You do have very good points to use the rail system the wait time would be longer because goods have to be unloaded from trian and onto trucks then to the customer where as road transport the load goes on truck and then straight to customer. alot of trucks these days have GPS in them which tells the boss where you are and how fast you are going and if the company is safety orientated they will call that driver and tell them to slow down if they are speeding (fonterra do this), some companies even speed limit the trucks to stop thier drivers from going over the 90kph speed limit.
I do admit I have seen truckies breaking the road rules too and one day they will get their fingers burnt as there is no need for anyone to speed especially in a vehicle with a high center of gravity like a truck. I for one do indicate at all intersections, I do wait for the right gap in the traffic if cars are behind me tooting and getting impatient they can just wait because there is no need to take unnecessary risks and try to barge your way through traffic.
footplate1,
Mar 11, 6:05am
I don't have a quarrel with the sentiments of this comment.I sense this writer is a good driver.But some truck drivers are not blameless.
Ths cutting-in thing - if truck drivers stuck to their legal speed, over taking drivers would not feel that they have to return to the left of the road sooner than safety dictates.Most don't want to be hung out to dry by being caught doingover 100 kph by an approaching cop.And so they cut back too soon.A truck over-taking another truck on scarece passing lanes is an other aggravation to motorists.
Drove to Napier and back, last week.Yes, there were high-speed trucks and yes, dairy drivers driving on size making them seem immune to injury.But the worst offence was one of those clowns - in a car - continuing to over-take even though the passing lane was long ended.
BTW Nice to see a reduction in the number of truck-drivers using their indcators to greet their mates.A dangerous night-time practice.
splinter67,
Mar 11, 6:13am
These are awesome I towed a set of trailers with a stainless steel panel on the back. I had a lot less idiots following with their lights on full beam
splinter67,
Mar 11, 6:21am
your first point is correct truck drivers are not blameless. Your second point is stupid do you expect trucks not to pass each other get real Your third point how fast are these so called high speed trucks! If you cant pass safely without a passing lane you should go back and learn to drive and how is using your indicator to wave at your mates a dangerous practice
dunwoody,
Mar 11, 7:07am
Anyone who has a truck on , regardless of rights and wrongs, must be mentaiy dead. They are bigger, heavier, legaly as fast and driven by profesionals. Might is right , forget your high principals, and accept the fact.
ally-oop,
Mar 11, 7:27am
and you dangerously/distractingly inconvenienced the vast majority of drivers (all those WITHOUT their headlights on high beam).
ally-oop,
Mar 11, 7:33am
if you have to ask what is dangerous about using a visual signal which warns other drivers that you're about to change lanes/turn when you aren't-along with your moronic praise of highly reflective surfaces facing other vehicles, tells me that you shouldn't be driving anything.
splinter67,
Mar 11, 7:34am
If that was the case it would be illegal to have them and btwstainless steel has been used on trailers since the 80s
supernova2,
Mar 11, 8:01am
OMG I'm going to be busy today removing all the chrome rear bumpers from my old cars.Not!
ally-oop,
Mar 11, 8:48am
my 70's falcon also has a (fairly large) chrome rear bumper, however, i'm not talking about something relatively small and too contoured to be directly reflective, i'm talking about a large, tall, FLAT sheet panel with is purely decorative (and therefore completely unnecessarily distracting)
ally-oop,
Mar 11, 8:54am
they should be illegal and probably will be eventually and actually it's only recently that they are being used in any numbers (i strongly suspect it's a case of 'monkey see-monkey do' by people who are easily amused and basic enough to be attracted to shiney things (not that dissimilar to the many little lights draped across the fronts of cabs of trucks-although at least these aren't dangerous/distracting)i guess i would've found this stuff attractive.when i was 5.
ally-oop,
Mar 11, 8:56am
sorry to get my whinge on lol but while we're at it, another bloody annoying and similarly distracting thing when you're following them is the SUPER BRIGHT fog tail lights on some (mostly euro) cars that's also creeping in lately
floscey,
Mar 11, 8:58am
To all the truckies who think they are driving a car , "BACK OFF" your 2 feet off my rear bumper tryin to do90 in and 80 zonein a vehicle (with container ) that wont stop in the same distance as a car.
please use above formula and apply to yor following distances.
theram1,
Mar 11, 9:51am
When I was doing runs to Auckland I would leave a four second gap between me and the vehicle in front. You guessed it my safety gap was continually filled by cars. Auckland driver suck big time.
It is simple, outside of work time they are car drivers, and when back in the truck they have forgotten to turn their brains back on.
franc123,
Mar 11, 7:44pm
Yes but is wait time REALLY that much of a problem!The issue with why some truckies are willing to take risks on the roads is because the road transport industry has too many companies trying to undercut each other both in costs and in delivery times. With the exception of highly perishable goods there is NO GOOD reason for putting ridiculous time constraints on drivers transporting most goods.I knew when I posted that someone would come up with the double handling argument re sending goods by rail, which is perfectly valid, but if rail was utilised correctly it would have to be far more economic than sending dozens of trucks between say Auckland and Christchurch that are all carrying goods going to the same place, or several places in close proximity to each other.One or two diesel locos will use far less fuel doing that job than two dozen trucks, and with one driver!We seem to live in a society now where nobody plans ahead any more and expect goods shipped from anywhere to anywhere to take overnight and jump up and down when we don't get it, and still moan about freight costs.There needs to be a realignment of expectations on the part of EVERYBODY.
ally-oop,
Mar 11, 8:50pm
very valid!
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