As part of Truck Week, road safety advocate and truck driver Rod Hannifey shares his top tips for motorists when sharing the road with trucks.
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CARS INCREASING SPEED WHEN A TRUCK ATTEMPTS TO OVERTAKE
This happens in two situations. Firstly, on two lane highways where a truck has caught up to a car and then moves out to overtake, the car sometimes inadvertently increases speed, lessening the space available and increasing the distance and risk involved.
Secondly, where a truck may have followed a car travelling at 85 - 95 km/hr waiting for a safe place to pass only to reach the passing lane and the car accelerates to 100 km/hr only to slow to its original speed when back in one lane.
Rather than frustrating the truck driver, particularly on flat terrain where he can maintain the legal speed limit, consider allowing him to pass safely and be on his way. You don't want him to be continually behind you and he doesn't want to be seen to be tailgating.
Also, in some instances such as when traffic queues up behind slower traffic, other drivers will take risks in overtaking. By sharing the road and considering others you improve your own safety and that of other road users.
A heavy vehicle, due to its slower acceleration and speed limiting restriction, has far fewer overtaking opportunities than the average car.
In the past, many truck drivers would move over on steep hills and flash you past with the right indicator, but now this has been deemed illegal and even flashing a left indicator to say it is not safe to pass could be frowned upon. However, where any driver assists you, a simple wave of thanks goes a long way.
ROAD SPEED
This covers the hazards of:
4.1 - Slow moving tractors on country roads, with no rear vision mirrors, can't see and often can't hear the traffic approaching behind them.
4.2 - Large farm equipment in convoy on major highways only have a front pilot vehicle and few make any attempt to assist highway traffic by using CBs to improve safety and reduce risk and frustration.
4.3 - Traffic travelling below the speed limit - we offer a plea to them to consider all other traffic and, with trucks, please remember we can't just accelerate past like another car can.
4.4 - Slow moving trucks on hills - more passing lanes would help but some start too late and or finish too early and traffic is held up behind different size trucks passing others. All I can offer is that we are doing the best we can and a little bit of patience and a friendly wave is better than stressing out.
4.5 - Speed limiting in trucks - the engine does not provide power above 100 km/hr though downhill gravity will allow the vehicle to exceed 100 km/hr. In passing a car or another truck once you reach 100, there is no more acceleration. However, it does allow us to maintain a perfect 100 on flat ground where a car may drift from 95 to 105 and this can be why a truck seems to be continually catching up. All new trucks over 12 tonne are required to be speed limited. The transport industry is aware of the problem with a few speeding trucks. The new 3 strikes legislation, now valid in all states, provides authorities with the capacity to de-register a truck fined for exceeding 115 km/hr 3 times, no matter who was driving the vehicle, the owner or anyone else.