Truck Driving – A View of Motorways From the Cab

Part–Two of Four

In this edition you are going to travel with me to the motorway, as everyone who comes trucking with me says that sharing motorway space with big trucks is a topic that is of great concern to them.

Joining the motorway from the slip road

What regularly happens, about 95% of the time, is that folk bimble, yes bimble, down the slip road, the so–called ‘acceleration’ lane to the motorway. As a result they arrive at the point of merging with the main carriageway going slower than the traffic using lane–1.

The next thing that happens is they arrive alongside me in my rig, matching my speed perfectly, as in parallel driving. At this point the car driver tends firstly to look in their offside mirror, in which they can’t see me, before suddenly realising there’s a great big wagon immediately next to them.

I don’t make space for you to join the motorway,
so learn to deal with it

I’ve given up braking to let people in here, which although seems cruel, the reasons are justified. The usual driver behaviour at this point is to brake, but if I am braking also, we end up both slowing down together. In this case we’ve got a worsening situation, which has an adverse effect upon drivers coming along behind.

What about pulling my truck to the next lane and letting the car come into lane–one? Some, but not many truckers, still do this, and misguidedly so. Why? Well, for one it may not be possible, because of traffic flow conditions. I would find that if I did play the good samaritan, and move over to lane–2, the car driver would then find a hitherto unused pedal, situated to the right of the foot brake, and press it to the floor.

As the car flies off into the distance, I am left effectively reducing the motorway to a single lane. It’s like a moving roadblock. There I am in the middle of the motorway with all the acceleration of a hyperactive slug at my disposal and now I have a real job getting back in! You’ve seen in part–1 of this series the view in my mirrors.

Few motorists join motorways roads effectively.
It’s a joy, albeit infrequent, to see it done right.

Here’s my simple guide to help you along, so that if we meet each other on a motorway, there will not be a problem.

Onto the slip road and check right as soon as possible. That means move your head to the right and observe traffic flow alongside and behind well before you get toward the tapering end of the slip lane.

As you approach your merging point, decide upon only one of two things now. Infront or behind? That’s it, one out of two options – easy isn’t it. It means you have to plan whether to slot in ahead or behind any vehicle currently on the main carriageway and arrive there at the right time.

Use your right foot. Push it down on the accelerator to at least match the speed of traffic flow if going in behind. Go faster (more right foot) if heading to move into the gap ahead. Be positive, don’t ponder, as that causes confusion.

Check to the right again. It’s that blind spot we should all check before pulling off from a standstill, but few do. It’s a lifesaver and should be used all the time, then the mirrors. Everything Okay? Right, think Zipper.

Zipper? Yes, think zipper, like the fastening on your jumper. The Germans do it and it’s the most effective way for two lines of traffic to merge, if you think about it. Slot in like the interlocking teeth of a zip fastener coming together, and you’re in! No sweat.

Now give yourself time to look around, adjust to the speed of travel and check relative closing speeds of vehicles behind and in front of you. Yes, in front as well. No point in moving out only to be surprised by the vehicle ahead doing the same.

Learning to judge speed and distance

It’s obvious when you get used to checking for relative speeds and marks the difference between effective and non–effective drivers. Evolved or non–evolved.

So to recap — right–check, right–foot, right–check and zipper. That’s all there is to making an effective join to a motorway main carriageway, time after time. The only caveat: Don’t bunch. Most do. If you bunch, how are you gonna zip. Also, if there’s a problem, you’re in the pooh if you are driving too close. It happens all the time, especially at junctions. Listen to the traffic news on your radio. It’s going on everyday.

If you are coming down a slip road to join a motorway or dual carriageway, and I am cruising by the bottom, I am neither going to slow, nor am I going to change lanes, so you are going to have to sort yourself out, because actually, you getting into lane–one isn’t my problem.

Getting to the exit slip road to leave the motorway

That covers joining motorways, but now for something else, and this is actually more serious. We’re going to talk about leaving the motorway. The process of moving tot he beginning of the exit slip road.

I am asking you from a trucker’s point of view, please, please, please don’t drop into my lane close in front of me before you move off the motorway onto the outgoing slip road? It could be suicidal.

A pal of mine is having to live with the knowledge that he was involved in the deaths of three unthinking motorists who each chopped lanes to be in front of his truck, one after the other.

This coincided with someone else having a prang slightly further ahead of another truck, which moments before was safely ahead of him. As a result the three cars all got squashed by 42–tonnes between the two.

This is a scenario that is really very much of concern to many of us truck drivers, and it happens all the time – not the collision, but the closing down of our safe following distance.

If we back off suddenly to open the gap it has the effect of setting off a stampede from behind. Other vehicles swing out to get past – trucks, cars, the lot, because the drivers can not see what I am dealing with ahead of me. I had a Mini overtake me not so long ago, as I was passing the bottom of an outgoing motorway slip road. The driver suddenly swerved into my path and slammed on the brakes to an almost stop! 42–tonnes against a Mini?

Luckily, I had enough wits about me to avoid a catastrophe, and one that would have been caused by someone not thinking at the time they had just about missed their exit. Now that is suicide, and if there’s one thing I would beg you not to do, it’s that.

Reduce bunching and try to keep your spatial integrity intact

You should aim to leave at least an extra 100–feet, or 30–metres, behind as you move to the left to allow a loaded truck greater braking distance and to avoid joining the bugs on his front bumper!

In other words, make sure you’ve got room in front and behind when joining or leaving fast flow road systems. Also, if you come down the slip road in a bunch, how you gonna fit in, to be able to zipper effectively? Also, if you leave in a bunch, what happens to the minimum 2–second spacing?

Give yourself space to see and to react effectively. Relative speeds are minimal, actual speeds at these times are fifteen to twenty times our evolutionary walking pace, the speed we are designed to think at. We all need room to think and react. As Jean–Luc would say, "make it so!"

When you’re on the motorway with me remember about my blind spots. Every vehicle, truck or car, has them and hopefully you’ve noted where yours are on your own vehicle.

For large goods vehicle drivers, blind areas are always around the area that is level with the driver’s shoulder and backwards. It will vary from truck to truck, and according to the individual adjustment of the mirrors. Most truck mirrors are electrically operated nowadays, and like all drivers, those behind the wheel of a large goods vehicle have their own preferences in terms of mirror adjustment.

Don’t come into the lane next to me
whilst on my right flank, or hover alongside

Bearing this information in mind, avoid moving in alongside me when entering the motorway from slip roads, or coming into the lane next to me on my right flank after overtaking other vehicles. Go well past before taking position ahead so I have time to recognise you are there and maintain distance from you.

Also, try and avoid, as in like the plague, remaining alongside in that ‘shoulder rearwards’ area for any length of time. When I look in my mirrors you may not exist to me, and whilst I personally use the police system method of mirror use: a) before altering speed, direction or sighting a real or potential hazard, and b) every four seconds, if nowt else is happening, to keep the grey matter up to date in real time with the big picture behind.

As a truck driver with advanced driver training at my level I am fairly unique, so you can’t guarantee the same level of vigilance in my fellow truckers, as much as I can’t in other motorists for that matter.

Be aware that some trucks only have one mirror on the outboard side, whilst others have two. The smaller one, being more convex, gives a wider, deeper view and helps reduce the blind spot areas whilst actually being there to help us see our trailer wheels for when we take tight corners, or for when we are reversing.

Another thing to watch for is, Left Hookers. This is a term used to describe left–hand drive vehicles, or to use an old trucking term, Johnny Foreigner! He’s straining to keep up with the offside picture, so it’s worth bearing in mind that his view down the off–side (right–hand side) is very limited.

As always though, you can help by getting out into lane early to become visible in his mirrors, as well as in ours, and to do it well in advance of actually passing us.

Two trucks travelling very close together,
or one gaining on another, suggests something will happen

Look well ahead and notice whether trucks further up the road are following at a constant distance, or is one creeping up on the back of another. This information will forewarn you that one may be about to pull out to overtake the other.

Relative speeds between trucks are often small, so pulling out to overtake tends to be a last minute thing, otherwise we’re blocking the flow of traffic for longer than is necessary.

By the way, I do not condone the sometimes ludicrously long overtake times of some trucks, especially when there’s virtually no real speed advantage in them trying to pass. Regrettably, some truckers are selfish in their driving attitudes, just like some other motorists, but truckers are more visible! That’s life I suppose. You have to accept it and deal with it by remaining pro–active, NOT re–active.

Motorway driving is an area in which
few drivers have ever been trained to deal with

Now that is criminal, but it’s not the driver’s fault. Sadly, it’s a lacking in the system that is to blame. However, if you have a mind to, you can do much for yourselves individually and personally, so as to becomne more effective out there. Get some training, some quality training, such as that offered by Ride Drive. There’s no more effective way to improve your skills.

Driver training could be one of your best investments, and that I promise you. You’ll then be zippering effectively. I’ll know whether you’re on the ball when I see you looking at me as you start to come down the slip road. I will be looking over in the same manner to see whose there and whose going where.

Now click on the link for part–3 of this series and join me for some more trucking adventures. There’s more to learn yet.

See you on the next page for the third part of this series.

First Published December 2007

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Truck Driving Part–1, A View From The Cab
Truck Driving Part–2, Views of The Motorways
Truck Driving Part–3, More Views From The Cab
Truck Driving Part–4, John Covington, My Background

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Truck Driving – A View of Motorways From the Cab