Sorry Willy…..just can’t help myself

On the road again
Just can’t wait to get on the road again
The life I love is hangin’ the trailer out round bends
And I can’t wait to get on the road again
On the road again
Goin’ places tourists have never been
Seein’ things that we will never see again,
And I can’t wait to get on the road again.

On the road again
With high powered rigs we go down the highway
We’re the gravel ends
Insisting that the tourists get out of our way
And you know that our way
Is on the road again
Just can’t wait to get on the road again
The life I love is hangin’ the trailer out round bends
And I can’t wait to get on the road again

On the road again
Havin’ races to the chipper down the highway
We’re fastest round the bends
Insisting that the everyone get out of our way
And we don’t care what you say
We’re on the road again

Just can’t wait to get on the road again
The life I love is hangin’ the trailer out round bends
And I can’t wait to get on the road again
And I can’t wait to get on the road again

Send these details and number plate details to the Police, the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition and the Mercury and demand follow up. Someone is going to be killed by these trucks.

Can anyone explain why log trucks don’t all have the steel security grate at the back of truck to prevent logs slipping out and crushing or impaling someone. It is a major risk to the community…where are our politicians when community safety is at risk.

Imagine the consequences with one of those large logs slipping from the truck into the path of the school bus with your kids on it and then ask why aren’t we protected with adequate laws and enforcement of log truck behaviour!

If followed at very close range by a log truck apparently intent on pushing you off the road because you drive below the posted limit, and quite possibly because you have a ‘No Mill’ sticker in the back, then two courses of retaliation come to mind - if one feels annoyed to that extent. One:  briefly turn on the sidelights and accelerate. Two: gradually slow at the foot of a hill then accelerate up it.
It’s no way to make friends and influence people, but I for one have had enough of seeing a truck maker’s badge looming large in my rear view mirror.

As an ex-truck driver I can vouch for the efficacy of method 2. Most trucks have not the power to accelerate up hill so rely on the momentum from the previous down slope to carry them up. In all fairness this is why trucks tend to tailgate cars that get in the way by travelling slowly down hill. The driver’s trying to hold the truck back in the knowledge that if they don’t hit the start of the uphill with a bit of momentum they’ll be down eight gears by the time they reach the top. No excuse for tailgating on the flat though, that’s just bad manners. With a hill coming up, their better tactic is to drop back a bit from the slow car and then catch up at the start of the uphill.
With regard to the grate at the back of the truck; I believe it depends on the type of log being transported. It’s required for slippery little plantation logs but the bigger, more knobbly, regrowth can be chained down satisfactorily.
It’s a pity about log trucks as many of the drivers are sensible professionals but they appear to operate in a regime where they can do no wrong so there’s no curb on the cowboys. Ultimately no-one wins.
I’ll restrain from commenting on the roads that B-doubles are allowed on in this state!

Nice one Pat, i just sent it !  photo and all to over 40 papers around the country ! including of course our own three.
   
  Some ! WILL print it ! as that ! is exactly the type of info needed to concern everyone to the coming dangers.
                  d.d.

Good one Dave

Check out the “Tourism” page on
http://www.water-sos.org for more of the same. It’s only a matter of time before someone is killed, trucks of the “super-dog” configuration are inherently unstable, are responsible for more accidents than any other configuration and should never have been approved in the first place. The latest roll-over being just past the National Park pub a couple of weeks ago.

I agree with Judith:  the picture and other details should be sent to the police. Don’t know if there’s any point in bothering about the pollies though.  I often see overloaded trucks on the East Tamar Hwy but can’t say I’ve been harassed, other than in an emotional sense when most trucks I see are loaded with native forest fodder rather than plantation.  I’ve tried seeing it from the “poor truckies” viewpoint - their livelihood etc. etc. but, bugger it,I can’t. Nobody forced them into the business or made them take out loans for their monster vehicles.