Nutter lorry driver- report to whom?

[deltashad]

I've just sent this email to a haulage firm. I'd like to forward it onto somebody who may have some sort of influence on the driver in question. I spoke to the company he works for earlier, they didn't seem interested so I doubt if they'll even bother to have a word with the guy.

Here's a copy of the letter, anyone got any ideas? Don't even mention police. They won't be interested. Is there a governing body for truck drivers/firms?

===========================

I called earlier asking for your email address. Like I said I have nothing to gain from contacting yourselves.
You really need to have some training or anger management with one of your drivers.

June 2010 at end of Dundee towards Aberdeen the driver in question tried to run me off the road with my wife's red Vauxhall Astra during a road rage incident. I stood my ground but ended up with £1600 damage. The police could not prove the driver acted dangerously so I did not claim through the insurance.

Last week I was driving from Glasgow to Perth in my car with my daughter and a friend. I witnessed the same driver deliberately try to run another road user off the road directly in front of me. I wasn't involved with this thankfully.

I've never seen anything like this. I don't want to waste my time writing this email, you'll probably just put it into your junk mail. I'm telling you because you really need to pull this guy to the side and give him a bloody good hiding before he kills someone.
Wish I'd given him a slap at the time.

He's the little grey haired bloke about fifty+ years.

I've enclosed a few pictures of the incident.

Please have a word with him

[Nigel_O]

Road Haulage Association may be able to help or at least suggest an appropriate course of action.

Your email was working fine, right up to the point where you said you wished you'd given him a slap. Yes, he may deserve it, but that approach will only serve to weaken your case.

Report it to the Police - they may already have had one or two isolated reports of this driver, which on their own is insufficient evidence - however, with your two seperatre incidents, thay may be able to act. Besides, if you DON'T report it to Plod and he goes on to kill someone, how are you going to feel. You have a duty to act.

[Munter]

As above you should report it to the police. But also I think there are a number of Traffic Commissioners around the country you can contact about haulage firms operating in their area. http://www.dft.gov.uk/topics/tpm/traffic-commissio...

Might be worth talking to them and see if it's within their remit.

[deltashad]

Like I had said in the post. I have nothing to gain. I'm not seeking compensation, there's no case. What happened with me is past and gone.
I'm just worried about what this guy may do next to some unsuspecting driver.
If you'd spoken to the guy on the other end of the phone this morning you would understand this is the only kind of 'talk' he would understand or respect. He was a bit rough. lol.

Thanks for the link. I'll forward an email on to them.

[Nigel_O]

Definitely report it to Plod

I once had a middle-aged driver who went truly berserk when I overtook him - it wasn't dangerous, but it was pretty quick. He tried to run me off the road and then proceeded to chase and harrass me for the next few miles, taking flash photographs as he drove. When we arrived at a set of traffic lights, he was shouting so loudly, I could hear in in my own car. I'm generally not intimidated by other drivers, but I had my ten-year old son in the car with me, so when the lights turned green, I stayed staitonary. I swear he was glowing red by this point. When the lights changed to amber, I sped off, leaving him at the (now red) lights.

I wasn't going to bother, but my son (who had written down the guy's registration numer - T918 OLL - still remember it to this day, over a decade later), said I should report it, so I drove to the local Police station. By pure luck, the desk officer was also on duty a couple of weeks earlier when a VERY distressed young girl with a baby had gone into the station and complained that a red Honda driven by a middle aged chap had actually driven her off the road after she had tried to overtake him (he was apparently doing around 40mph in a NSL) and he then used a flash camera to take photos. She didn't get his registration number, but on the strength of our information on top of the young girl's experience, he was arrested and prosecuted.

PLEASE - report the truck driver now while you still have a sharp memory of the incident.

[deltashad]

I had a hit and run happen to me in October. I wasn't in the car. I got the taxi's number, spoke to the driver, had two witnesses and nothing has come of it.
After about ten phone calls, two trips (80 round miles) and two formal complaints made about the police dept handling the case I still haven't been told if they have spoken to the driver and charged her.
I won't waste my time reporting it to them.

[MagicalTrevor]

I had a lorry driver attempt to drive his lorry into me at the M5/M4 junction (M5 south joins the M4 east and lane 1 merges into lane 2). Because I'd used the full length of Lane 1 to the merge (not fast or aggressively) he decided that I shouldn't be in front of him so when was in front he overtook and then ran me off the road into the hard shoulder. <drama queen>As far as I'm concerned that's pretty much attempted murder with a 40tonne lorry!</drama queen>.

I dialled 999 as I was terrified but they couldn't do anything about it as it was my word against his at least I reported it in case he's a serial offender.

[Munter]

deltashad said:

I had a hit and run happen to me in October. I wasn't in the car. I got the taxi's number, spoke to the driver, had two witnesses and nothing has come of it.
After about ten phone calls, two trips (80 round miles) and two formal complaints made about the police dept handling the case I still haven't been told if they have spoken to the driver and charged her.
I won't waste my time reporting it to them.

If you do not register crime it never happened. You don't specifically have to make a formal complaint. Just log it on crimestoppers. That way they might put a marker against the reg of the truck. And if it ties in with other complaints it adds weight to anybody else who does want to make a formal complaint.

[R0G]

Munter said:

As above you should report it to the police. But also I think there are a number of Traffic Commissioners around the country you can contact about haulage firms operating in their area. http://www.dft.gov.uk/topics/tpm/traffic-commissio...

Might be worth talking to them and see if it's within their remit.

If unsafe practices are being used then the TC is very interested

Let the company know that you will be contacting the TC - then watch them squirm

PS - the TC covering that area is the one person who can revoke or suspend the LGV part of the driving licence if they feel that the driver is not acting responsibly

[7mike]

Nigel_O said:

Your email was working fine, right up to the point where you said you wished you'd given him a slap.

Realy? I think it was blown by the second paragraph. I don't doubt the OPs version of events but this:

deltashad said:

June 2010 at end of Dundee towards Aberdeen the driver in question tried to run me off the road with my wife's red Vauxhall Astra during a road rage incident. I stood my ground but ended up with £1600 damage.

might give an employer reason to seek (and accept?) his driver's version of events.

This:

deltashad said:

I'm telling you because you really need to pull this guy to the side and give him a bloody good hiding before he kills someone.

comes across as a bit juvinile IMHO so TBH I'm not that suprised that the employer hasn't taken this complaint too seriously. Pitty realy, as it sounds like this driver needs taking off the roads.


Edited to add; paragraph one looks a bit iffy too:

deltashad said:

You really need to have some training or anger management with one of your drivers.

Suggesting that the manager needs to undertake anger management training along with his driver is probably not a good way to start. First impressions.....

Edited by 7mike on Tuesday 13th March 20:31

[Pontoneer]

deltashad said:

I've just sent this email to a haulage firm. I'd like to forward it onto somebody who may have some sort of influence on the driver in question. I spoke to the company he works for earlier, they didn't seem interested so I doubt if they'll even bother to have a word with the guy.

Here's a copy of the letter, anyone got any ideas? Don't even mention police. They won't be interested. Is there a governing body for truck drivers/firms?

===========================

I called earlier asking for your email address. Like I said I have nothing to gain from contacting yourselves.
You really need to have some training or anger management with one of your drivers.

June 2010 at end of Dundee towards Aberdeen the driver in question tried to run me off the road with my wife's red Vauxhall Astra during a road rage incident. I stood my ground but ended up with 1600 damage. The police could not prove the driver acted dangerously so I did not claim through the insurance.

Last week I was driving from Glasgow to Perth in my car with my daughter and a friend. I witnessed the same driver deliberately try to run another road user off the road directly in front of me. I wasn't involved with this thankfully.

I've never seen anything like this. I don't want to waste my time writing this email, you'll probably just put it into your junk mail. I'm telling you because you really need to pull this guy to the side and give him a bloody good hiding before he kills someone.
Wish I'd given him a slap at the time.

He's the little grey haired bloke about fifty+ years.

I've enclosed a few pictures of the incident.

Please have a word with him

The Traffic Commissioner will investigate this .

TC has the power to remove a company's operator licence if incidents like this are repeated .

[The Motorist]

[quote
June 2010 at end of Dundee towards Aberdeen the driver in question tried to run me off the road with my wife's red Vauxhall Astra during a road rage incident. I stood my ground but ended up with 1600 damage.
[/quote]

Standing one's ground in a Vauxhall Astra against a truck makes you as foolish as the other driver.

Ask any traffic officer. That's why they're not interested.

[chilistrucker]

MagicalTrevor said:

I had a lorry driver attempt to drive his lorry into me at the M5/M4 junction (M5 south joins the M4 east and lane 1 merges into lane 2). Because I'd used the full length of Lane 1 to the merge (not fast or aggressively) he decided that I shouldn't be in front of him so when was in front he overtook and then ran me off the road into the hard shoulder. <drama queen>As far as I'm concerned that's pretty much attempted murder with a 40tonne lorry!</drama queen>.

I dialled 999 as I was terrified but they couldn't do anything about it as it was my word against his at least I reported it in case he's a serial offender.

i would say if a lorry driver honestly makes you feel threatened and tries to run you off the road, make a note of the reg of the vehicle, time, date and location, and then report it.

cars, or any traffic for that matter, merging, to join a motorway can be a real pain if your a trucker, and fully freighted at 44 tonne, it never ceases to amaze me that can't get this simple move correct.
if your in a car, and joining the motorway, and there is a truck in lane 1, you have the power to either drop a gear and nip out in front of the truck, (if your lane in front is clear), or if not possible, ease off and join behind the truck, you'll soon be able to get into lane to and be on your way.
time and time again, i used to be in this scenario in the lorry, and if possible, would move into lane 2 of the motorway, if said car was near the end of the slip road, so that it could join the motorway. i have lost count how many times said car then sits somewhere around the 50-55 mph mark, whilst the truck is now stuck next to it in lane 2, more often than not, the car, after some period of time slowly gets upto speed, undertakes the lorry and buggers off, rather than letting the lorry pass by, and get back into lane 1. its a tad frustrating, when you've moved out to help another motorist who then dithers around for abit, before pulling said undertaking stunt.
i now just stay in lane 1, and leave it to the joining traffic to make there own mind up.

[Pothole]

"I have nothing to gain from contacting YOU" (only you can contact yourself)

[MissChief]

One great piece of advice I was given by my driving instructor a long time ago. 'If a truck of buss tries to cut you up, let them.'

Yes you should report it as there may have been several reports with no concrete details but by adding them all together they may be able to do something.

[chrisj_abz]

Bit late now, but i would have been tempted to not even mention that you had been involved in an incident with the driver previously, just that you witnessed one of their lorries involved in an incident where the driver tried to run someone off the road, and you would also be reporting it to higher authorities.

might take out the idea to the haulage firm that you were just bitter about the previous incident?

[tezzer]

I had one of these a few months ago, where I could SEE the lorry coming down a mile long hill thinking there is NO WAY he is going to make the compulsory stop at the bottom, and sure enough, he never, coming straight through and swinging wildly left taking all of the right filter lane for people going UP the hill he had just come down. Thank the powers that be, that no one was waiting to take that right, as they would have been hit by this 20 ton tipper. Having seen it coming (one of the benefits of being old and "wise", I had slowed and he came out in front of me, rather than in the side, or over the top of me. I foolishly as it turned out gave him a few seconds of main beams, so he decided it would be fun to brake test me all the way to the motorway, 4 miles away, so despite the red mist, I just hung back and let him play.

Once on the motorway, he stayed in lane 1, I moved across to lane 3 (to give myself plenty of avoidance room in case of a swerve) and simply dialled the number (hands free) on the door of his cab, then dropped back, and once answered, asked for the transport manager, please. I relayed the details of the truck and the incident, and was asssured that they would follow it up, but this driver was one of their longest servig, faultless record etc. etc.

Still, hopw he had a stty reception when he got back to the yard.