Driving in bad weather

[cajal]

[quote user="You can call me Betty"]John 11:35[/quote]

Love it. Exactly my thoughts.

[Gardengirl]

I don’t know about in the UK, but lorries/lorry drivers on the A9 down in the south of France are definitely being blamed for the terrible chaos on Wednesday/Thursday.

They apparently ignored police instructions (by radio? - I don’t know how exactly) not to drive on the A9 because there were no police stopping them. Presumably the police were extremely busy helping out with weather problems locally, or on terrorist or other essential duties.

After the cars were all extracted from the ice and snow, I hope that lorry details were taken and used in prosecutions if warranted.

The large amount of snow on Wednesday is quite a rare scenario (the last time we witnessed it was 7/8 years ago, but so many people were in great difficulties on the A9; thank goodness for the good Samaritans along the route.

[richard51]

About what Queenie? Perhaps this

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israeli-forces-shoot-dead-palestinian-man-near-gaza-border-1.5867685

Judith you are being sensible and practical. Its the numpties who ignore the conditions that are the problem!

[richard51]

Cajal, if I said the earth was roughly round, I'm sure you would say that its flat.

Peace brother/sister.

[richard51]

Betty - I prefer not to use familiar names though. You quote the bible and this is why I gave the reference:

https://www.christianpost.com/news/palestinian-christian-western-christians-dont-understand-gaza-israeli-conflict-123272/

Nb Muslims suffer also.

[andyh4]

Richard51 wrote:

In terms of foreign lorries - then yes they should be stopped if non urgent and if they had not already been stopped by the conditions. BTW this weather was well predicted. Long distance lorry cabs are quite luxurious I believe with good sleeping areas.

AS they say Richard, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

Yes long distance cabs are fitted up with beds. Some drivers even set up satellite TV and they have in cab heating - home from home isn't it?

My info is now a bit out of touch since retirement but I am sure ALBF can update if I am a million miles off. When I retired the road transport groups were getting extremely worried by trends in the industry.. Despite the high levels of luxury to which you refer the average age of a long distance HGV driver had risen (this was back around 2012) 5 years in 10 years - so over a ten year period the average age of drivers had risen 5 years. The average age then was 54 years!

So put in its simplest terms, that I hope you can grasp, young drivers were not interested in entering the long distance lorry trade - despite these wonderful cabs fitted out with all mod cons that you consider so wonderful for the average driver stuck in a layby in minus 8 degrees external temperature - or even in the depths of summer with the aircon on.

If that trend has continued then the average age today will be around 57 years. Thank god that they keep extending the age of retirement or we would get nothing delivered.

Now back in the mid naughties when I was in charge of our Frankfurt operations we had a rather disgruntled Polish (nationality is not important) driver to collect a delivery. He complained that he had not been back to his home country (let alone his home town) for 3 months.

So if your idea is that drivers live in the lap of luxury essentially camping out in the truck cabin, with no in cab stove/oven, no shower, no bath, no toilet - in fact not a lot except a comfortable bed, then I suggest you take up the profession and enjoy the wonders of travel.

Living on the streets is worse - but possibly not a lot worse.

[andyh4]

ALBF wrote:

Depends on the planner. Wink, wink, wink !!!

Agree entirely.

And that is why we never used JIT - judicious stock management yes, but JIT never. Our customers however did. If our suppliers (bar perhaps 2) had let us down and we in turn had let down our JIT customers, we would have bankrupted them - our suppliers (and I mean that literally). No solace in that, having let down important customers and destroyed a supplier. No winners anywhere.

[YCCMB]

Little dickie...more obtuse than an isosceles triangle...

[richard51]

Motorway service area facilities aren't too bad either.

I am no expert on lorry driver career structure and was not aware of shortages. I can only suggest that training in safety should be paramount and drivers rewarded appropriately.

Nb but an isoceles triangle can be obtuse. Certainly don't get that comment.

[woolybanana]

Cocoa time, Richard.?

[andyh4]

Motorway service area facilities aren't too bad either.

try living in one for 90 days and see if it still holds the magic.

Wooly

agree entirely, he knows not of which he speaks. Beddy byes time methinks.

[richard51]

Have had a nice sleep thank you.

When legislation requiring TDGSAs came out I obtained certification, just for class 7 though. As it was only a small part of my job I did not recertify when it expired as it would have become a full time role in itself. I do therefore know a tiny bit about the regulations surrounding transportation.

As a member of the general public I also know that lorries can be lethal weapons and there are lots of regulations around transporting any goods, including not driving too long in one stretch.

I also know that in the whirl of day-to-day pressures safety can sometimes be overlooked, especially by managers. I have investigated many such errors in the main area of my work

Safety should, nay must, be of paramount importance. I therefore say "John 11,35" to those who advocate ploughing on regardless.

Sermon over.

[woolybanana]

Woof, woof!?

[Judith]

Thanks Richard ... there are as you say, far too many idiots out there who think they are more important than anyone else, eg park across driveways, curbs, pedestrian crossings .. to name just a few.  So no way are any of them going to think a bit of snow can stop them.

Thick as too short planks is what we usually call them, along with worse. 

The best line my driving instructor gave me - if in doubt, anchors out.  Served me well over the years.  Nothing is worth killing yourself or possibly others for. 

[idun]

It has been mentioned, why people use motorways when the weather is dreadful.

We had been on holiday in the Portes du Soleil and had no tv in our appartment. We happily set off home, with chaines and were going to take them off when we got to the valley. We got to the valley and the roads were equally snowy and we ended up on the motorway, following a snow plough all the way to Aix les Baines, where we pulled over and took them off. Continuing on our journey.

There are many reasons why people start journeys.

My friend's SIL arrived at Liverpool Airport last week, diverted there, after working away from home for six weeks, he ended up catching trains all over the place, to get home, gently heading east and eventually north.  How was that avoidable, he had been going to hire a car, but the M62 was closed for quite some time and he would have been stuck on that, if he could have got on it, other roads would have been impassable too.

People have to move around. They just have to, for many of the reasons stated on this thread. How cosy for everyone to stay at home. But at some point people will want basic food stuffs, milk, bread etc etc. So even they will move around. I wouldn't need to, but that is just me as I always have a well stocked larder.

[andyh4]

I agree Richard, safety is paramount. Even rescue services know that putting your own life knowingly in danger simply runs the risk of a double rescue.

Likewise I think you will find that the professional drivers (which are they who you were castigating) will have had that firmly instilled as part of their required training. In my experience the vast majority follow what they were taught in that respect.

[andyh4]

Idun you are quite right that a journey that is not important today could well become an essential journey in a couple of days time.

Like you I consider myself well prepared and reckon at a push we could last 3 weeks or more without re-vitalling but I am sure many others would not last a week or even a few days. I have to say that the last week in such circumstances might be a case of "what's-left-stew".