Truckies Tip # 3 & 4

BEING OVERTAKEN BY A TRUCK & SPEED LIMITED

These two tips have been combined as they relate to each other so closely. The speed that a heavy vehicle can travel is closely governed and by law, it is not possible for the driver to increase their speed beyond 100kph. So assuming a truck has caught up to you it is logical then that the truck is going faster than you and it would make sense for you to allow the truck to pass when it is safe to do so.

Cars increase speed when a truck attempts to overtake

This happens in two situations. Firstly, on 2 lane highways where a truck has caught up to a car and then moves out to overtake, the car sometimes inadvertently increases speed, lessening the space available and increasing the distance and risk involved. Secondly, where a truck may have followed a car travelling at 85 – 95 km/hr waiting for a safe place to pass only to reach the passing lane and the car accelerates to 100 km/hr only to slow to its original speed when back in one lane.

Trucks are speed limited to 100kph so please do not increase your speed when being overtaken.

Rather than frustrating everyone, particularly on flat terrain where it can maintain the legal speed limit, consider allowing it to pass safely and be on its way. You don’t want a heavy vehicle to be continually behind you, and they don’t want to be there either. Also, in some instances such as when traffic queues up behind slower traffic, other drivers will take risks in overtaking. By sharing the road and considering others, you improve your safety and that of other road users. It pays to remember that a heavy vehicle, due to its slow acceleration and speed limiting restriction, has far fewer overtaking opportunities than the average car.

If being passed by a truck, don’t allow your speed to increase, this only increases the time involved. If anything, ease up on the accelerator and by helping the truck pass safely you improve your own safety as well.

Speed limiting means no engine power above 100 km/hr. A truck will hope to be at the legal speed limit approaching the bottom of a hill to lessen delays to all traffic, but if we are slow uphill or when overtaking, we are doing the best we can.