(Thread headline changed to give some indication of what the thread is about)

Right. Deep breath, and I will try and keep the emotion out of this.

I was "lucky" enough to have to drive from Wakefield to Nantwich today, so I thought I'd take the M1 to Barnsley, then the A628 across the moors to Manchester etc... firstly, far from being a desolate moorland road, the 628 is a thinner, more bendy M6. I was generally alarmed at the low standard of driving, especially as it was snowing, and especially from lorry drivers: Polish, Lithuanian and British alike! But anyways... I get to the M60 junction for Stockport and decide to go M60 - M56 - A556. As I am queueing at an uphill bit of road at some traffic lights, I realise I am in the wrong lane. So, I look behind, indicate left, and there's a fairly big gap with a Scania stopped. So, I pull left. Next thing I know, he is RIGHT up behind me, horn on, lights flashing; and wait for this, actually swerving and trying to undertake me. There is a flamin' FOOTPATH to his left! So, I hastily squeeze back into the right hand lane, thinking "nutter". He goes past, and on go the brakes. Out his little tatooed redfaced mush pokes and I am subjected to a barricade of scouse, most of which fortunately I do not understand. I did the age-old backing down face and hand gestures and then he did the thing that annoys me most about lorry drivers (other than being unintelligible, redfaced, dangerous lunatics, obviously). He did that "I am going to show you how hard it is to accelerate" maneouvre... loads of TSSCHHHHing noises from the brakes, and the cab jerks, and the whole dangerous piece of nonsense is shaking like the locomotive that it should be if we lived in a sane, decent, safe country.

Point i) Even if I HAD been in the wrong, why the over-reaction from a supposedly professional driver? ii) why stop if, diddums, it's so difficult to get going again without the theatrics? iii) why scare the general public, and give an even worse image than we already have of these thugs that transport our goods? I have read and re-read on here the apologists for HGV drivers, and I hate to say it, but I do a lot of miles and lorry drivers are by FAR the worst drivers on our roads. Impatient, intolerant, uneducated (jn a Highway Code way, before the hey man, that's classist brigade jump in) and too fixated with profit over safety. And, back to my pet hate, if you want to drive something that's easy to keep going, then don't get a job where you drive a lorry!!! They are, by their innate characteristics, hard to keep going! It's no good getting annoyed about it! Get yourself a job where you drive a car or van if you're that bothered.

Oh, and my last comment. When I finally got onto the M60 and came up behind him, what did he do? As I pulled into the middle lane, he swerved into it, so I had to go into the outside lane. Childish? Oh yes. DId I get his plate, no I couldn't it wasn't safe to do so. Ditto his telephone number.. I thought it was 0151 xxx xxxx {number omited in case it is a genuine one belonging to someone else - DD} but that is an "incorrect number". Maybe I should dial 0151 I AM A MORON. It may go through.

If you're reading this, although I doubt you can read, then think on before pulling a stunt like that again. Next time, someone may get your number properly, or get out and give you a good smack. If you know a transport company with a number close to the one above, please let me know, and someone will be out of a job before their Christmas credit card bill comes through.

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