Wide loads

[taff170]

I see my post was removed.

No further comment from me then.

[taff170]

Just looked again at this thread.

Gadget man, why have you removed my posts but none of the local militia?

This site is getting beyond a joke, but I wont be forced out.

Edited 21 October, 2012 by taff170

[gadgetman]

Your posts, along with some other members posts have been removed as rather than being about the topic were only to fight with each other.

[Lazy Daisy]

And I thought this was going to be about my bum

[meta55b]

Having been a truck driver in my last job I can understand why people get upset when caught behind larger slow moving vehicles, but to say these large loads should be done at night is a joke. How would you like it if people said you should only do your jobs at night??. Then for saying they should have pulled in that's even worse. To do that each of the three trucks would have to find a place each, so that means splitting up, there is no way the police or the gov traffic department is going to allow this. So as car drivers I think we just need to chill a bit, and we all have the same right to the road as the next vehicle.

[silver1011]

I don't mind either way, however if I was planning a journey in a vehicle that I knew was going to inconvienience a lot of other motorists (not just car drivers) then I would do my best to make that journey at a time when the roads were as quiet as possible.

Being patient, sitting back and admiring the scenary whilst enjoying the additional fuel economy for a few miles is fine, 30 miles at 40mph during peak times on a main arterial route is a different kettle of fish and I'd hope that common sense would prevail to prevent this happening.

I don't really buy the 'less safe' stance of moving an abnormal load during the hours of darkness. Assuming an escort is required then these vehicles sit well back from the abnormal load and are very well illuminated. Any issues with the lack of light / visibility is offset by the huge decrease in traffic on the road at night slashing the odds of there being a collision.

Road works that involve closing lanes are often done at night for this very reason, to prevent excessive delays to journey times and to improve the safety offered to those individuals working adjacent to live carriageways. Additional lighting is provided not just so that they can see what they are doing but to also help other road users see and avoid them. This effect is the same as the amber beacons, strobing LED's, reflective markings and fluorescent clothing used by those moving abnormal loads.

If it is infact the local authorities that dictate when and where the movements are made then I have learnt something through this thread and will be more sympathetic to the drivers/operators of abnormal loads.

Tractors, hmm, now there is a can of worms, I think I'll keep my mouth shut on that one!

[Dudeoli]

I didn't mean to start some massive arguements :p sorry everybody

I'm afraid I don't have a map in my car except on my phone and I was hoping that they would move off the A34 at some point and traffic would flow as usual. I don't really look at all the little signs for various little towns, and those I do remember the names of I certainly can't remember the order of. Also, looking on google, all the alternative routes would take me through towns, thus adding journey time and defeating the objective of changing route.

I couldn't win either way :'(

[KenONeill]

And I thought this was going to be about my bum

Well daisy, that's 3 of us who're prepared to say that we like your booty!

[KenONeill]

I don't really buy the 'less safe' stance of moving an abnormal load during the hours of darkness. Assuming an escort is required then these vehicles sit well back from the abnormal load and are very well illuminated. Any issues with the lack of light / visibility is offset by the huge decrease in traffic on the road at night slashing the odds of there being a collision.

I don't drive HGV, but I've been out in an escort wagon, and people apparently can't see us in broad daylight despite dipped headlights (us and load tractor) 4x pulsating amber beacons (us), 4x flashing amber beacons (tractor and load), 12 inch high wasp stripes on the loadbed and black on yellow signs 12 inches high reading "WIDE LOAD" (us and tractor). Exactly what chance do you think we have of being seen in the dark?

[Gizmo]

I came very close to decapitating a motor bike rider a few months back, my wide load was correctly marked up with flashing amber beacons, he saw none of it and it was only when he was 'filtering' past me (in heavy traffic) did he finally see the load and markings, braked hard and just about stayed on the bike!

Many motorists do not look, at night he would certainly of hit 'me'.

As for moving wide loads at night you then have the additional problem of the driver of the wide load not being able to see the load fully due to it being dark, what if he then hits something (building, bridge, road signs, traffic lights etc etc etc)? Think about the knock on effect that will have the following day when the road needs to be partially closed for repairs.

Surely the safest way to move anything that's abnormal is when it is daylight, when everyone has maximum visibility available to see the whole load?

It's not all about ME ME ME you know, take a step back and see what is being transported, it invariably will be something that will have a direct or indirect on your life:

Generator? you will moan if you have a power cut,

Farm machinery? moan when the crops cannot be harvested so you food bill goes up.

Train carriages? gets more people off the road, making them clearer for YOU.

Military vehicles? don't think I need to state the obvious here.

[meta55b]

Bet that biker s***t him self.

[silver1011]

As I mentioned there are pro's and con's of moving large loads during the day and during the night.

The best solution would be to not use the road network at all.

Any safety issues that would occur as a result of the reduced visibility at night could be off set by the reduced amount of traffic on the roads.

The load may be harder to see but there are less vehicles on the road to hit it.

This principle is applied to the vast majority of road repairs across the UK - most done during the night / early hours so I'm guessing the odds are stacked towards it being safer to move at night.

Concorde made part of its journey on a Saturday night from Heathrow to the National Museum of Flight in Scotland by road. I remember following the wings up the A1!

[meta55b]

Silver, till you have driving even a std HGV on the road you will never fully understand the night / day thing. If you cant transport by the road nework, how would you do it???. Think this topic could just keep on going round in circles.