This article has been sent to the national and all state Automobile Associations, and some caravan magazines.
Sharing Oversize Safety ChristineThiel
Sharing the Australian highways with very big loads is part of the adventure of travel.
The fastest, cheapest caravan conversion to pop-top is to ignore pilot vehicles.
Failing to see the pilots and the very large vehicles they are escorting could also convert your vehicle to a convertible.
These “pilot vehicles” travel our highways with a large yellow sign on the roof, accompanied by two yellow, rotating beacons. You can’t miss them.
Experience demonstrates some motorists do miss them, completely. Which is rather fortunate when you consider the consequences,
What are they thinking about while they’re driving? Could it be, “Are we there yet?”
Or they could be thinking about the next destination, the road conditions, how the towing vehicle is travelling. In many circumstances it seems they aren’t concentrating on the job in hand – driving.
The vehicles with the bright yellow sign and bright lights on the roof warn motorists of the approach of an oversize load, not roadworks. Most oversize moves occur during daylight hours, between sunrise and sundown. Only extremely large oversize movements may happen at night to avoid disturbing heavier day time traffic. These moves are well lit and are accompanied by a convoy of support vehicles, including Police escorts.
The truck driver and escorts communicate on UHF Radio, channel forty. These vehicles can be travelling very slowly from sixty kilometres hour to one hundred kilometres an hour, depending on size and weight, and state laws of course.
Anything wider than two and a half metres is oversize, and the truck carrying this load will be flashing you with bright yellow, rotating beacons. If you are approaching the rear of such vehicle, you may see a bright yellow beacon, also warning you the load is wider than normal.
If the load is being escorted by one pilot, it’s wider than three and a half metres. If the load is preceded by more than two pilots and a Police Traffic Escort, the load is huge and you will have to pull over in a safe place off the road.
The first pilot vehicle you see may also have alternating flashing drive lights known as “wig-wags”. This indicates the load is more than four and a half metres wide.
Then there’s the rear pilot. It’s this driver’s job to warn vehicles approaching from the rear of the presence of something big sharing the highway ahead.
Sharing is the key to your survival. Ignore these warnings at your own risk. Arrogance and challenging these vehicles could cost your life.
No one is too sophisticated to travel without UHF radio when motoring the hi-ways and bi-ways of Australia. It could save your life, or at the very least, your caravan or motorhome. A few stone chips are the least of your worries if you fail to give way to oversize vehicles.
If you do have a two-way radio, use it to scan or monitor channel 40. Staying on channel eighteen or twenty will not save your life. It’s recommended drivers use channel 40 as the “call channel”, and move to other channels for a chat.
You will hear some very strange language, but in most cases it is English – the truck driver’s muttered version. There will be strategic information which you can use to your advantage to make your travels safer. Most of the time the radio language is purely and simply information about road and traffic conditions without the expletives. There is a very short window of chat opportunity when passing in opposite directions.
Some examples of terminology are, “Southbound oversize is 4.5 metres. You may need to back off and make some room .”
Another example, “Copy in the caravan? We have six metres. Please find a safe place to pull over.”
In some states, particularly in Western Australia, oversize vehicles can travel in convoy. So the call from the Pilot may be, “Copy southbound? We have two at four and a half metres.”
In most circumstances the pilot or truck driver will instruct you how to safely negotiate the wide load from either direction with safe negotiation as the priority.
One of the most frustrating experiences for an oversize team is to follow a caravan which doesn't carry extension towing mirrors or a two-way radio. according to the law rear-view cameras are not good enough to provide adequate range of vision to the rear. An aerial on the outside doesn't mean the occupants are listening to the UHF radio on the inside.
The fact the driver isn’t using mirrors becomes apparent very quickly - the erratic driving, hugging the centre line, and not making any effort to allow the convoy to pass, is a definite indication of ignorance, and arrogance.
It is in the motorist’s best interest to communicate with the pilot and truck driver. It’s a simple matter of calling up on channel 40. Don’t use the radio to abuse them. They have a job to do, and they do everything in their power to keep everyone in the vicinity of the load as safe as possible. Your co-operation will make their job much easier. If they don’t see any indication you’re waiting to overtake, you may stay behind the convoy for more kilometres than you had planned.
Sit back and enjoy the scenery. If all else fails, pull over in a shady spot, brew a cuppa, and reconsider your behaviour in the vicinity of oversize loads.
Well put together, Chris. Maybe that will give a few clues to the newbies or uneducated. I doubt anything will get through to the gormless who thankfully are in the minority.
91f2b5d7d86fe44667d96abcf88e516e
You don't stop riding because you get old, you get old because you stop riding! If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went. When the last tree has been cut down, when the last stream is poisoned, only then will mankind realise that we can not eat money! Some don't understand why I let my dogs sleep on my bed. That's OK, my dogs understand! I'm Larry the Spook and I'm ALMOST NORMAL!
Post by frankandbrenda on Aug 31, 2013 21:36:09 GMT 9.5
Well written Chris, may I cut and paste the article to post it on Caravan and Motorhome forum please, someone might want to do the same on CF and other forums Frank
LIFE IS LIKE A COIN YOU CAN CHOOSE TO SPEND IT ANYWAY YOU WISH BUT YOU CAN ONLY SPEND IT ONCE. MAKE YOUR CHOICES WISELY
Yes Frank you may copy and paste it to the forum. I'm offering it to them for distribution through their magazine, and hopefully it will reach a wider audience of nomads and travellers. Thanks for your interest and support.
I am asking all of you who can to check out the post and the responses posted by the regulars. Messages of safety can never be over-stated, no matter who's stating them.
Post by frankandbrenda on Sept 8, 2013 17:26:30 GMT 9.5
G'day Chris
this was one of the responses
Thanks Frank for the good article. One point I have noticed with pilot vehicles is that they do use the radio to advise oncoming trucks of width etc. But do not relay the same information to caravaners.
the answer that was given to it
You have great point re notification for the vaner I have a feeling the reason they are not communicating with us vaners is that they are not aware that vaners are taking up the use of radios more and more and this could be due to the fact that when they come up behind a caravan they do not know that the tow vehicle is equipped with UHF a radio and that it is switch on
and mine
I think Geoff, that as MH suggested is that they usually get no response from vanners, so they don't bother and also as yu mentioned they may not be aware that we are listening in to 40 a lot of people sit on 18 or 20 for motohomers, that's why it's good to scan 40
unfortunately there will always be those who do not listen to 40 then get upset that you are not telling "THEM" the majority listen in and know what you the pilot is doing
LIFE IS LIKE A COIN YOU CAN CHOOSE TO SPEND IT ANYWAY YOU WISH BUT YOU CAN ONLY SPEND IT ONCE. MAKE YOUR CHOICES WISELY
Some pilots call RV's. I do, but I am sometimes the exception. "Copy in the caravan?" No answer. "You on channel is the east bound caravan?" No answer. Yet they overtake us or pass us with "ornamental" aerials all over the tug. Even if they're listening to the UHF, it's preferred they respond, or, call us first. Ask the pilot how wide. Most pilots will politely advise you and may suggest where to drive while passing the oversize. If it's really, really big you may have to find a safe place to pull off the road. I have 3 UHF radios in my pilot vehicle/motor home. I use one to communicate with truck driver and other pilot/s. I use the other to monitor channel 18 or to call a caravaner in case they're on that channel. The third radio is a hand-held with a shorter range. "Copy in the caravan behind oversize?' This is something else you may hear. Please respond, wait for instructions and do it nicely. Safe and happy travels.
Post by dream4red on Sept 9, 2013 22:04:39 GMT 9.5
Chris, thank you so much for giving us better safety edumication. I don't really know about other vanners, but we don't really use our radio because it is soo static ridden that it is next to impossible, until you are right up to the speaker. Yes I have asked for a more intelligent aerial (it is coming very soon, I am told) and hopefully that will help our issues and we will be better road users. Maybe other vanners have similar issues with el cheapo aerials that are sold with the radios and lousy reception.
Deborah
Just get out there on the road as often as you can folks
Post by frankandbrenda on Sept 10, 2013 17:50:26 GMT 9.5
Yes Chris you are one of the good ones, but as in all jobs (except bus drivers of course ) there are the cowboys.
On our last trip up north (2011) I could hear the pilots and truckie talking as we approached, as I went past the pilot I asked "how wide are we mate" all the came over the air was "there's a caravan coming your way Bob" I repeated my question went past the load, which thankfully wasn't tooo big and I had slowed and moved over anyway, and also went past the rear pilot, I then got on and said
"would have been nice to get a response from the pilot, but I guess there are idiots in all jobs"
LIFE IS LIKE A COIN YOU CAN CHOOSE TO SPEND IT ANYWAY YOU WISH BUT YOU CAN ONLY SPEND IT ONCE. MAKE YOUR CHOICES WISELY
) there are the cowboys.