Road Trains: Give 'em right of way
Submitted: Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 20:45
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Willem
In view of two or three threads mentioning Road Trains
Before you lot get too emotive!
After a couple of million clicks around the country and a vast majority of that on outback roads.................................the simple rule of thumb is to get the hell out of the way of an oncoming Road Train.
I normally call them on Channel 40 and tell them they have the road and I get out of the way. Going north last year my passenger was highly amused at my antics whilst travelling the Tablelands Hwy where I would get right off the strip bitumen and out of harms way slowing right down to let an oncoming train rumble past safely.
I have seen too many 4x4's, either single or towing campers and
Grey Nomads in the Falcon and Pop-top or alike, wanting an oncoming train driver to put the offside
wheels in the dirt.
I caught up with a RT on the Tanami Road a few weeks back and was talking to the rest of the convoy when the RT Driver cut in and let me know that it was safe for us to pass. He then slowed down for us to get around him. Later we caught up with a convoy of three cattle trains and it was time for a stop and a have a cuppa and let them get ahead taking their dust with them.
Unfortunately many people feel it is their god given right to stick to their share of the road no matter what!!! That is just plain stupidity.
Cheers
Reply By: Member - Crazy Dog (QLD) - Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 20:53
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 20:53
Spot on - bloody oath and all that.
Only a fool takes on RT's especially triples.....
Grrr!!!
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Reply By: V8Diesel - Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 21:05
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 21:05
Too true. The naive belief in road rules over common sense is a real worry.
Triples are much bigger than you and are a handful to control in the dirt.......give them plenty of room and NEVER forget road trains have a sting in the tail. Just because the prime mover is on one side of the road doesn't mean the trailers you can't see hidden in the dust cloud are necessarily following in straight line.
Using the UHF to talk to the driver is a good idea and this can assist in all kinds of things such as helping you overtake if the wind's blowing the wrong way by them moving to the wrong side of the road etc.
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Reply By: lockey lux - Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 21:07
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 21:07
great to see your opinion here mate as a truckie myself and with mates that drive road trains there really is the lack of respect and road use that there use to be. why would you try to do anything else is beyond me. When i holiday that what i do get out of the way even if i where in a prime mover with one trailer i would get out as much as i could for the road train.
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Reply By: Best Off Road - Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 21:23
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 21:23
Ah,
The word of experience.
I'm a touch younger than Willem, and have not quite travelled as far but I''ve done my fair share of long distance travel.
Give me Truckies coming at me any time as opposed to half brained tourers lugging a van that they have neither the experience, knowledge or understanding to propel their load along the road.
Jim.
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Reply By: madfisher - Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 21:38
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 21:38
Good piont Willem, people who have never driven large trucks of any type do not realise how hard they are to control if you drop off the edge of the tar.
Cheers Pete
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Follow Up By: Richard Kovac - Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 21:51
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 21:51
A lot easer the a car or 4WD
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Reply By: Oldsquizzy (Kununurra) - Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 22:14
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 22:14
Just remember you get off the tar and you have four little
wheels throwing pebbles.. Road train gets off the tar and he has sixtyfour
wheels throwing rocks at you.
Same as when you want to pass call on uhf and they will work out where and when is safest for you and them. Came across three cattle trains on Duncan road as
Nelson Springs has just finished muster and all three let us on by. They wait untill it is wide, clear and safe for both of you.
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Reply By: SoloGirl - Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 22:16
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 22:16
One of the things I LOVE about Aus are the road trains! I think they are the most awesome machines ever built! But whether I'm in the truck or on the motorbike, I give COMPLETE way to them...the shudder of all those
wheels on the ground whilst on the bike is pretty neat - and a reminder of what they could do.
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Reply By: Bonz (Vic) - Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 22:46
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 22:46
Sir Willem of the Web, you are too right, I always get as far off the road as possible for them, even normal trucks on a dirt road, if I am on Hols who cares if I get into
camp 11 minutes late?
Better late than never eh mate?
I recall on the
Dargo High plains road we were riding trail bikes along at a fair clip, mate on a 247 Montesa Cota and me on a 500 Beezer with a sidecar (open racing style) with my mate on the sidecar. The Monty ran outta fuel and we pulled right off the road to wait for the Landy with the fuel and the biggest log truck we ever saw blasted past us would have wiped the three of us out I reckon, thank heaven for small Montesa fuel tanks.
Give em a call and let em by you're spot on again old mate.
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Reply By: Member - John & Sharon R (QLD) - Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 22:55
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 22:55
On our last trip I the female towed our van to Jackson picked my hubby up from work who drives one of those oil trucks with 3 trailers spent his off hitch out there and dropped him back at work two weeks later. I then drove back home with the kids and van. I pulled off the road completely and you should have seen the drivers give a big wave of thanks. We also had another driver call us up to say stay there up the road ill pull over so we could pass. This bloke went out of his way to the right side of the road so we could pass out of his dust. All these blokes want is a fair go and I certainly am ready to move over.
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Follow Up By: Member - Mark G (NSW) - Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 23:26
Tuesday, Jun 17, 2008 at 23:26
can someone give this David guy a lift in their road train,he's too scared to drive anywhere.
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Follow Up By: Dave B (NSW) - Wednesday, Jun 18, 2008 at 19:13
Wednesday, Jun 18, 2008 at 19:13
I was thinking of that, but could I put up with his rantings for a K or 2 ?
Dave
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Reply By: Member - Toolman (VIC) - Wednesday, Jun 18, 2008 at 07:44
Wednesday, Jun 18, 2008 at 07:44
I would also like to add that if you overtake a road train it would be a good idea to be sure you will be maintaining a speed faster than the road train cruises at once it has reached it cruising speed. If not then sit back and let it get up the road a bit. We had that problem a couple of years ago. A road train had just pulled onto the road ahead of us and a following vehicle towing a caravan caught it up and passed it (safely enough) then proceeded to dawdle along. Of course within 10 km the road train was up to speed and being held up by the same caravan towing fool, as were everyone else behind the road train, including me, another caravan towing fool.
Toolman
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Follow Up By: Member - barry F (NSW) - Wednesday, Jun 18, 2008 at 17:52
Wednesday, Jun 18, 2008 at 17:52
All of the above are very good points, none better than the one you just made. I did just what you mentioned a few years back, out towing speed was about 100 KMH at the time, Passed him & soon lost sight of him (Whoopee) but..... it was not long before he was looming in my rear view & I realised how stupid I had been.
Anyway, all was
well & he soon rounded me up. But I think first these days, and give all trucks, not just road trains, the room & the road that they need.
If you tow a van like we do, you will notice that a truckie will Acknowledge your courtesy for giving him room to move without unnecessarily slowing him up. He will toot his horn/flash his blinkers/give you a wave etc in acknowledgement.
There's no rules I suppose about it, seems to me to be just common sense & a few manners. JMO & cheers
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Reply By: Member - Bucky (VIC) - Wednesday, Jun 18, 2008 at 08:10
Wednesday, Jun 18, 2008 at 08:10
Good call Willem !
I am like you, I just get over, pull up and call up on the UHF, and give them all right of way, regardless !
It ain't worth the risk !
End of story !
Cheers Mate
Bucky
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Reply By: Member - Footloose - Wednesday, Jun 18, 2008 at 14:51
Wednesday, Jun 18, 2008 at 14:51
Have always gotten right off the road for trucks, road trains etc. But I once started to get back on in the dust and dirt and a car that was following the road train nearly collected me. Always drive with your lights on if you are liable to get in the dust. It's good policy to drive with them on anyway, no matter what the road is like.
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Reply By: Richard W (NSW) - Wednesday, Jun 18, 2008 at 16:44
Wednesday, Jun 18, 2008 at 16:44
Got off the road for this one on the Tanami.
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Follow Up By: Member - John & Sharon R (QLD) - Thursday, Jun 19, 2008 at 10:23
Thursday, Jun 19, 2008 at 10:23
The awesome amount of steel that rumbles across the road is great to watch passing by. How is that rig so clean. I use to work at a truck tow company and saw plenty of the dark side of the industry. The steal that twists and breaks anything in its path. I get a bit nervy these days when i go for a ride with the old man, a huge pothole sent us sideways one night bleep I had a sore neck for days. The near misses that happen daily out there. I hate the phone ringing late at night.
Anyhow these threads shows some of us are on the same page thank goodness.
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Follow Up By: Richard W (NSW) - Thursday, Jun 19, 2008 at 11:23
Thursday, Jun 19, 2008 at 11:23
It was near the mines and the rig run by Veolia/Colex, the environmental
services mob. ;)
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Follow Up By: Member - Old Girl (QLD) - Thursday, Jun 19, 2008 at 12:19
Thursday, Jun 19, 2008 at 12:19
Hey Richard whats Awaba stand for.
Sharon
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Reply By: Top End Explorer Tours - Wednesday, Jun 18, 2008 at 23:24
Wednesday, Jun 18, 2008 at 23:24
It is as simple as this.
We share the road, we share the safety.
Cheers Steve.
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Follow Up By: Member - Gaz@Gove (NT) - Thursday, Jun 19, 2008 at 00:34
Thursday, Jun 19, 2008 at 00:34
Hey Steve, That sounds like a good slogan for a road safety Ad. :)
Gaz.
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