Quite a few years ago I recall it was normal practise that when a truck overtook another truck on a motorway the truck being overtook would flash its headlights when the rear of the passing truck had gone by, presumably to signal it was safe to pull back in.
Unless I am mistaken this practice seems to have completely dissapeared now. For other backroomers that recall this, am I right in the purpose stated and any ideas as to why it has ceased. Was it outlawed for some reason or as it seems like it was a courtesy gesture has this just dissapeared in the hurry and stress of modern life.
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I still see it and still do it to let trucks in/out. Haven't really noticed it being on the wane
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I see it all the time,every day on the M40 and A34
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I see this lots of times, every day, morning and night on the M1. If a truck is 40 foot long it cant be easy to judge whether the back of the trailer has passed the front of a slower vehicle, so its courteous to flash them. I do it myself to trucks if the circumstances arise. Give them a flash and you often get a "thankyou" of alternating rear indicator signals.
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Blimey, when I do the reverse uni run in January I'll look out for this. Must say that I haven't noticed this for years --- must get the old mince pies looked at!!
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Yep it still happens, although not quite as much as it used to!! (might be to do with the amount of former eastern europeans driving british trucks). You are also correct in why it is done, makes it far easier if you know you are clear of the vehicle you have been overtaking and that they are happy for you pull in.
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I haven't noticed it on the wane at all. I drive them for a living & do it all the time with 99% of trucks flashing me back in. I even get the cursory indicator flash from German, French, Hungarian & other foreign trucks. I've also noticed an increase of cars doing it now.
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I see it frequently, but it's probably not 100%, as it used to be. I, too, am surprised by foreign trucks that do it - I always thought this kind of headlamp flashing was uniquely British.
I hired a van during the summer and was dismayed to find that I didn't gain entry into the club - not a single flash in a 200 mile round trip (although I did spend a fair bit of belting down lane 3 - modern Transits are a lot faster than I remember).
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Quite a few years ago I recall it was normal practise that when a truck overtook another truck on a motorway the truck being overtook would flash its headlights when the rear of the passing truck had gone by, presumably to signal it was safe to pull back in.
Spent a lot of time in trucks in my hitchhiking days. The standard 'thank you' was for the overtaking truck, once past, to turn off all its lights twice. When I first started to drive I used to thank trucks for easing my passage in the same way, but gave it up because at car speeds it could be a bit alarming.
Heavy trucks in the fifties were governed at 38 mph although a lot were capable of going much faster. Drivers would put the truck out of gear on downgrades to exceed this speed. Quite fun in a Tate&Lyle truck with trailer attached, hitting 70 or so in small Essex villages in the dead of night.
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As a truck driver, I'd really rather not have car and van drivers flashing me in. Another truck driver understands what the manoeuvrability constraints, stopping distance considerations etc that I am dealing with are, and if he is prepared to allow me to temporarily occupy his safety zone in the interests of smoother traffic flow then I'll accept his judgement - I won't accept the opinion of some chav in a blinged up Discovery towing a caravan, or even that of someone in a repmobile.
Unless you're driving a truck, flashing at trucks is a waste of time.
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As a truck driver, I'd really rather not have car and van drivers flashing me in. Another truck driver understands what the manoeuvrability constraints, stopping distance considerations etc that I am dealing with are, and if he is prepared to allow me to temporarily occupy his safety zone in the interests of smoother traffic flow then I'll accept his judgement - I won't accept the opinion of some chav in a blinged up Discovery towing a caravan, or even that of someone in a repmobile. Unless you're driving a truck, flashing at trucks is a waste of time.
Speaking personally I'm very familiar with the "manoeuvrability constraints, stopping distance considerations" of my car. I would obviously not flash to let a truck in in front of my car if it was going to cause me a safety issue, or restrict my progress. I would only do it when I'm in the inside lane when either joining or leaving the motorway. If you choose to ignore a signal from a car then thats fair enough.
Having said that I wouldnt advocate that more drivers start doing it, as some drivers seem to struggle already without having more things to think about..
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Whilst driving the Bedford ,which is a lot slower than modern lorries,i always use flashing lights to let them back in.
It is difficult to judge when to move back in especially when you are only going a few miles per hour faster,though I don't go in for the three mile passing technique when the lorry i am passing is doing more or less my speed.
I was with a friend years ago going from one farm to another and he was driving the tractor ,Ford 7600, and at the top of a steep winding hill he knocked it out of gear,how we made it to the bottom without hitting anything or killing ourselves is beyond me,i was speechless with fright when we stopped,we must of got up to 50-60 mph, not to be recommended in a tractor.
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>>I was with a friend years ago going from one farm to another and he was driving the tractor ,Ford 7600, and at the top of a steep winding hill he knocked it out of gear,how we made it to the bottom without hitting anything or killing ourselves is beyond me,i was speechless with fright when we stopped,we must of got up to 50-60 mph, not to be recommended in a tractor.
Your friend wasnt the same guy I knew who did this with about 15 ton of cow muck on his trailer, He went through the village at about 50 to 60 downhill in a Ford tractor and was pulled by the law for speeding. He had hell of a time trying to convince them that his Ford only did 18 mph in top gear.
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rustbucket (the original)
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No ,but obviously of the same calibre of lunacy.
The thought that was going through my mind was don't touch the brakes, the reason is because tractor brakes can work independently and when on road use are locked together but never are equal in braking meaning that when applied sharply the tractor has the tendancy to leap through hedges as i did once on a sharp bend going too fast,much to the bemusment of the lorry driver i nearly met,but in this case we woud have leapt off the hill and down a huge drop.
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I still see it every day on the M4 and M5.
Also most do it when I'm towing my trailer with or without the Boat.
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