TRUCKIES VS CARAVANNERS
GUIDE Trucks and Caravans – Part 2
WORDS MARTY LEDWICH, IMAGES MARTY LEDWICH AND COREY KELLY
You know the feeling. You’re driving along a freeway at 100km/h, you want to overtake slower traffic and there’s some drongo in an old Datsun sitting in the right-hand lane doing 80km/h with a line of traffic queued behind him. Or you’re in a shopping centre carpark and all the disabled spots are taken up by cars with no disabled access sign in their windscreens.
Go on. Admit it. It’s infuriating isn’t it?
Well, consider that our nation’s truck drivers are experiencing this same frustration on a daily basis, thanks to a portion of the caravan and motorhome community. If we are to believe everything in the trucking press, as well as on social media of late, grey nomads are trundling around the country in droves, completely ignorant of their fellow road users, particularly truckies. They are driving at speeds well below the posted speed limit with queues of traffic behind them, only to suddenly find the accelerator once they arrive at an overtaking lane. They’re also clogging up truck-only parking areas, depriving truckies of an opportunity to take their mandated rest breaks.
‘Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one that gets burned’ - Buddha
BELOW A day at BP Northbound in Wallan, Victoria. It’s not a busy day yet cars are filling up caravan and truck parking bays. It is pure laziness
The frustration and anger felt towards caravanners has reached such levels that barely a day goes past without a social media post by a truckie begging for grey nomads to be more considerate of the needs of professional drivers. These posts lead to calls for police and councils to take action by forcing caravanners to move on or issue fines. Some advocate for truckies to take matters into their own hands and make as much noise as possible to drive away these ignorant nomads from their parking bays.
But just how valid are these claims? Are grey nomads really as inconsiderate as everyone is making them out to be or is all this just another social media beat-up?
This month we want to look at the issue and dispel a few myths. But most importantly, we talk to the truckies themselves and ask them for their advice to caravanners as to what we can do to make their lives less frustrating. Finally, we want to share with you our top 10 tips for being truck friendly. If we are going to end this war, someone has to make the first move and it may as well be us.
BELOW It’s hard enough parking a regular semi-trailer. Imagine not being able to access B-Double parking bays
GUIDE Trucks and Caravans – Part 2
TRUCKIES VS CARAVANNERS
‘Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one that gets burned’ - Buddha
You know the feeling. You’re driving along a freeway at 100km/h, you want to overtake slower traffic and there’s some drongo in an old Datsun sitting in the right-hand lane doing 80km/h with a line of traffic queued behind him. Or you’re in a shopping centre carpark and all the disabled spots are taken up by cars with no disabled access sign in their windscreens.
Go on. Admit it. It’s infuriating isn’t it?
Well, consider that our nation’s truck drivers are experiencing this same frustration on a daily basis, thanks to a portion of the caravan and motorhome community. If we are to believe everything in the trucking press, as well as on social media of late, grey nomads are trundling around the country in droves, completely ignorant of their fellow road users, particularly truckies. They are driving at speeds well below the posted speed limit with queues of traffic behind them, only to suddenly find the accelerator once they arrive at an overtaking lane. They’re also clogging up truck-only parking areas, depriving truckies of an opportunity to take their mandated rest breaks.
WORDS MARTY LEDWICH, IMAGES MARTY LEDWICH AND COREY KELLY
BELOW A day at BP Northbound in Wallan, Victoria. It’s not a busy day yet cars are filling up caravan and truck parking bays. It is pure laziness
The frustration and anger felt towards caravanners has reached such levels that barely a day goes past without a social media post by a truckie begging for grey nomads to be more considerate of the needs of professional drivers. These posts lead to calls for police and councils to take action by forcing caravanners to move on or issue fines. Some advocate for truckies to take matters into their own hands and make as much noise as possible to drive away these ignorant nomads from their parking bays.
But just how valid are these claims? Are grey nomads really as inconsiderate as everyone is making them out to be or is all this just another social media beat-up?
This month we want to look at the issue and dispel a few myths. But most importantly, we talk to the truckies themselves and ask them for their advice to caravanners as to what we can do to make their lives less frustrating. Finally, we want to share with you our top 10 tips for being truck friendly. If we are going to end this war, someone has to make the first move and it may as well be us.
BELOW It’s hard enough parking a regular semi-trailer. Imagine not being able to access B-Double parking bays.