Trucker's SatNav Blamed for 10 Hour Road Closure

[RobBrady]

Yet another stranded lorry has been blamed on its driver placing too much faith in his satnav according to This is Somerset.

It appears that artic lorry driver Mike Shillabar, trusted the guidance his satnav gave him over a "No Large Vehicle" sign while approaching narrow Thrupe Lane in Croscombe, Somerset.

After attempting to back the 55 foot truck up, the hapless driver only managed to burn out his clutch.

Three hours later a tow truck arrived to rescue him, but it was ten hours before the three mile lane was cleared for traffic.
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Robert Brady

[Wazza_G]

Another one of the intellectually sub-prime! I hope the police threw the book at him & his company parted company with him, not only for their sake, but his & everyone else's safety.

I mean if there's a sign stating "no large vehicles" what part of that does he not understand? Good grief!

[M8TJT]

[bulldog43]

i also drive for a living and its people like him that give the rest of us a bad name the police should have done him for driving without due care and attention the blokes a joke and should be taken of the road

[jowett69]

are your muppets for real, have a go driving for a living instead of slagging people off. then you will realise how it is to drive in this rip off country.

[richard345]

Many people here drive for a living. What part of a 'Low Bridge' sign would you ignore because your SatNav said continue?

What has 'rip off' to do with the fact that the particular driver was an idiot?
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Ric - TomTom 520 DEAD - Passed to the great traffic jam in the sky. Now using Maps & Waze on Samsung Galaxy S4 + CamerAlert of course!

[aj2052]

The same lorry drivers that pull out into your lane when you are overtaking them, and there is a lot of them it must be part of their training.
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Moto G5s Plus, Sygic 17.4.8

[jowett69]

[jowett69]

[JoolsTwo]

Do they make special sat-navs for lorries that take account of narrow and low restrictions or must the driver rely on decent POIs and a bit of common sense?
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TomTom ONE Series 30 (v8) & TMC traffic
App 8.010, UK & ROI Map v860.3126, TT Home 2.7.6.2056

[aj2052]

[richard345]

Suggestion to the Mods at this point - lock the thread, it ain't going anywhere. Except down a narrow lane, maybe?
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Ric - TomTom 520 DEAD - Passed to the great traffic jam in the sky. Now using Maps & Waze on Samsung Galaxy S4 + CamerAlert of course!

[DennisN]

In fairness to the driver in question, he was going to a farm, so it would not be a surprise to have to drive on narrow country lanes. Is he going to call back to his depot to say it's a narrow lane so I can't do the job?

Farms live on narrow country lanes and are served by heavy lorries week in, week out - that's why the 7.5 tonne restriction signs invariably say "Except for access"!!

And whilst Google Maps Streetview is not 100% reliable, I have searched up and down Thrupe Lane and cannot find any trace of signs saying "No large vehicle".

Against him, however is the fact that Dungeon Farm, Croscombe seems to be south of Croscombe, whereas Thrupe Lane approaches Croscombe from the north and there is a perfectly decent A road (dogleg) from Bristol to Wells, to Croscombe, so he shouldn't have been driving down there - heavy lorry drivers should be well aware that whenever possible they should avoid narrow lanes and this was a case where there was a safe route most of the way.

But can we also dispel this myth about lorries being set at 52mph? Last Friday afternoon I was unable to overtake an artic without breaking the 70mph speed limit on A38 from Plymouth - not an ancient smoke belching unrestricted lorry, a recent registration 06 or 08 plate. Or is that not an example of "all new lorries"?

I don't lock threads belonging to Staff members, but I suggest everybody backs off a bit - there are two sides to most stories and (in his own way), jowett69 has made a very valid point about the delivery location.
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Dennis

If it tastes good - it's fattening.

Two of them are obesiting!!

[adamf]

[Border_Collie]

I think the main point is the sat nav was blamed, again!

However, he would probably have taken the same route using a paper map or even stopped to ask a local, who probably had never driven a large vehicle, and directed him along the same route.

I'll support truckers 99% of the time.

But, and there's always a but. Truck 'A' slows to 52-54mph on inside lane up incline, truck B, doing 56mph, pulls out to overtake and you get a rolling road block. Why oh why? Slowing 2-4 mph until reaching the flat isn't going to make them a week late. Is it? Plus Truck 'A' will probably get back to 56 along the flat. I think we should follow the French, no overtaking on inclines for large vehicles, it works a treat over there.
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Formerly known as Lost_Property
And NO that's NOT me in the Avatar.

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