.

Thats why b/doubles are safer than a single trailer,it has 20 more tonne is longer but it has a 2nd articulation point(turntable)they handle better around bends.As a b/double driver i go through a very strict medical every three years including clour blind tests,when you hit 50 you gotta have a medical every three years,b/doubles can only go on certain roads they are RAV restricted access vehicles that must stick to specific routes,i have to know the routes of every state & territory,if i get caught in a non b/double route its a $900 fine.

Funnily i went to renew my licence yesterday this time we can get 5 years before only 3 years,old duck made me do it again this time on another screen & with one eye covered,very strict trendsetters,we get away with very little,as i said dont believe the TT & ACA stitch ups,they are just looking for headlines..

One thing to remember about the dipper,car drivers always get in the outside lane,as us doubles go on the slow inside & the faster singles go up the middle,so put your foot down as when it goes back to 2 lanes at the top,the singles get over into your lane to give us doubles a hassle free run into the slow lane.As for 3 abreast yep it happens more on three laners in the city where the guy gets in early for a right turn,you get a few numbskulls but generally we try to get out of the way asap....tb

The truck at 105kmh is just the force,any tuck that does 115 on the flat will pass through the cameras too quick,that is the consistent speed the rta regard as suss,they will then inspect your truck to see if the limiter has been tampered with.

Here is a typical run for me from melb.syd.,leave somerton in a b/double around 50t gross,get to avenel in 1 hour,glenrowan 2 hours,the border in 3 hours,then into holbrook in 3h40m total have a leak,do a walk around the trailers to see that everything is good,fill up the billy have a sanga,do my logbook for 15 mins stop,i then get to gundagai in 5 hours driving time where i am required to have another 15 min.break(or 30 mins at holbrook).

The first camera went through was at table top just north of albury,the next camera is out the front of the BP at gundagai north,but im sweet i had 15 mins at holbrook,i get 1 h46m from albury(table top) to gundagai but must stop for 15 mins so i dont drive more than 5 hours in a 5h30m period.

I leave gundagai with my next 5 hour period just started(sydney 4 hours away) the next camera is the marulan weighbridge,the camera time from the gundagai to the weighbridge is 2h5m,but because i had 15 minutes after going through both cameras i got no worries,but heres where lots get caught,at marulan(cameras are right across thehighway so you cant do a runner.)every heavy vehicle must go down whats called the screening lane so even if the bridge is closed everyone gets phtographed.

So if its open & you are naughty you got 200 or so metres to go where the rta put up an arrow to come in or arrow back to highway,they got technology now in that 200m before the arrow,if you get red flagged they bring you in for the full monty,licence logbook check.so im sweet i go back out to the highway.

The next & last camera is the cameras on the bridge at bargo,you get 45 m & the only one where if i run off the dipper im usually right on 45m,from mittagong to the bargo camera its all down hill so you have to watch your clock carefully.thats how its done legally with no dramas...as for the pacific your times are always pretty right as you got lot of towns to go through...on the f3 coming up to the newcastle link road always sit on a 100,bluey sits there most nights looking for customers...tb

 

[tigerboi]

If you said 120 instead 102 I would be more inclined to believe you.
Since you said 102 all I can say is - Yea right.

Mate you dont know what you are talking about,go have a look at my latest post regards speed limiters,tell me where you see trucks doing 120kmh consistently???you wont see it on the flat,off hills maybe.
you are like alot of people that dont understand the regulations we go through,you watch the TT & ACA stitch ups & think that is the norm,not the case...

all trucks are speed limited & cannot do 120kmh on the flat anywhere,any truck caught 3 times at the 115kmh suss speed is deregistered...

Take it from a professional heavy vehicle driver,you are talking out of your ring hole...tb

 

[tigerboi]

Well the law says to drive to conditions, speed limit is only an upper guide. We live on a very narrow road with a crest. Every time we pull out of our driveway is scary. Cannot see if anyone is coming and when they do always a brake squealing event. Need a second person to wave the coast clear.

Do you drive your car in or back it in?as a truck driver i always back it in anywhere i go,if you can...best coming out frontways,get into the habit & you will find you are a better driver for it...tb

 

[cuttlefish]

Tigerboi there is a lot in your attitude that seems to imply you have some kind of right as a truck driver to drive in a way that is intimidating to others because of the precious value of your payload and the delivery times.

Trucks have no right to intimidate and tailgate anybody - regardless of the speed they are doing - and especially not a P plater doing 90 - they are forced to drive this speed by the idiots that make the laws and they are already uncomfortable on the road so intimidating them is only creating an accident risk. (I still can't believe the bureaucratic twits that come up with this stuff which just endagers the lives of P platers imo).

Completely agree about the overtaking lane stuff - why people speed up then slow down again is beyond me and it happens so consistenly.

In relation to trucks never exceeding 100km/h I've done a lot of highway driving for a variety of reasons both work and recreational, at different times of day and night and inside and outside of holiday periods and find it hard to believe this is true, but for now I'll take your word for it and see if I can find some concrete examples of speeding for you next time I'm out of town and report back.

 

[Birdster]

Okay... another PP about truck drivers (sorry TB).

Exhaust brakes in my residential area, where up the road at the top of the slight incline, a sign asks to "please" limit exhaust braking.

I have to believe that at least one of these things happen here;

1. The driver likes the sound of his/her exhaust brakes.

2. The driver has no regards for road signs with the word "please".

3. There is a club of P platers constantly doing a loop of my hood causing truck drivers to use their exhaust brakes to the extreme limit that you would think the truck is going to stall!

Having said that, I used to drive a 12T metro and would get upset that drivers (in cars) would assume that the space I was leaving in front of my cab to the next car was for them, when in fact it was my safty zone/ speed up area as not to hold up the other drivers behind me.

I think you, TB, can identify with both there.

 

[Bill M]

A week ago I drove back from Queensland to Sydney on the Pacific Highway. I was doing 110 KPH in the few areas that we were permitted too. On at least 3 occasions I had to pull off the right lane whilst I was overtaking because a semi was tailgating me. They wouldn't have been more than 2 metres off my rear end. They passed me doing at least 112 to 115 KPH. They were pretty much on flat roads. They can have as many cameras as they like but the truckies all know where they are so there is no need for them to adhere to speed limits where there aren't any. As far as I am concerned it is really dangerous driving so much so that I had to break the 110 KPH speed limit just so I could get out of their way. Why the tailgating, it's just so bloody dangerous.