Give way!!!

They are bit big to play chicken with ;)

Cheers Kev

Strewth!!

Was there radio contact?

What's the drill in such instances?

That's what I like about dirt roads, bit more warning from the dust clouds. :o) Especially if the road has a few bends.

Do you usually confirm by CB you are going to pull over if you can't see them till the last moment? I find they appreciate it.

Have always adopted the same policy. But I also travel with my lights on.

Go to the upwind side if possible
cheers

Barrier Highway 90 km east of Broken Hill, a couple of months ago.

I had my van on, came around a bend back behind me, and voila!

The lead escort vehicle wasn't all that far in front of the wide load, no cops present, these rigs were really travelling and I was bloody lucky there was a place I could get over out of the way.Image Could Not Be FoundImage Could Not Be Found

Barely had time to get my camera out and switched on to take these.

Dick.

So, I'm traveling in the opposite direction with a full load of ammonium nitrate.
Who gives way?

A question on speed ...

From memory there is no speed limit in NT is that right ?

So what speed do those road trains travel at ?

Cheers

Mandrake ( future driver of Jeep and CT in NT )

Margaret snapped this pic in Jasper Gorge NT.
The truck appeared around a blind corner doing about 80kph.
We were still doing 75kph.
One second later we were travelling straight ahead and still doing 60+ with ZERO visability.

Very scarey.
3 minutes later a second went past. Nothing was said on the radio by anyone.
You can not be too careful.

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome

Hey Willem,

This pic was taken on the way to Longreach last year about 1 min before we hear over the UHF "Look out its a wobbly!!!, caravan up ahead please get off the road" So we did!!!!

Image Could Not Be Found

In the NT, goverment road safety advertising is:
for ALL vehicles to pull off the side of the road (single lane roads) to let a road train past, then pull back on after the dust clears. Fully loaded Road trains rarely travel over 80 kmh as they start to sway madly after that. It is extremely dangerous for a road train to pull off to the side; they can bog, or even worse, overturn. A road train can pass you doing 70 k's and it can feel like they are doing the ton!

This was a small "tinny" on the way from Bundaberg to Rocky up the Bruce HwyImage Could Not Be FoundImage Could Not Be Found last thursday

We always travel with CB radio tuned to Channel 40. It will pick up talk between heavy vehicles meeting each other, which alerts us that there is traffic approaching us. But most important, it picks up chatter between escort vehicles and their bulky charges - which usually gives us a chance to pick a good spot to get right off the road. With a bit of experience, you get to be able to pick out that type of radio talk a good way in advance. We've found that some of the biggest loads seem to be moved on Sundays - don't know whether that is some sort of policy, or we've just some sort of co-incidence?

Last year when I was working out of Springsure in Central Queensland, I would run into around 20 a day and most were tripples.
A lot of caravans were wiped out on the highways around there due to either the rear trailer swaying and collecting the caravan or just the wind generated blowing it off the road.

I have seen the rear trailer sway up to 7m side to side on the blacktop. You wouldn't see it comming if you passed too close in the gravel, it's hard enough to see the rear of the second trailer due to dust.

As for RT's not driving over 80kph..don't believe it. Whilst doing roadworks on the Carnarvon Hwy, we were always blown off our feet by RT's doing 120kph+ through our 40 zones, Police weren't interested in doing anything about it.

Some company drivers are real cowboys but most private operators are pretty good.

Cheers
Dave

Guy's, everyone's going to have a different view, but the photo's in this thread and comments are a great education for people who haven't been in those situations before.

1. A multi trailer vehicle has what is known as a corner sweep, that is where following trailers track in a little more than the trailer/ prime mover in front, hence they try to run to the outside of the corner to keep the following trailers on the road. They don't do it to be a pain.

2. If you have a look at the edges of the road, it gives a good indication as to safely pulling over to avoid damaging tyres.

3. In the north a lot of the road trains do watch their speed as when they go to hard they are only going to overheat tyres and have blow outs.

4. Also be aware that any swerve/sway on a road train will magnify as it travels down the combination.

Once again, thanks for the photo's, I am sure that DougT will be able to add further comments.

Cheers, good thread, thanks Willem.

Lotzi

I'm with Willem and others, get right off the road for oncoming traffic even wobblies, seen too many close calls and the results of not doing so. Time doesn't come into it, safety is paramount.

Gday Willem,
I know the truckie lovers out there are going to hate this but I think its worth saying.....
You hear a lot of people saying "these blokes are professional drivers"...true...a lot of them are.
But I don't like the Idea of putting my whole families life in the hands of someone you don't know.......there are a lot of beginners out there too, everyone starts from somewhere.
Not to mention the ones pilled out of there brains and dog tired with the attitude of " get out a my way, I'm bigger than you!"
I see lots of road trains really driving to their limits......wouldn't take much to have a serious accident. And so many tourists cruising past them with inches to spare, thinking this truckie is a professional.....he'll miss me.
If only people new how little control you have over that last trailer sometimes.

Just another reason to get right out of the way!

Cheers
Hairy

30 years ago on the old Stuart hwy( DIRT) I was travellling with my brother in the dust trail of a road train waiting for a change in direction of the road to get some clear air to make a safe overtake. Suddenly another road train appeared out of the dust cloud, parked up, travelling in the opposite direction.
Instinct kicked in and I shouted to my brother to hit the picks. When the dust cleared we were only metres from the back of the roadtrain we were following who had stopped to talk to his mate.
There was only a few metres space betwen the rear of the two RT's which we managed to slip through. Chalk another one up to experience!

I'm will all find some helpful information at this website, and thanks to Willem for the great Pics, he has it all sussed out already.

HEAVY VEHICLE ROAD COURTESY

.

We were lucky coming down the same road in not meeting anything that big - but did on other "development" roads - move over, let them go - you can see them coming with enough warning to get out of their way - but it is amazing how many people think the trucks should give way - they don't seem to realise that a lot of these roads were made for these trucks, and we are privileged enough to be able to use them.
Love that country - nothing to be seen for miles and miles (funny how miles sounds better than "kilometres and kilometres" - just doesn't have the same ring to it.
jules