HGV Drivers

[Graham Shaw]

Back to vehicles, has anyone else noticed that manufacturers are saving money by not fitting indicators to cars anymore.

BMW don't incorporate indicators in their cars any more.They finally realised that all other car drivers have complained that drivers of BMW's never signal anyway--that's an old sarcastic observation, but often feels like it's true !

Our Dad,in the very early 50's bought us a brand new Ford Pop-this was the 'sit up and beg type' ,which ,because Ford had just brought out their updatedAnglia/Prefect range in 53 was introduced to use up all the older sit up and begs left surplus.Ford farmed them out to a company in Doncaster called Briggs who built them there for at least the next five years or so.Just like the Model T of old they were advertised as Britain's cheapest new car,selling for a couple of hundred pounds.But,they were very basic,;things like a heater were certainly not included and only the driver's side windscreen wiper fitted, and only the driver's side sun visor as well-and--no indicators, ! or trafficators as they were then called. Necessities were extras! Dad,feeling a bit flush for his first brand new car opted for a bright amber flashing indicator above the door,on each side- very modern-which really made them look like Mickey Mouse ears.

At least they were better than those stick-out semaphore arms,which were all but invisible in bright sunshine.Imagine indicating a motorway lane changing manoeuvre with those today!

Car below is similar to our Pop with indicator 'ears' - ours was pale green (how very daring!) - and long ago since dissolved into little piles of rust....

Ford Pop.jpg

[Fouro]

Re#33.
I'm glad you mentioned roping and sheeting in your well written post Robert.
One thing that roping and sheeting did, it gave you pride looking at your well sheeted load.
The load and sheeting were well held down by the ropes using the Dolly Knot.

Regards from
Fouro.

[Keith Tindell]

Graham 37, i had one of those when i first came ashore, as you say no heater, bloody lethal in the winter, screen misting up with your breath and then freezing. The old vacuum washers, slowed down as you went up hill, and thrashed their guts out going downhill. If the points were not exactly set, it would frog jump along, and if you ever got above 40 mph, it felt like you lost control. The lay shaft finally went on mine, and it was towed into the fire station yard, and cut up practising for releasing casualties in RTC,s , kt

[Doc Vernon]

Just a question as to the Post by Ivan?? I thought that Indicators were compulsory on all Vehicles! How will other Drivers the know which way you are Turning?? I am sure it is Compulsory here in Aussie!
Cheers

[Keith Tindell]

Its a guessing game Doc, lol kt

[Fouro]

Re#33.
I'm glad you mentioned roping and sheeting in your well written post Robert.
One thing that roping and sheeting did, it gave you pride looking at your well sheeted load.
The load and sheeting were well held down by the ropes using the Dolly Knot.

Regards from
Fouro.

Nowadays it's possible that modern HGV drivers wouldn't have a clue as to what I am speaking about in post #38.

Regards from
Fouro.

[Keith Tindell]

I can remember 45 years ago driving for Ranks flour mills in Southampton, long gone now, and delivering the flour to all the bakers in the South, so sheeting up, and roping was bit of a pain when raining, and multi drops, we always new the hitch was known as the lorry mans hitch, and you can repeat the knot on the same line to increase its power even more. Don't ever recall using it at sea, but would have been useful in lots of occasions, kt

[j.sabourn]

When I was up for my early failed tests in the uk , it was all hand signals. My father in law his car was an A 30 and had the little arms which stuck out sometimes mostly you had to give them a bang with your fist to make them work. Wing mirrors were only on the drivers side and if wanted on the other was a pay job. Radios of course were extra. My father in law never sat a driving test as they didn’t exist in his day , but was taught by a professional chauffeur .If he came back and saw the cars now he would be over the moon , mine squacks if go over a white line and if another car comes too close , keeps me awake with the voice telling be what speed I’m doing. My father never owned a car ,they were a rich mans toy. Cheers JS

[Keith at Tregenna]

Just a question as to the Post by Ivan?? I thought that Indicators were compulsory on all Vehicles! How will other Drivers the know which way you are Turning?? I am sure it is Compulsory here in Aussie!
Cheers

Humour ?

Bit like:

I just saw a BMW driver using his indicators correctly on the motorway. Twice.
Should I report the vehicle as stolen?

https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2021/04/0...il-fools-2021/

[Steve Singleton]

Hi Keith,
Interesting subject but not totally alien to the Merchant Navy of course: It's another supply industry.
I was in the MN for about 17 years and after that did a lot of service engineer work in the UK....travelling a thousand miles a week at times.....
Anyway. I always had the utmost respect for lorry drivers: Thought they were the professionals they needed to be to do the job in a very tricky place like the UK....given its infrastructure and variable climatic conditions.
Years later, after emigrating to SA... I would on occasion return to the UK and do casual work. One such occupation was the driving of 7.5t trucks that had to deliver the goods to various supermarkets that had "missed the bus" or the main HGV-Artic that had to leave base without some of the goods that that store needed. (There's a phrase for this...but it escapes me at the mo.) Anyway.... cut to the chase... Whilst I enjoyed the driving and seeing parts of the UK I'd never visited before....I would often be really offended at some of the attitudes from various stores.....Tesco, Sainsburys et al..... Unbelievable. From the management down in those places, the attitude to the delivery drivers was nothing short of insulting:
We were treated like sub-humans by some and like pond life by others.
So..why is there a shortage of HGV drivers?
Yes, the pay is non-reflective of the skills involved.... But I think it goes deeper. A foreign driver using Sat Nav can get there: And is probably impervious to the attitude of the treatment he receives at his destination..... British drivers just don't need that crap at that rate of pay
Can you blame them?
Driving an artic safely is a skilled & onerous task:
To be treated like low life by these jumped up toss-pots that pose as managers in some of these places is totally unacceptable.
I recall telling one such "manager" after he chastised his junior for letting me back in to drop off a forgotten-in-the-rush cage...
"So you're the manager, huh? A word of advice: Don't criticise your staff in front of others. That is not management."
I suppose had I been a full-time employee ....I'd have been sacked for daring to call out that jumped up prat. But that's a small example of what nonsense the British trucker has to contend with....it is no longer the job that young people aspire to.... But then.... Everyone under 20 thinks they can operate a computer all day and get massive wages, don't they, eh?
Stay well. Cheers, Steve.