You might have noticed that we’ve re-run the truckies vs caravanners theme on the cover, but did you notice the subtle change? We replaced the versus (vs) with and (&) because the story in this issue is where to look to find education programs that help promote awareness and practical skills for caravanners and truck drivers to successfully co-exist.

From last month’s story, we received a couple of comments about it being one-sided, skewed towards the truck-drivers’ point of view, but if you think about it, there were a few valid reasons why that might appear so. I say appear, as that wasn’t the brief to the story author.

For starters, the trucking industry, for any of its failings, is more regulated than that of the recreational road users towing vans. As we’re all aware, you’re not legally obliged to do any training to tow a caravan, and some of us manage that better than others.

Now, this is not an essay on why a towing course should be mandatory, or not, but if you think back to when you learned to drive, imagine being left to your own devices to discover how to pilot a car and navigate the road network! And then extrapolate that situation with everyone in the same boat; it’d be alarming.

And despite the decidedly average driver education this country believes adequate, the behaviour on the road of some of our brothers and sisters is abhorrent to say the least. Although one can assume that aggression and selfishness are prominent in more people’s lives than is ideal. Boiled down, that translates as: arseholes are everywhere, and whether they have a licence or not.

Anyway, driving is a great example of the human world at play – where we’re perceived as safe in our metal surrounds. Except we’re not are we? And while we make stupid decisions when tired, hungry, angry, or drunk and distracted by a Facebook post on the motorway at 100km/h, the car or the vehicle gives us the space we feel we need to be away from anything that might be annoying us. Turn on the tunes (loud), sing, or make phone calls, and we’re not exactly dialled-in and as focused as, say, on the start line at Mount Panorama – although, again, that’s where some drivers imagine they are when they leave the house.

I digress.

We have all met them, the overly aggressive truckie, or been tailgated by a semi-trailer, had to sit behind a wall of trucks travelling at the speed limit, side by side across two or three lanes with no overtaking opportunity provided. And we have met the car-driving, or caravan-towing equivalent. However, the truck driver has done some training and had a licence endorsed to be at the wheel of that vehicle – they’ve put effort, time and money (or their employer has) into being qualified to drive that class of vehicle. Whether they choose to act perfectly every time behind the wheel is, of course, human nature and dependent on lots of factors that affect mood and demeanour. Just like you.

What do they say? Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes to be able to pass comment on their situation? Jump onto the truck licence test simulator on your state authority’s website (if they have one) and do the practice theory tests. If you’re looking to buy a larger vehicle in the motorhome stakes, then you should/must upgrade your licence; see what it’s like to drive a larger vehicle and while it might not be a semi-trailer, it will add perspective to your driving arsenal. And just because you may have done training years ago, and I mean, say, at the beginning of your driving career, doesn’t make it current or always at the top of your mental recall capacity! I took my HR test about five years ago and the instructor’s tips still stick with me, although don’t ask me to tie down your load – you’d make the evening news.

So what is the price of admission to this exciting game of road rules?

Well, respect would go a long way. If you offer it you don’t always receive it, but it’s better to have the moral high ground, yes? And that goes for all road users. 

APOLOGY
In issue 48, in the multi-part story on flat towing behind an RV, we incorrectly stated that the company Hitch'N'Go was no longer trading. We acknowledge that this was a mistake and we apologise to Hitch'N'Go for any confusion or inconvenience our error may have caused. To find out more about the hardware and experience from Hitch'N'Go, please visit www.hitchngo.com.au

MERCY’S SAKE; LOOKS LIKE WE GOT US A CONVOY

TIM SCOTT EDITOR - RV DAILY

NEWS Ed's Letter

You might have noticed that we’ve re-run the truckies vs caravanners theme on the cover, but did you notice the subtle change? We replaced the versus (vs) with and (&) because the story in this issue is where to look to find education programs that help promote awareness and practical skills for caravanners and truck drivers to successfully co-exist.

From last month’s story, we received a couple of comments about it being one-sided, skewed towards the truck-drivers’ point of view, but if you think about it, there were a few valid reasons why that might appear so. I say appear, as that wasn’t the brief to the story author.

For starters, the trucking industry, for any of its failings, is more regulated than that of the recreational road users towing vans. As we’re all aware, you’re not legally obliged to do any training to tow a caravan, and some of us manage that better than others.

Now, this is not an essay on why a towing course should be mandatory, or not, but if you think back to when you learned to drive, imagine being left to your own devices to discover how to pilot a car and navigate the road network! And then extrapolate that situation with everyone in the same boat; it’d be alarming.

And despite the decidedly average driver education this country believes adequate, the behaviour on the road of some of our brothers and sisters is abhorrent to say the least. Although one can assume that aggression and selfishness are prominent in more people’s lives than is ideal. Boiled down, that translates as: arseholes are everywhere, and whether they have a licence or not.

Anyway, driving is a great example of the human world at play – where we’re perceived as safe in our metal surrounds. Except we’re not are we? And while we make stupid decisions when tired, hungry, angry, or drunk and distracted by a Facebook post on the motorway at 100km/h, the car or the vehicle gives us the space we feel we need to be away from anything that might be annoying us. Turn on the tunes (loud), sing, or make phone calls, and we’re not exactly dialled-in and as focused as, say, on the start line at Mount Panorama – although, again, that’s where some drivers imagine they are when they leave the house.

I digress.

We have all met them, the overly aggressive truckie, or been tailgated by a semi-trailer, had to sit behind a wall of trucks travelling at the speed limit, side by side across two or three lanes with no overtaking opportunity provided. And we have met the car-driving, or caravan-towing equivalent. However, the truck driver has done some training and had a licence endorsed to be at the wheel of that vehicle – they’ve put effort, time and money (or their employer has) into being qualified to drive that class of vehicle. Whether they choose to act perfectly every time behind the wheel is, of course, human nature and dependent on lots of factors that affect mood and demeanour. Just like you.

What do they say? Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes to be able to pass comment on their situation? Jump onto the truck licence test simulator on your state authority’s website (if they have one) and do the practice theory tests. If you’re looking to buy a larger vehicle in the motorhome stakes, then you should/must upgrade your licence; see what it’s like to drive a larger vehicle and while it might not be a semi-trailer, it will add perspective to your driving arsenal. And just because you may have done training years ago, and I mean, say, at the beginning of your driving career, doesn’t make it current or always at the top of your mental recall capacity! I took my HR test about five years ago and the instructor’s tips still stick with me, although don’t ask me to tie down your load – you’d make the evening news.

So what is the price of admission to this exciting game of road rules?

Well, respect would go a long way. If you offer it you don’t always receive it, but it’s better to have the moral high ground, yes? And that goes for all road users. 

APOLOGY
In issue 48, in the multi-part story on flat towing behind an RV, we incorrectly stated that the company Hitch'N'Go was no longer trading. We acknowledge that this was a mistake and we apologise to Hitch'N'Go for any confusion or inconvenience our error may have caused. To find out more about the hardware and experience from Hitch'N'Go, please visit www.hitchngo.com.au

MERCY’S SAKE; LOOKS LIKE WE GOT US A CONVOY

TIM SCOTT EDITOR - RV DAILY

NEWS Ed's Letter