Want to Live? Stay Away from Semi-Trucks ...good article | Page 3 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Want to Live? Stay Away from Semi-Trucks ...good article

No one's arguing that they aren't important, we all know they are. Just that they are a nuisance to be around.

And calling them professional drivers is really pushing the meaning of professional. I got paid to go to a golf tournament once, thereby I'm a professional golfer.
For "professional drivers", I'm amazed how many rollovers there are per month on the 400 series Highways and how many trucks were taken off the road the other week in the MTO blitz I read about.
 
I'm amazed how many rollovers there are per month on the 400 series Highways

So, post your monthly stats on that please, for there are not many, but when there IS one you want to believe it's all over the media (and yes, it hoses up traffic) so people think it's an "epidemic" when in reality it only happens once every few months. When weighted against the hundreds of thousands of trucks that pass safely around and through the city in the meantime the statistics are infinitesimally low, actually.

Fact is countless passenger vehicles rollover in Toronto and the province as a whole on a daily/monthly/yearly basis, but once again, the media isn't interested in it so you'll hear about it in passing on 680 News or whatever, but that's about it..but 1 truck rolls over (yes, often a result of stupidity, but often the result of someone else triggering it as well) and the media is all over it like a fat kid on a Smartie. One just rolled over 3 days ago actually, but I'd venture to say if you asked 1000 people the overwhelming majority wouldn't even be aware of it unless they were stuck in the traffic mess. But if a truck rolled over everyone knows even if it didn't effect them at all.

So, in short, keep things in perspective. The figures are skewed by public perception.

and how many trucks were taken off the road the other week in the MTO blitz I read about.

Keep in mind these are targeted blitzes. If they targeted every car on the road that looked blatantly unkempt you'd see just as high (likely higher) statistics for passenger vehicles. Accordingly, it skews the figures and the media runs with it saying "90% of trucks inspected failed!", but it doesn't take into consideration the targeted nature of the inspection - tens or hundreds of thousands of other trucks that were clearly well kept and operated by good fleets were just waved on through to continue their day. When you take those trucks into consideration the numbers suddenly don't look anywhere near as sensational, down in the low single percentage points which is the typical out of service ratio for normal enforcement, not "blitzes".

The media is of course not interested in non-sensational mundane stuff like that because the public doesn't eat it up and sell newspapers and website hits.
 
but when there IS one you want to believe it's all over the media (and yes, it hoses up traffic) so people think it's an "epidemic" when in reality it only happens once every few months. When weighted against the hundreds of thousands of trucks that pass safely around and through the city in the meantime

Now substitute for bikes, and you should begin to realize how ridiculous the recent GTAM hysteria has been
 
Now substitute for bikes, and you should begin to realize how ridiculous the recent GTAM hysteria has been

ridiculous?? dream on

swarming bikers is ludicrous period, any defense of the activity is even worse

apples & oranges :) ..to say the least
 
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Then keep the trucks "passing through" in the express side of the 401.

Something has to change, we have more traffic on the same amount of lanes.

I don't buy the argument that all those trucks need to be rolling at rush hour periods.

any thoughts on solutions?
 
It would help if the unprofessional bastards would quit f***ing driving in the middle lane as a default behavior...when nobody is in the right lane, get the f*** over there you ********!

Do people suck at merging? Yes
Will you have to turn your cruise off from time to time when someone doesn't merge correctly? Absolutely

Too bad, get over there anyway.

actually, you got a prob with folks sticking to the middle vs dealing with mergers??

too bad & dream on

Also, stop overtaking your fellow-transport drivers...if a guy is doing 104 and you wanna do 105, ask him over the radio if you can pass, don't take up two lanes for 30 minutes trying it.

Suzy can get her mail order shoes a day later, we don't need trucks taking up two good lanes.

deal with that too & figure it out cos you're not only fazed, but also totally fazed out
 
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It would help if the unprofessional bastards would quit f***ing driving in the middle lane as a default behavior...when nobody is in the right lane, get the f*** over there you ********!

Do people suck at merging? Yes
Will you have to turn your cruise off from time to time when someone doesn't merge correctly? Absolutely

LOL I'd actually want to push our local politicians to enact a rule that trucks should ONLY be using the middle lane. Right lane free for merging, and left lane for passing.... I think there'd be way too many trucks, but it'd be interesting to see. Especially on wide city roads like Steeles or Hwy 7; everyone collectively facepalms when there's three of them side-by-side at a light
 
my experience is folks totally suck, or certainly can, merging from the right, into the flow of traffic, or

never know what they are up to exactly,

meanwhile, i'm just going steady in the middle lane

if you've ever been in that deal, where a merger with no outs decides to turn in, & you end up right beside them ..well

turned into a no fault deal for me, but could have easily gone eitherway..

not to mention many of the merges on the gardiner are totally outdated to begin with,

like it was still about model Ts ..ffs
 
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LOL I'd actually want to push our local politicians to enact a rule that trucks should ONLY be using the middle lane.

In the sections of the 401 that are extremely busy (ie Milton through to Bowmanville) lots do already. Follow any truck coming into Toronto through the Bowmanville Oshawa area, and if the driver has the Toronto "Been there done that" t-shirt they'll often move to the middle lane right around Harmony Road in Oshawa and stay there all through the city.

Fact is, it's safer than the alternative which is constant lane changing courtesy of cagers who do the last second dash to onramps, as well as people getting ON the highway who have no idea how to merge safely. At least once a week I have some dolt come around the onramp doing 20K and try to merge either in front of me at about 60K and THEN decide to accelerate...often getting pissy that I got too close to them as I **** my pants trying to not roll over top of them. Most are oblivious. Merging is a skill that a huge majority of cagers fail at miserably - inability to bloody well accelerate is the number one issue, followed by timmidness - I slow down and make room for example and they refuse to merge, instead slamming on the brakes in a panic and stopping on the onramp while other cars pile up behind them. Happens EVERY MORNING at the Harmony and Simcoe Street onramps in Oshawa.

Center lane avoids a lot of the drama for us guys in the end, but of course it creates some drama behind us when cagers get all bent out of shape that we're sitting there when they see (for that 30-45 seconds between ramps) there's nobody to our right, thinking we should get the hell out of their way because apparently the fast lane is too inconvenient for them.
 
imho also yes, keep a nice safe gap from those semi folks (lotsa mass there..), at all times,

a tire blow is one thing, a wheel departure ..well, head for the hills

actually, good to keep a nice safe gap all around at all times, period, on public roads,

..as much as possible
 
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The only time I like to be alongside a truck is when going through a busy intersection. Then I beat it.
 
pretty much the usual guv clueless crap that ends up affecting everyone, and also brings unwanted attention to truckers

and has nothing to do with safety, in the real world

typical ram it down your throats & enjoy guv stuff, for all to enjoy/benefit ..puke, puke

How are the speed limiters doing with regards to safety?

I drive back and forth between Toronto and Kingston on the 401, and two lanes is sometimes brutal trying to pass a truck, or a slow car.

Sitting in a long line waiting for that slow person in the lead to pass at 1 kph faster than the one they're passing, and then another truck driver deciding to pass, putting on his signal and pushing into a line of 20 car drivers that were passing him.

I like to give trucks lots of room, and pass and get over, or pull in behind them when they've gotten up a head of steam for a pass, but the etiquette needs to work both ways.

I shouldn't be forced to emergency brake, or be run off the road, because the person I'm passing, decides to pass as well.
 
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ridiculous?? dream on

swarming bikers is ludicrous period, any defense of the activity is even worse

apples & oranges :) ..to say the least

Not once have I defended that mob, simple pointing out a similarity; i.e. the misadventures of a minority getting blown way out of proportion, and how easily misleading the bombastic blow hard blabbering becomes. But mostly, the way many will only recognize such misrepresentation when directed at them personally.
 
Not once have I defended that mob, simple pointing out a similarity; i.e. the misadventures of a minority getting blown way out of proportion, and how easily misleading the bombastic blow hard blabbering becomes. But mostly, the way many will only recognize such misrepresentation when directed at them personally.

clear cut now on that tx, i like the swarmers tagline :thumbup:
 
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Wouldn't it be great if semis can be restricted from the 400 series highway during rush hour?

I don't see taking semis off the road for rush hour as being helpful when I can't even tell when rush hour starts and stops anymore. What's the window of time for rush hour in the GTA now - 4 or 5 hours? Twice a day? No trucks allowed to go about their business (everyone's business).

I commuted to Markham for 13 years from Georgina and I can't even recall being aware of trucks and it was a PITA commute the whole way because of clueless car drivers. Before that I commuted from Downsview to Markham on the 401 and 404. I am sure there were trucks but I guess I didn't perceive them as immediate threats so they don't stick in my memory as being the problem. Man, you had to develop a thick skin to make it into the ramp from 401 east on to 404 north.

Here's another thing (not ragging on you personally sonyminidiscman, just sharing observations); I have a factory job for now. It's 24/7, the place never rests. Imagine a few hundred people showing up at 7 a.m., clock's ticking and no supplies to work with because the truck hasn't arrived yet, and won't until after 11 a.m. because they are that far away and not allowed on the highway until say 9 a.m. Figure the same thing in the evening and shipping is backed up because the trucks aren't allowed to arrive or leave the dock until after rush hour. Factor in the manufacturers further up the chain who need those parts for their quotas, etc. etc. times how many factories are out there in the same boat.

Kill all the trucking and traffic will diminish, because who can afford a car when they've been laid off for non-production and the price of a car has sky rocketed because efficiency is back to 1970's levels with 2016 wage and material costs.
 
In the sections of the 401 that are extremely busy (ie Milton through to Bowmanville) lots do already. Follow any truck coming into Toronto through the Bowmanville Oshawa area, and if the driver has the Toronto "Been there done that" t-shirt they'll often move to the middle lane right around Harmony Road in Oshawa and stay there all through the city. Fact is, it's safer than the alternative which is constant lane changing courtesy of cagers who do the last second dash to onramps, as well as people getting ON the highway who have no idea how to merge safely. At least once a week I have some dolt come around the onramp doing 20K and try to merge either in front of me at about 60K and THEN decide to accelerate...often getting pissy that I got too close to them as I **** my pants trying to not roll over top of them. Most are oblivious. Merging is a skill that a huge majority of cagers fail at miserably - inability to bloody well accelerate is the number one issue, followed by timmidness - I slow down and make room for example and they refuse to merge, instead slamming on the brakes in a panic and stopping on the onramp while other cars pile up behind them. Happens EVERY MORNING at the Harmony and Simcoe Street onramps in Oshawa. Center lane avoids a lot of the drama for us guys in the end, but of course it creates some drama behind us when cagers get all bent out of shape that we're sitting there when they see (for that 30-45 seconds between ramps) there's nobody to our right, thinking we should get the hell out of their way because apparently the fast lane is too inconvenient for them.

Naturally, none of you truly see the Sarcastic way that I move from the far right lane, around you to the far left lane, pass you and then move back two lanes to the right.
People are too lazy to actually bother paying attention to driving anymore.
Sometimes, there is no traffic for a mile in either direction around you, and yet you're stuck out in your passing lane.
This only seems to happen near Toronto.
Up north, the locals even pull onto the shoulder to allow faster vehicles to pass, well, so it's easy to tell if the person you pulled up behind is from Toronto or not.

Yes, I know that Toronto car, and especially motorcycle drivers move straight to the far left lane, and stick there driving slowly, until the very sharply right to make their exit, but we're talking about professionals.
 
my experience is folks totally suck, or certainly can, merging from the right, into the flow of traffic, or

never know what they are up to exactly,

meanwhile, i'm just going steady in the middle lane

if you've ever been in that deal, where a merger with no outs decides to turn in, & you end up right beside them ..well

turned into a no fault deal for me, but could have easily gone eitherway..

not to mention many of the merges on the gardiner are totally outdated to begin with,

like it was still about model Ts ..ffs


The law is keep right except to pass - you aren't entitled to sit in the middle lane...moving over to let mergers in, sure, but get back over to the right lane afterward - it's where you belong...if we're going to be honest about it. Enjoy 10 years from now when your "deal with it" attitude means you will be one of the first to be replaced by automation.

If we're talking about busy busy traffic, yes, all trucks should probably just sit in the middle or right lanes - but not both.

I didn't support it when they slapped you boys with speed limiters, but if you're gonna admit to being one of the retards that sits in the middle lane all the time don't expect sympathy from me.


Also the idea that we "need" giant transport trucks is nonsense, rail combined with smaller transport units would be perfectly viable, but slightly more expensive. Shipping is pretty much the most cutthroat business there is - if giant pig trucks are 3 cents cheaper, that's what we're going to have.


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In Germany lorries aren't allowed to use the highways on Sundays - doing something like that here for rush hour in the GTA would probably alleviate a lot of traffic - and a lot of aggravation for truckers.

If "the other guy" isn't allowed to truck into TO at 4:30pm, that means you don't have to either.
 
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