Top Five Pet Hates …..
Motorists ….. what are your top five “pet hates” with regard to sharing the road with trucks?
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November 6th, 2007 at 5:24 pm
1. Trucks that tailgate (because it’s damn hard to get that emblem imprint out of the paint work of my car boot)
2. Truckies without a sense of humour.
3. Trucks that lose tyre tread when you’re behind.
4. Truckies with the finger in the vertical position.
(are they turning right or left?)
5. Truckies that look puzzled and confused when you give them right of way!
November 7th, 2007 at 8:47 am
you know me mate dont you you just sumed me up in the 5th answer
November 8th, 2007 at 2:52 pm
1. There are not enough big banger Kenworths
2. There are too many Macks
3. There are too many Volvos
4. There are too many Scanias
5. There are too many Ivecos
November 9th, 2007 at 9:37 am
Can someone ask the two major parties the following:” If elected what percentage of the fuel excise you will collect will be spent on upgrading our inadequate roads”.
November 9th, 2007 at 8:03 pm
Ok, you asked for it, here are mine (driven from behind a desk!)
1. stuck behind one on the F3 in the wet
2. merging from 2 - 3 lanes at the top of the F3 Big Dipper in peak hour (although this is being rectified)
3. truck blowouts on the F3 with rubber spread across 3 lanes
4. trucks in Ballina
5. truckies who think their job is iconic, sheesh, you drive a truck for christ sake, get over it (if you had gotta a proper education, you wouldn’t be listening to the rubbish on the UHF night after night, after damn night!)
November 10th, 2007 at 9:41 am
Is this the John Mc that I know?
November 10th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
Hey John Mc;
Re point number 5
5. truckies who think their job is iconic, sheesh, you drive a truck for christ sake, get over it (if you had gotta a proper education, you wouldn’t be listening to the rubbish on the UHF night after night, after damn night!)
My youngest brother earns about $80,000 a year driving a B Double up and down the Hume Highway 5 nights a week. He doesn’t load or unload and often someone else has fueled it before he gets to work.
Who’s a dumb uneducated bugger? Not him thats for sure.
November 10th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
John….dude I have to agree with you…Being a truck driver is no different from someone who goes to work at a milk bar. We must accept the job for what it entails and if you can’t, then get out. However, I must disagree with the proper education component. Some of us may not be academics, just like some people aren’t a physical job kind of person. It doesn’t make us stupid, and I know that you’re not implying that, all it means is that we may be smarter in other areas where other people are not.
November 10th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
GerDay John Mc,
Now I KNOW you have a sense of humour! Before this comment, I merely thought so, but now you’ve confirmed it with the following comment.
“5. truckies who think their job is iconic, sheesh, you drive a truck for christ sake, get over it (if you had gotta a proper education, you wouldn’t be listening to the rubbish on the UHF night after night, after damn night!)”
Some of us ARE quite well educated. I, for example, have rudimentary skills derived from formal education. There are far more out there, driving trucks, who have quite staggering CV’s.
Now. Let us examine this.
I drive my truck. I am responsible for this ONE vehicle (rather than a fleet of, say, 100). I do my job with pride and properly. I do ALL that I can, within the limitations of my responsibility to ensure it runs profitably. I do NOT find loads, I do not grease, repair or maintain it. I drive with due care and try to keep the truck safe, the public safe and myself safe. At the end of the shift/week/whatever, my responsibility ends there.
If it has been unprofitable due to factors beyond my control, I can do nothing about it. That is the responsibility of MANAGEMENT.
I work hard, whilst I am at work. I do the job correctly.
I am NOT, however, on call 24/7. If there is a problem with a customer (other than that which I can resolve locally), it is management’s problem. If a driver (other than myself) stuffs up it is HIS problem and MANAGEMENT’S problem.
As a senior driver, I can advise my co-workers, but I do NOT have the responsibility of managing them. That is a management problem.
If the truck has done too many empty Kms - not my problem. That is management’s problem.
In short, I do my job effectively and efficiently, then go home. For this I earn probably as much or more than the poor bugger in allocations, with 1/10th the stress levels.
I have been in management. Nah! Bugger that. Let those who are “educated” have the stomach ulcers.
Me? I will be happy just being dumb!
Oh. By the way. I turn the UHF OFF and prefer to use ham radio.
Want to know more? Just ask me! Hahahahahaha
Kindest Regards
Indy
November 11th, 2007 at 4:12 pm
I would like to agree witht he fact that the road is there to share, while in anything there is stand outs and not so, the transport industry is no different, for the amount of people involved and employed in the industry the majority of drivers and staff are excellent, there is the odd one and we need to get to them and address these issues.
I family was involved in a orrific car / truck accident in 1988 and shaped my way to make a difference through correct education and imparting knowledge.
Would like to see more working agreements and partnerships to increase the awareness and importance of safety training, while we are quick to point the finger we need to work on consulation not confornation.
I have sent in several emails in the past and received little feedback, I am not sure if this is because we transportaustralia.com.au are a national focus, however we seem to be working towards like outcomes.
Ben
November 12th, 2007 at 8:00 pm
hi all, academic education i think is over rated, for example. go and join the nsw police, if you dont have an hsc you do a transition to policing studies course(3 months and 90 bucks) then you start the associate degree inn policing practice(all up about 9000 bucks and a couple of years as well as 34 weeks without pay while you are at the academy)then you go and spend another 5 years on bugger all pay till you get to senior constable only then do you start earning around decent money and even the it is still about 20 000 less per year then you earn driving trucks and you have to put up with drunks, druggos, domestic situations and paperwork that is as tall as your waist.and then after all that if you want to get a second job to supplement you income you must go through a paper trail to get permission from the police commissioner. so is it really worth paying for an eduction for all that along with the fact that every second tom dick and harry now has a uni degree because it is cool to go to uni these days therefore there is more competion in the employment market
marty
November 13th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
marty,where have ya been? we’ve been looking for you!
Have you been holidaying overseas fella.
I wouldn’t mind going to UNI,chase all those young sheilas but they would have to give me a head start and that would have to be down hill.
Dave
November 19th, 2007 at 10:41 pm
gday dave, nah mate just been busy mate chasin the white lines on the black stuff and i am just about ready to retire i think. i got back to my house(expensive storage shed, coz christ knows thats all i use it for, i dont live in it!!!) and couldnt find it i forgot the way home! hey i wish i knew you 2 years ago you could have gone to uni for me. as you can see i aint much chop writing them essays. anyways have i missed much? talk to you all later i am going to go and get some sleep
November 21st, 2007 at 12:54 pm
Marty, ya doin’ fine. Hey! I’m no Einstein myself.
I come through the old State School system. It takes all kinds to run this bloody ol’ world and we do our best.
Mate if we were all academics it would be a boring place.
Went to a seminar once,sat in amongst some brainiacs and couldn’t understand what the damn hell they were talking about.
Ending up retiring to the bar and talking to the barmaid at least I got some intelligent conversation even if she was a woman[blonde at that].
I understand everything that you truckies are saying and I’m taking it on board.
MY ol’man used to say[when I was a whippersnapper]“any job is worth doing as long as you do it well”,bless his tough old hide.
Keep safe.
Dave[old buggar-class 48]1948 not 1848
February 25th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
Education doesnt weigh into the situation.Hey i finished VCE got offered uni positions and was in the Navy.But at the end of the day im happy driving my truck.thats what i do what makes ME happy!everyone else can have all the education they want!If that makes them think there better than un-educated truck drivers well then good on them they can sit in their high chair and preach all they want.
June 11th, 2008 at 1:06 am
My 5 pet hates:
1. Cars that cut off trucks.
2. Cars that turn in front of trucks with no indication.
3. Cars that stop suddenly without brakelights.
4. Cars that try and sneak up on the left of the trucks when they have to take a wide berth turning left. (or right in that manner)
5. Cars that try and ‘race’ you to get in before the ‘form 1 lane’ starts, then abuse the truck driver for not giving way!
June 11th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
Back to the question up top
Top Five Pet Hates
1 Not sharing the road this will stir things up
2 While your over taking, driving to close to the
person your are passing
3 Not allowing every body to use the road, after all it is there for all to use, even if they are going slow
4 Blowing the horn, when your just beside or behind the person you are passing
5 Not Giving the cyclist a go after all i am one and i am sure that some one you know rides a pushbike
6 I am waiting for it, Smile while your writing your response, happy motoring
June 11th, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Hi all. I’m a virgin at this so please be gentle on me. I just have to write and say to all the “un-educated” truckies out there “keep on truckin’” to the cowboys “get a life (or give a life)! I have an expensive (still paying for it) university degree and am currently working as a perioperative nurse. I also hold a HC licence (I think it cost me $6.50 when I got it!) so who’s the bunny??? I am seriously considering going full time truck driving at the moment. I come from a family of terrific truckies and it saddens me when the professional drivers get hung, drawn & quartered with the cowboys. I have on several occasions over the years been almost run off the road, tailgated and almost run into by CAR drivers. I have NEVER had the same experience with heavy vehicles. Yes there are too many deaths from heavy vehicle accidents. I don’t think anyone will argue with that but lets look at the real reasons and fix them not just bag the truck drivers. Road conditions, uneducated, dangerous car drivers, supposed fatigue management programs that say drivers must stop & sleep when they are NOT tired (how many actually sleep) in order to keep driving when they ARE! Our bodies and body clocks are all different but we try and make blanket rules for everyone to follow. Where is the sanity in that?
Anyway I will get down off my perch now and just remind people who think truckies are “uneducated” that most of them are graduates of the “University of Life” where they get the best reality education. I LOVE TRUCKIES!!
June 14th, 2008 at 5:24 pm
5. truckies who think their job is iconic, sheesh, you drive a truck for christ sake, get over it (if you had gotta a proper education, you wouldn’t be listening to the rubbish on the UHF night after night, after damn night!)
“HERE HERE!!!”
June 30th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
1. People who will not travel at the posted speed limit when on a single lane road, yet will do whatever is nessesary to stay infront when there is a chance to pass them. This is one of the biggest problems the we truck drivers encounter day in day out. Whilst I don’t condone tailgating 99% of the time people bring on themselves.
2. People that overtake you then slow to a speed that is less than what you were originally travelling at or pass you, cut infront of you to make a left turn. (especially when 9 times out of ten there is a huge gap between you and the vehicle behind.)
3. People that think that because there is a few small shrubs between the lanes that they don’t need to dip their highbeams.
4. Not giving way to trucks/buses when turning. (I actually had a woman follow me to my next delivery one day and abuse me telling me that I couldn’t use two lanes to make a left turn and when I tried to explain to her what the “Do nt overtake turning vehicle” sign meant, I was promptly called a ^$&#ing idiot and that she was going to report me the police. (Funny enough, I never heard from them.)
5. The vast misconception that all truckies are cowboys who are gassed up on drugs. I have been driving trucks for about ten years now and I dont know a single driver that uses drugs when driving.
Anyone in the industry knows there are a few cowboys out there but majority of drivers are professionals who do the right thing.
July 20th, 2008 at 11:18 am
yeah yeah im uneducated, so what big deal, ill bet i make more money per annum than you anyway dave, you sound like a proper tool with your dribble mate and the real satisfaction i get from knobs like you is knowing that you lie awake all night pissed off that you had to sit behind a truck on the way to work for a couple of minutes.
if having a education gives you the right to talk such bollocks then im glad im only a dumb truckie.
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:15 am
There’s that “attitude” thing rearing it’s ugly head again’ Let’s make em suffer, that’ll show em!
October 20th, 2008 at 11:06 am
I have to say: if, as is claimed by truckies themselves, there are so many uneducated drivers of massive juggernauts on our (co-owned) roads, how have they ever been able to pass a written (or even verbal) test? How were they ever able to put together and express a single coherent thought? And, if they ever did possess it, why has that capacity so obviously deserted them (as evidenced by many of the above letters)?
This is a very serious problem. In the absence of further evidence from the makers of Kellogg’s breakfast foods, I can only conclude that certain government agencies must have a lot to answer for.
The real answer to many of our problems on the roads is in fact better education for all! And that’s not having a shot at anyone, merely a constructive statement of fact. Remember, you’re never too old to learn.
By the way, take-home pay is no criterion and has nothing to do with anything. Just see what’s paid to our politicians!