Is road rage in the rise?
Media reports over the weekend have really gone to town on what is being labelled as rising conflict between grey nomads and truckies.
The ABC was among the broadcasters to highlight what it said was a ‘growing issue on highways across the country’.
“There are tensions on Australia’s northern highways as a growing number of sun-chasing grey nomads compete for road space with truck drivers who are working to meet deadlines,” it reported.
There have apparently even been reports of road rage incidents between truckies and grey nomads and of nasty accidents. The key problem, of course, is that truckies are generally on a deadline … and travellers basically aren’t.
The ABC also spoke to veteran truckie, Marty Baldwin, who said he had certainly noticed more grey nomads heading further north than they used to, and in better vehicles.
“While some of the driving has got better, inconsistent speeds is a big thing,” he said. “They’ll be travelling along, plodding along at a consistent 80km/h, and they’ll see us coming up behind them and they’ll all of a sudden slow down or they’ll panic and take off … it does make it hard to do an overtaking manoeuvre.”
Mr Baldwin said a UHF radio and extension mirrors were crucial for safe overtaking and pulling over.
“We are professional operators, and we are not going to put you in a situation that’s going to intimidate you, or anything like that, so just don’t panic,” he said. “Maintain your position and speed on the road, and we’ll sit back and make a judgement about when it is safe to make a manoeuvre.”
However, grey nomads Peter and Barbara Alcock said the fact that they were ‘just toddling along’ sometimes made it difficult.
“We are conscious of the truckies trying to get their job done, and we try to be respectful, because they’re at work and we’re not,” Mr Alcock told the ABC. “Often you can’t pull over because of the road, so you can feel them wanting to push along a bit, and maintain their 100 kilometres per hour … it can be tricky.”
Not all Grey Nomads are super adept at towing, not all Truckies are “Professional” drivers and not all road conditions are the same. That said, respectful communication both ways will always help.
We spend 2 – 6 months of the year travelling the Hi Way’s and Bye Way’s although the Hi Ways are avoided when ever possible. When we are on the Hi Ways we try to maintain a constant speed, usually 90 – 95 and of course keep an eye on the following traffic.
I have a “Heavy Rigid” truck license so I’m a bit familiar with what these guys have to deal with and what seems to work for us is that if we do have a truck of some description “chasing us down”, I maintain our speed and I try to make “eye contact” with the driver, and then when he or she decides “the time is right”, and pulls out we keep left but without dropping off the hard top and take my foot of the accelerator so that out speed starts to drop off, occasionally I might lightly apply the brakes to bring our speed down a little quicker if necessary. Then when I’m happy that he or she is safely past us, a quick flash of our headlights or a call on the UHF radio lets the truck driver know that all is good for them pull back in.
Now I know that they are professionals and should know how long their trucks are, and shouldn’t need to be told when it’s safe to pull in, it’s just showing that we are willing to give them a go as they are just “doing their job”.
Also, on the subject of trucks, I don’t think that there is a lack of parking bays for them on most Hi Ways, I think it’s more the case that they have a schedule to maintain which are sometimes un reasonable. Certainly the wayside stops that we over night in when travelling these roads, could not accommodate them simply because of their size.
Cheers Sundy
It`s not my road and it`s not your road, it`s ours to share in a safe manner.
I have a radio set on channel 40. When a truck is behind me and their is no safe area for it to overtake me I let the truckie know that I am aware of their presents.
When a safe place for them to over take I make sure that they can overtake and I back off if needed.
Don`t slow down when they are behind you as they loose revs and can`t speed up as quick.
99% of truckies do the right thing.
A few day ago I was traveling down the Pacific highway south of Ballina without a caravan in an 80Km zone and sitting on 80 ks, I was following a truck and had a Semi sitting on me tail. Its idiots like him that cause accidents.
When we got to the speed camera on the northern side of Wardell he backed off then he was right on my tail again.
The highway from Wardell to Broardwater is 100 kph but almost of it is double lines and no where to overtake.
Agree with your comments Phillip, however there is a small minority of drivers on both side of the camp who show no consideration to other road users.
Well send Sundy, you are absolutely correct, as an ex trucky from many years gone I too follow those simple rules you discuss above. I do think that there are many on both sides of this debate that need to review their behaviours, however in general terms majority of both truckies and GN most are obliging courteous drivers. If everyone stopped and analysed the stats and take into account the amount of trucks, cars and actual Kms driven over this great land the percentage of incidents are pretty minimal, let’s not over analyse these stats.
The problem is our so called highways are not suitable for the volume of traffic now on them. If major highways like the Bruce and Newell were dual carriage ways then those of us not in a hurry could stay in the left allowing other vehicles a passing lane at all times. We also try to keep to the byways and avoid the highways as much as possible.
Personally I feel with the ABC, needing a rating boost have cranked up the age old story of ‘US versus Them yet again.’
In today’s terms with most travellers now on CB Ch 40, communication between both parties has made the road a safer place for everyone.
I just crack a joke when they are coming up too fast by saying things like- ‘Sorry mate I am peddling this old girl as fast as I can!’ Their usual reply comes back as” no harm no foul, if I don’t get you on this hill, I will get you on the next one, take care and have a great day.”
A little kindness on both sides goes a long way…….
My only problem with UHF 40 is the constant foul language.
Out of the cities there is not as much foul language, there are little ears in these 4 wheel drives
I agree. I am not ones for making jokes, but when I see a truck coming up behind me, I call them and say “let me know when you want to come around and I will back off a bit for you”. A bit of common courtesy goes a long way.
We have a road here called the great ocean drive and it’s shocking for crashes it’s a beautiful road yet the carnage keeps going I think it’s beca impatients drivers crossing double white lines not just by trucks but by the cars I generally don’t have any problems with trucks when towing generally drop my speed when they are overtaking and slow down in the left lane on the overtaking lanes
I think respect and commonsense go hand in hand when using our roads and it doesn’t matter either way if you are a truckie or a grey nomad. It helps if you have a cb radio to communicate with each other though. Grey nomads weren’t always grey nomads and need to be respected for their years of driving and their contribution to the community in what ever field they were employed.
You can’t really do 100 when towing a van some roads only 80 or less it wrech your van. However when a passing lane comes up I pull over and slow down so everyone can pass. I haven’t had any problems with trickiest the always pull right out away from the van going in either direction. Unfortunately we all have to share the road and the all have to be TOLLERANT
Totally agree Pauline that 100kph is not always possible. We have a motorhome on an Isuzu truck and we do 100 on flat smooth roads. For many roads we do not have enough power to do 100. Also it is way too rough on so many of our roads. The big semi trailer rigs can have up to 600 hp and air ride cabs and seats etc. We do all we can to let them pass asap. However I no longer leave my uhf on 40. We have been abused one too many times, and just dont need the stress. Plus we are over some truckies “bagging” caravaners and motorhomers. I agree most are pretty good, but some are just plane rude.
I totally agree listened on the cb to two truckies totally abuse a caravanner who they said slowed down going up a hill. I just hoped that person was not on the radio as the language and abuse was disgraceful and quite upsetting to hear
It’s simple you just follow the road rules,
All year we hear from the police to slow down and take in the conditions of the road and environment when setting your speed. There is no flashing your lights or pulling over in the road rules and I have no intention to pull to the side of road where their is a chance to damage my tyres or drive into a hidden ditch..
Truck drivers and those who want to push the speed limits under all conditions just have to learn slow vehicles are part of the traffic using the highways today.
Well said Mike
There is no mandatory minimum speed on our roads truck drivers have to understand this and ok to do under the maximum speed it msybe frustrating when you get caravaners in front of you but your a professional just another day in the office if your time schedule is so tight it should be changed
The speed limit is exactly that, an upper limit on the maximum speed that is allowed, it is not a mandatory speed.
As a follow up if I may?, and from somebody who has not only driven trucks for a living but has been travelling Aust, for at least 6 months every year for the last 20 years, not to mention all the family trips prior to retirement
We have also been on our major Qld. coastal Hi Ways, on “more than one occasion” (all though now we more often than not avoid it, because Highway ??????), and travel the inland routes or minor roads if possible.
BUT, it has not been un common when on this highway ???, for us to come up on a vehicle with caravan in tow and their speeds varying between 75, 80 & 90+ km’s/h, and I by that I don’t mean that they are at a constant 75 or 80 or what ever speed speed but have literally been at 75 one minute & then up to 85 – 90 the next before dropping back to 80, then up to 85 and so on.
I think you’ve got the picture?, but what the most annoying thing is, and must drive the “heavy haulers” insane (not to mention your’s truly), is that as soon as a designated overtaking lane becomes available, the right foot of the afore mentioned indecisive drivers seems to gain confidence and away they go right to the maximum, only to drop back to normal “varying” speed when the “Highway” reverts back to a “normal ??” road.
Right,
thank you for putting up with that lot, I feel much better now and maybe a few of you agree.
Cheers Sundy
I must admit, I am tired of people who do just that – speed up in the overtaking lane so you can’t get passed, then going back to chugging when the lane is over. That’s a phenomena I have never understood, but it happens each time I venture out on the highways.
Speeding up in the left lane is common with cars NOT towing vans. It’s widespread, and very annoying and selfish.
Sundy, I’ve regularly seen the same and I’ve only ever heard from people who would never do that.
So perhaps it’s a function of these forums in that the people who drive badly while towing never read the articles/comment on them.
I see poor behaviour all the time on roads just as I see litter everywhere, even at campsites in the remotest areas and yet I’ve never read a comment or spoken to someone who has said, “yep, I do that”.
Totally agree. My husband is a MC driver with 50 years experience and he loathes the caravan driver toddling along at 70 to 80ks an hour. They then slow down to look at something and then accelerate again, waving all over the road. We tow a 22 ft off road van with a Sahara Landcruiser and sit on a safe and steady speed of usually 95 + depending on road conditions. If we see a truck coming we communicate via UHF and let them know we will call them past when safe. Overtaking lanes are for overtaking, so let the big guys thru. Also van drivers in convoy, please leave a big space between your companions, so that trucks can pass you and slip into the gap. You can still communicate with your companions via CB or UHF if you feel lonely. If you have a vehicle that can’t tow at a reasonable speed or you don’t feel confident enough to do it, go change your car or get lessons on how to tow. You are a danger on the road
I agree with you heather, see my my submission as the Bomber!!!
Wrong ! People need to drive at a speed to suit the environment conditions, their capabilities and their rigs capabilities. My heavy vehicle motorhome can tow many hundreds of tonnes but its not fast. It can do 80k/hr max and will slow to about 60k/hr on the hills. Thats life. Road users need to get used to this.
The problem for me is that I get tarred with the same brush. I can only do a maximum speed of 80 on the flat, and it just dies on the hills. I always do my best to get the truckies past on the radio, and in the outback with road trains I mostly have good experiences. It’s on the east coast and anywhere near cities it gets more difficult and the abuse flows. I was deliberately run off the road by an impatient truckie about 10 years ago. There is a lack of places everywhere in this country to pull over, it just is not that easy when towing. Now I have a dash cam, so everything is recorded.
Typical ABC stirring the pot in an anticlockwise direction.
Agreed Gavan. Divide and conquer is one of the oldest strategies. Why worry about Russian bots heating up both sides of ANY issue on social media when our own news outlets and bureaucrats do it for them. Common sense and common courtesy are becoming scarce attributes.
The other agenda could be to manufacture a need for increased regulation with commensurate fees from road users of all types to support more bloated bureaucracy….
There’s an old saying about Journalists Gavin; “never let the facts get in the way of a good story.” Another was a saying from my grandfather; “Don’t believe everything you hear and only about half what you see.”
There needs to be more consideration of road usage on both sides. In saying that, I always try to show respect for the Truckies as they are at work, and Im on holidays. However, when there is a UHF Radio sign on the back of your Van-Rig, Caravaners-Grey nomads, here is a big tip, make sure yourve got the CB turned on so as the Truckie can communicate with you.On that note, I would sit on Ch 40 but unfortunately, because of the constant bad language, my wife does not have to cop, I sit on the caravanners channel 18. That means the Truckie has to contact me if he needs to. With all this said, there is good and bad on both sides, but I firmly beleive that every caravaner should have to pass a test before first time towing a Van. I say this because I used to drive trucks when I was younger and some people dont realise that there rigs overall length can be the same size as a single axle semi trailer. Im not trying to be biased either way, but merely trying to say there is still some work to do. Regards from a respectfull road user. Grey Nomad.
I’m a road train driver and part time grey nomad. Not all vanners are bad and not all truckies are friendly and professional and once away from the coast and capital cities the roads are less than perfect. From a truckies POV keep to a constant speed and at the first opportunity indicate and let the truck passed, slowing a little if necessary. I completely understand if you can’t stand the verbal diarrhoea on ch40, it annoys me too, but some communication is very helpful.
I am like the truckies. I am sick of following caravans that sit on 95 KPH. 95 seems to me to be no more dangerous than 100 and then nobody is being held up, Also 95 seems to afford no better fuel economy than 100. In addition, today’s modern vehicles should be able to tow safely at 100. The final issue that I encounter with slow drivers is that most will not assist the following vehicle pass them. They are often quite selfish. Finally, I find most truck drivers very good drivers. OK- now you can give it to me!!!
Wehave just returned from a 4-month trip to Qld & the NT and had a very good rapport with all the truckles that we encountered. We usual travel between 90 & 95kms/hr. When we see a truck coming up behind, we usually wait for him/her to contact us and let us know when he/she intends to overtake. We then inform him/her that when they get level with us, we will back off and flash our lights when it is clear for them to pull back in. Don’t slow down as they lose their revs and find it very hard to get up to speed again and don’t pull off of the road and throw stones & rocks into their vehicles. Just go along at the speed you are doing, they know the road and when it is safe to overtake.
KB.
Merbein.
As a truck driver and caravaner maybe I can answer a couple of questions for the general public. A truck can do and is limited to 100ks we need you to be doing 80 when we come upon you not 90. 80 we can get around 90 we cant safely and 100 we dont need to. Not hard to work out. The ones that are doing their 85 or 90 need to slow a bit and we will do the rest. Want everyone to be happy there is the answer. The ones that speed up in overtaking lanes are a big pain and everyone gets stressed. Just think it over and realise what we can do to make it better.
I don’t think there is discord between truckies and van owners. The problem is trucks are on a timetable and vanners are not. Both have a right to drive the hwy at their selected speeds Heading north on the Stewart hwy I tow at 90 and rarely get overtaken by road trains. When they do approach I radio them and agree that when he starts to overtake I will slow down to 70 kph to minimise his overtaking time unless he has plenty of room. On the Eastern seaboard its a totally different story as there is more traffic. If I follow the same arrangement you will cause an accident as not only the truck will pass but impatient car drivers will try to run the gauntlet too. I stay on 90 kph unless the truck is solo and we can arrange an overtake between us. Its all about radio communication.
I like David B’s comment that it is easier for a truck to overtake a vehicle doing 80 than one doing 90. makes sense, he is still near his torque peak and needs less distance to get clear. Remember his vehicle is probably governed to not exceed 100 on the flat. I usually travel between 80 and 90 because most roads in WA are so abysmally rough my spine cannot withstand a higher speed.