The life of a truck driver

Dr_H_Lecter

just interested to know what the work of a truck driver is like. when i see these huge trucks (both rigid and artic) i wonder what it must be like to drive such a giant around (especially with the condition of some of the roads), also must be interesting to be so hated on small roads lol . must have some 'interesting' times.

Plug

change gear, change gear, change gear, change gear, look in the mirror, murder a prostitute, change gear, change gear, murder.

audismelly

Dr_H_Lecter wrote: »

just interested to know what the work of a truck driver is like. when i see these huge trucks (both rigid and artic) i wonder what it must be like to drive such a giant around (especially with the condition of some of the roads), also must be interesting to be so hated on small roads lol . must have some 'interesting' times.

memo to truck drivers= the white line is there for a reason ,please stay your own side ,if not possible ,choose an alternative road.

guil

i drive a mercedes bin truck, its bout 40 foot longand its a rigid, i start at 5 in the mornin and some nights dont finish till 7 or 8, the day we had the bad ice 2 weeks ago was 'interestin' alright

zilog_jones

http://www.eurotrucksimulator.com/

Yes, it actually exists!

Berty

I used to drive a DAF Rigid in and aroud Galway City and the real real back roads of County Galway. Also Limerick, Wesport but they were easy places.

Try Parallel parking a Rigid truck with only two mirrors, no reverse camera, no reverse alarm on Shop St in Galway in the dark and rain. You were only allowed park on the right and business owners used to park their own vehicles on the street until 11 and then used to move them. It was hell to get a space. Some used to push their wellie bins out. I used to push them back in. Taxis used this street when it was open as though it was a normal road and then used to blow the horn at the bin truck when it spent 40 minutes driving down the street. Oh the laugh I used to have at taxis when they were caught out.

Driving from Moycullen over the hill towards Spidall was a nightmare when the wind picked up. It is flat topped with no trees or hills or anything so the wind rushes up and slams the side of the truck. From the driving test they tell you that the Artic is even more stable than a Rigid. All I know is that sometimes I was concerned I was going to be flipped on the side.

Driving towards Clifden was fun when there was sheep. The road is suitably wide enough but the Yanks in their fiestas nearly dove into the ditches when they saw me coming. My friend drives an Artic and was driving this road at a very late hour in the morning and the horn was not working in the truck. A sheep was in the road. He had to get out to push/kick the sheep out of the way. Some Americans on their way to the airport stopped, pissed themselves and started taking photos.

Driving a truck is an experience especially when inside a DAF there is a sticker saying not to use the first gear. People who have never driven a truck would not be aware that mostly you move off from a dead stop in 2nd gear and trucks have something called a retarder which takes exhaust fumes and pumps then into the brakes when you lift your foot off the accelator. It aids in braking.

It was fun while I did it. Looking back now, I dont know how I did it delivering multi drops in Galway City. It is not truck friendly, let alone car friendly.

guil

ha tell me about it it does be a night mare sometimes tryin to get around an estate at 6 in the mornin and gob****es leave their cars parked on corners

groupb

quirke_folder wrote: »

I used to drive a DAF Rigid in and aroud Galway City and the real real back roads of County Galway. Also Limerick, Wesport but they were easy places.

Try Parallel parking a Rigid truck with only two mirrors, no reverse camera, no reverse alarm on Shop St in Galway in the dark and rain. You were only allowed park on the right and business owners used to park their own vehicles on the street until 11 and then used to move them. It was hell to get a space. Some used to push their wellie bins out. I used to push them back in. Taxis used this street when it was open as though it was a normal road and then used to blow the horn at the bin truck when it spent 40 minutes driving down the street. Oh the laugh I used to have at taxis when they were caught out.

Driving from Moycullen over the hill towards Spidall was a nightmare when the wind picked up. It is flat topped with no trees or hills or anything so the wind rushes up and slams the side of the truck. From the driving test they tell you that the Artic is even more stable than a Rigid. All I know is that sometimes I was concerned I was going to be flipped on the side.

Driving towards Clifden was fun when there was sheep. The road is suitably wide enough but the Yanks in their fiestas nearly dove into the ditches when they saw me coming. My friend drives an Artic and was driving this road at a very late hour in the morning and the horn was not working in the truck. A sheep was in the road. He had to get out to push/kick the sheep out of the way. Some Americans on their way to the airport stopped, pissed themselves and started taking photos.

Driving a truck is an experience especially when inside a DAF there is a sticker saying not to use the first gear. People who have never driven a truck would not be aware that mostly you move off from a dead stop in 2nd gear and trucks have something called a retarder which takes exhaust fumes and pumps then into the brakes when you lift your foot off the accelator. It aids in braking.

It was fun while I did it. Looking back now, I dont know how I did it delivering multi drops in Galway City. It is not truck friendly, let alone car friendly.

You might have been a good driver , but you're no mechanic. A retarder does'nt pump exhaust fumes anywhere near the brakes.

Berty

groupb wrote: »

You might have been a good driver , but you're no mechanic. A retarder does'nt pump exhaust fumes anywhere near the brakes.

Thats what the book said that came with the DAF. Im sure of it.

Still, whatever happened it assisted in the braking of the truck. I didnt like using it though because every time you just want to cruise in traffic it would hiss and put pressure on the braking system. It was only really useful at cruising/motorway driving.

guil

it wasnt puttin pressure on the brakin system its an exhaust brake, so slows the engine down

Berty

guil07 wrote: »

it wasnt puttin pressure on the brakin system its an exhaust brake, so slows the engine down

I got the exhaust bit in there anyway. I dont drive the truck anymore which is probably a good thing considering my limited knowledge.

guil

the merc i drive makes a really loud hissin noise when i turn on the exhaust brake but i drive a 08 volvo a bit aswell and that makes a really loud rumblin noise from the exhaust brake

Wishbone Ash

audismelly wrote:

memo to truck drivers= the white line is there for a reason ,please stay your own side ,if not possible ,choose an alternative road.

Displaying gross ignorance of the topic audismelly.

You may not be aware of it but a truck in a lot heavier, taller and longer than your audi. It is often necessary to move out to prevent the top of the trailer catching on lamp posts, telephone poles etc. where there is a camber on the road. Many roads have soft margins forcing trucks to stay away from the edge. Many roads have overhanging trees which may damage the body of the truck.

Alternative routes? What if there is no alternative route? Or if all the alternative routes are similar. If a delivery address is at the end of a narrow urban cul de sac, how would one select an alternative route?

quirke_folder wrote: »

Try Parallel parking a Rigid truck with only two mirrors, no reverse camera, no reverse alarm on

Parallel parking an articulated bus (66ft) at night in the rain is even more challenging!

quirke_folder wrote:

From the driving test they tell you that the Artic is even more stable than a Rigid.

Yes, it's much more comfortable than a rigid as the seperate trailer absorbs a lot of the swaying motion independent of the tractor.

Berty

audismelly wrote: »

memo to truck drivers= the white line is there for a reason ,please stay your own side ,if not possible ,choose an alternative road.

From Ballinasloe to Portumna there is a long stretch of road where a normal car cannot even fit between the verge and the white line. For some crazy reason the oncoming lane has about 70% of the road and the southbound lane only has the other 30%. It makes no sense but every single car must travel over the white line.

Or by your reckoning NOBODY should use the road.

guil

like wishbone says the size makes a big difference, takin corners aswell needs a wider swing

Biro

quirke_folder wrote: »

From Ballinasloe to Portumna there is a long stretch of road where a normal car cannot even fit between the verge and the white line. For some crazy reason the oncoming lane has about 70% of the road and the southbound lane only has the other 30%. It makes no sense but every single car must travel over the white line.

Or by your reckoning NOBODY should use the road.

Yes, but his is the typical small minded Irish attitude. Blame the truck drivers.
How about blaming the National Roads Athority? Have you seen some of the junctions they put on perfectly wide roads? Try negotiating an artic through some of them while keeping within the lines.
Civil Engineers who design new roads and junctions in this country should be forced to spend a day in the passenger seat of an Artic.

peasant

I've never driven a truck in this country, only a camper that is just as wide as a truck (but only 1/3rd of the length ) ...but every time I do I say to myself "I'd hate to be a truck driver here"

The state of some roads (national roads included) is unbelievable. It's like playing one of those silly video games where you have to avoid obstacles all the time.

- broken off edges
- soft verges
- leaning poles
- protruding signs
- overhanging trees
- massive potholes
- hanging cambers

and any possible combination of the above are by no means exceptions, but the rule.

Add to that impossibly narrow lanes, oncoming traffic with the same problems, ridiculously windy roads and it is a great credit to Irish truck drivers that there isn't a bad truck accident on every day of the week.

Cookie_Monster

peasant wrote: »

ridiculously windy roads .

Can't do much about the wind:P:D

Dr_H_Lecter

giant oversized bin lorry thing in my estate this morning - kids runnin round all over the gaff. hgv drivers must have nerves of steel. the size of these nippers, theyd only up be to you knee, leggin it round the place and jumpin out from behind cars. Cant imagine driving some behemoth of a yoke with them around.

mcwhirter

audismelly wrote: »

memo to truck drivers= the white line is there for a reason ,please stay your own side ,if not possible ,choose an alternative road.

That is correct when there is a white line present, have you driven around meath, there are not many.:D

Wishbone Ash

Dr_H_Lecter wrote: »

giant oversized bin lorry thing in my estate this morning

I doubt very much that it was oversized as that would be totally impractical.

There are specific regulations for the maximum dimensions and weight of trucks. Any truck which does not meet these regulations requires a special permit to travel on a public road and in extreme cases, a Garda escort.

I somehow doubt that any local authority or private waste collector would go through this hassle.

audismelly

mcwhirter wrote: »

That is correct when there is a white line present, have you driven around meath, there are not many.:D

well when they are there i think lorry drivers could do more to stay on there own side, just a pet hate. nra could improve the roads for sure, but that wont happen today or in the near future.

i just meet alot of lorrys on birr .athlone road , sum very polite , sum flaking it at 60mph over the white line.

as for the audi wishbone, they give me sum space ..when i had fiesta they would leave me to the ditch nearly:rolleyes:

guil

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I doubt very much that it was oversized as that would be totally impractical.

There are specific regulations for the maximum dimensions and weight of trucks. Any truck which does not meet these regulations requires a special permit to travel on a public road and in extreme cases, a Garda escort.

I somehow doubt that any local authority or private waste collector would go through this hassle.

the bin lorry i drive is 40 foot long and 8 foot wide

Wishbone Ash

guil07 wrote: »

the bin lorry i drive is 40 foot long and 8 foot wide

I suspect it's 8 feet 2 and a half inches wide (the standard width excluding mirrors .

I used to to a bit of driving for a particular company. One time they brought a driving assessor from the UK to do an evaluation of each driver. I was told that I was way too courteous to other drivers. I was told that I kept to my side of the white line in situations where I should not have. The assessor said that on the narrow roads where he assessed me, I should have been at least one foot over the white line as my vehicle was much wider than the cars I was meeting. He asked why cars which were two thirds of my width, should command 50% of the road.

guil

yeah probably is that
i couldnt believe the way i was told to drive when i was gettin lessons in a truck
the inrtructor used to say to, ur bigger make them move over

Wishbone Ash

guil07 wrote: »

i couldnt believe the way i was told to drive when i was gettin lessons in a truck
the inrtructor used to say to, ur bigger make them move over

Yup - "make the car driver do the work" was a mantra when I was doing the artic lessons around the northside.

And, of course, when making a left turn "have you done your muppet check"?

(muppet = car drivers who insist on going up the nearside when a truck is swinging out to make a left turn )

guil

yeah i know there is 3 sets of lights each side on the back of the bin lorries and they cant realise ur turnin left with all the indicators

peasant

If I had my way, I would make it compulsory for every car driver to get some HGV lessons, just for the experience.

Getting my HGV licence certainly made me a better car driver.

I'd stick every car driver on bike as well for a few lessons ...but that may prove somewhat more difficult ...what with no dual controls and all that

byrner88

zilog_jones wrote: »

http://www.eurotrucksimulator.com/

Yes, it actually exists!

taught it was good pity its only for an hour. any more simulators like this around?

Del2005

peasant wrote: »

If I had my way, I would make it compulsory for every car driver to get some HGV lessons, just for the experience.

Getting my HGV licence certainly made me a better car driver.

I'd stick every car driver on bike as well for a few lessons ...but that may prove somewhat more difficult ...what with no dual controls and all that

Basic drivers ed should cover this, if we ever get it. At least car drivers will realise that all truckers have passed at least 3 tests to get their licence and while there are some bad drivers there are bad drivers in all types vehicles.

The thing that p!ssed me off was the drivers would drive like an idiot to get in front of the truck and then crawl along.

guil

not saturday gone the week before i had a few hours work, was just finished and some sap ion a glanza overtakes me and start jammin on the brakes, it was wet out and the truck weighs 18 ton plus had another 12 in it, kept lockin up behind him then he would do 20-30 kmph, some people have no sense