CB radio. Are they a ‘must have’?

Mike Harding · Guru

CB radio. Are they a ‘must have’?

Lostone · Member

Mike Harding wrote:
Lostone wrote:
Mike Harding wrote:
Lostone wrote:
Can you honestly tell us when was the last time you seen a heavy vehicle indicate left to signal you to overtake.
The last time I was driving outside Melbourne (two weeks ago) a B double on the road SE out of Mildura.
You guys are out of touch.
Yeah. I call bull****.

You ask a question... I give an answer... you call me a liar....
I think we're done you and I Lostone.

-- Edited by Mike Harding on Wednesday 21st of April 2021 07:35:25 PM

Gottcha. No argument here

gdayjr · Senior Member

I will certainly put a radio in the new Iveco.

When and if i choose to use it, is up to me.

I would sooner have it, and hardly use it, than not have it, and one day need it.

I have used them since i was a teenager in the UK, when they were illegal, but we had some good fun with them then.

I had an Ameture radio licence in the UK, so i understand how it all works.

Whenarewethere · Guru

Mike Harding wrote:
Lostone wrote:
Mike Harding wrote:
Lostone wrote:
Can you honestly tell us when was the last time you seen a heavy vehicle indicate left to signal you to overtake.
The last time I was driving outside Melbourne (two weeks ago) a B double on the road SE out of Mildura.
You guys are out of touch.
Yeah. I call bull****.
You ask a question... I give an answer... you call me a liar....
I think we're done you and I Lostone.

I live in the the local streets in Manly. A few years ago we had a DA (development application) & the developer wanted to use B-doubles to collect excavated rock from the building site.

I did a written objection to such large trucks in the local quite residential streets & explaining the nature of our street.

B-double truck movements were approved by council.

They were consistently blocking driveways & the street as a whole, no safety flag person. I often could not get into my garage & had no option but to totally block the street unit it moved. Or could not get out of my garage like other neighbours.

This went on for quite a few months.

Rob Driver · Guru

Whenarewethere wrote:
Mike Harding wrote:
Lostone wrote:
Mike Harding wrote:
Lostone wrote:
Can you honestly tell us when was the last time you seen a heavy vehicle indicate left to signal you to overtake.
The last time I was driving outside Melbourne (two weeks ago) a B double on the road SE out of Mildura.
You guys are out of touch.
Yeah. I call bull****.
You ask a question... I give an answer... you call me a liar....
I think we're done you and I Lostone.
I live in the the local streets in Manly. A few years ago we had a DA (development application) & the developer wanted to use B-doubles to collect excavated rock from the building site.
I did a written objection to such large trucks in the local quite residential streets & explaining the nature of our street.
B-double truck movements were approved by council.
They were consistently blocking driveways & the street as a whole, no safety flag person. I often could not get into my garage & had no option but to totally block the street unit it moved. Or could not get out of my garage like other neighbours.
This went on for quite a few months.

Wawt,

Trucks to many, are inconvenient.

While you are sitting in you townhouse in Manly have a little look around and tell us all of any item that did not get to its final destination to the retailer without involving a truck.
Open your pantry, open your fridge, go and hop back into bed, look out the window, even the building materials were bought to you courtesy of a truck.

By the tone of your post above you might be anti truck and that is fine but that is not what this topic is about.

The councils decision to go against your request was probably because they wanted to get the job done.

I would be very surprised if the BDoubles carting material did not all have UHF CBs and those radios more than likely would all be tuned to a council operating channel or at the very least, would be communicating amongst themselves.

Almost all large trucks have UHF radios and it is an advantage for anyone operating a vehicle in their vicinity to have one as well.

Regards

Rob

Wanda · Guru

MH, it would appear that the system you have been using is now out of date and I think, as explained by several truckies on here, for a good reason.

I have no doubt some motorists still use the indicators as discussed here, but it really is a safety issue and hopefully if there are some on here that do, they will stop.

I have to admit that I have not seen the old blinker(re overtaking) system used for many many years, other than a left/right blink from truckies to say thanks after I have communicated via uhf re passing.

and yes I feel uhf are very handy when travelling on highways and back roads, safety issue, probably not, but can be if used correctly.

Ian

Wanda · Guru

Whenarewethere wrote:
Mike Harding wrote:
Lostone wrote:
Mike Harding wrote:
Lostone wrote:
Can you honestly tell us when was the last time you seen a heavy vehicle indicate left to signal you to overtake.
The last time I was driving outside Melbourne (two weeks ago) a B double on the road SE out of Mildura.
You guys are out of touch.
Yeah. I call bull****.
You ask a question... I give an answer... you call me a liar....
I think we're done you and I Lostone.
I live in the the local streets in Manly. A few years ago we had a DA (development application) & the developer wanted to use B-doubles to collect excavated rock from the building site.
I did a written objection to such large trucks in the local quite residential streets & explaining the nature of our street.
B-double truck movements were approved by council.
They were consistently blocking driveways & the street as a whole, no safety flag person. I often could not get into my garage & had no option but to totally block the street unit it moved. Or could not get out of my garage like other neighbours.
This went on for quite a few months.

And the point your making is......what!?!

Whenarewethere · Guru

I do not have any issue with trucks in out back street. Like everyone else we have 4 garbage trucks emptying the red, yellow, blue & green bins.

A week ago the Water Board closed off the street with 3 lollypop people. Same with Energy Australia cutting the trees down.

But it is simply completely unnecessary & fundamentally dangerous with all the children in our street, a dozen in our building alone, to have have B-double trucks movements every few hours in a back street... Unsupervised on top of it.

Wanda · Guru

Ok, I can see you point possibly!
Maybe you could start another post if you feel strongly enough about it, just not sure its relevant in this discussion thats all!
cheers
Ian

Whenarewethere · Guru

Related enough to avoid hundreds of threads.

boab · Senior Member

blinky thing.jpg

Buzz Lightbulb · Guru

Lol

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

The left indicator . Is mainly used way out west . Stuart Highway etc . I dont see it used too often east of GT Dividing range !!! Usually when theres hardly anyone on the road so doesnt confuse drivers . Just one or two blinks too !!

Lostone · Member

Aus-Kiwi wrote:
The left indicator . Is mainly used way out west . Stuart Highway etc . I dont see it used too often east of GT Dividing range !!! Usually when theres hardly anyone on the road so doesnt confuse drivers . Just one or two blinks too !!

On the Stuart Highway I usually weigh (unless empty) around 136.5 tonne. So I dont overtake often. Maybe once or twice a day. But the same principle applies. Left indicator means dont overtake. Unless you are referring to the winteries. Then its anyones rules. And the same old theme. I overtake when Im ready.

Lostone · Member

Aus-Kiwi wrote:
The left indicator . Is mainly used way out west . Stuart Highway etc . I dont see it used too often east of GT Dividing range !!! Usually when theres hardly anyone on the road so doesnt confuse drivers . Just one or two blinks too !!

On the Stuart Highway I usually weigh (unless empty) around 136.5 tonne. So I dont overtake often. Maybe once or twice a day. But the same principle applies. Left indicator means dont overtake. Unless you are referring to the winteries. Then its anyones rules. And the same old theme. I overtake when Im ready.

forgot to add. Standard 18 axle road train

authority to operate permit no xxx

pbs permit no. xxx

hml permit no. xxx

iap permit no xxx

$33000 worth of permits per year.

DolanAus · Member

I have a UHF in my Prado and two 5 watt hand held units. Very useful to keep in touch with the missis when camping or when she goes bush walking with the dog or when travelling in a convoy with friends.

Plain Truth · Guru

Traveling in Victorian High Country,we are glad to have one.The large vehicles nearly always tell which way they are heading and what mileage post they at.

Don't want to meet a logging truck on a tight bend.

log truck.jpg

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

Yea the way I take it . If your turning left . You can pass . If your turning right ? DONT pass !! In any case . Use the radio ! Indicator is just to let each other I know your there ! Or I know your there .,

msg · Guru

I think using your blinkers for any purpose other than indcating what YOU are going to do is wrong.

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

You think ?? Yea right if only some even think !!

PeterInSa · Guru

I agree with:
(Using the left indicator to indicate to a following vehicle that you consider he may be able to overtake you has been a widely and safely used practice in Europe for decades (Right indicator in RHD countries). This practice was started by truck drives and has filtered down to many in the car driving community.)

And rarely use the CB to Talk to Truckies unless they talk to me.

Wanda · Guru

Rarely used these days and I think for good reasons

yobarr · Guru

Wanda wrote:
Rarely used these days and I think for good reasons

Not true.Regularly,on my travels,I communicate with truckies this way,and even the younger ones are appreciative.So simple.Cheers

Eaglemax · Guru

This discussion about using indicators is accidents waiting to happen.

E.g. a inexperienced driver is following a semi and the semi flashes his left indicator 2-3 times...car driver assumes he's about to turn left and proceeds to overtake when he's really saying DONT OVERTAKE ATM.

Next scenario. That young driver clips an oncoming car but all drivers survive with injuries. Police called and emboss. In the hospital the 2 car drivers and semi drivers are interviewed by police. Young driver tells police the semi was about to turn left as indicated (or, young driver interpreted semi was indicating for him to overtake) police issue fine to young driver, overtook when unsafe to do so.

Semi driver interviewed "why did you use your left indicator" driver states "to let driver following NOT to overtake" driver issued fine for indicating incorrectly. The indicator is not for use other than indicating to turn.

In these cases a CB can be useful even though I don't want such distraction myself. Im patient enough and ignore indicators apart from assuming the vehicle ahead is about to turn.

Mike Harding · Guru

Eaglemax wrote:
This discussion about using indicators is accidents waiting to happen.

Europe has been doing it for a very long time without issue.

yobarr · Guru

Eaglemax wrote:
This discussion about using indicators is accidents waiting to happen.
E.g. a inexperienced driver is following a semi and the semi flashes his left indicator 2-3 times...car driver assumes he's about to turn left and proceeds to overtake when he's really saying DONT OVERTAKE ATM.

Why on earth would any following driver feel a need to pull out to overtake another vehicle simply because the driver of that vehicle has signalled a left turn? And why would a semi (or any other vehicle) flash its indicator only 2-3 times if it was indeed turning left! Is it not safe practice to turn-on your indicator well before the left turn,and turn it off only after the turn has been completed,or the indicator self cancels? Surely only 2-3 flashes would alert any sensible driver that something was not quite right? As far as the use the right indicator is concerned,an aware driver would know that 2-3 flashes meant that the truck driver ahead believed that it was safe to consider an overtaking manouevre.If the following driver did not,in fact, realise what those 2-3 flashes meant,and thought that the truck was turning right,surely he would not even consider overtaking? So simple.Cheers

-- Edited by yobarr on Monday 26th of April 2021 08:31:14 AM

Blues Man · Guru

I agree yobarr ,why would you trust somebody else's eyes rather than your own.

Do not overtake unless you can see it's safe with your OWN eyes.

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

Blues Man wrote:
I agree yobarr ,why would you trust somebody else's eyes rather than your own.
Do not overtake unless you can see it's safe with your OWN eyes.

On that basis there is zero reason to ever use turn indicators in this way.

Besides it is against the law to do so (and there are obviously good reasons for that) but clearly that means nothing to many.

Cheers,

Peter

yobarr · Guru

Peter_n_Margaret wrote:
Blues Man wrote:
I agree yobarr ,why would you trust somebody else's eyes rather than your own.
Do not overtake unless you can see it's safe with your OWN eyes.
On that basis there is zero reason to ever use turn indicators in this way.
Besides it is against the law to do so (and there are obviously good reasons for that) but clearly that means nothing to many.
Cheers,Peter

As stated,Peter,an AWARE driver would know that 2-3 flashes of the right indicator meant that the truck driver ahead believed that it was safe to consider an overtaking manouvre.If the following driver was ignorant of this,they certainly wouldn't try overtaking a truck that they thought was turning right,surely? The usage of indicators is only an aid to those who understand the process,and would have no effect on others.Cheers

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

Roads are very narrow out there. Your letting the vehicle behind I know your there . Pass when SAFE ! In some cases with heavy vehicles the wheels actually have to run off the black stuff to pass . Which I drive ., Why indicating left indicator . Only do this when passing is possible . Still the responsibility of the passing vehicle ! He may not have enough power !! Besides these vehicle ARE speed limited !! Besides most times the vehicle behind is close . As if it intends to pass . Then one or two flashes to left . Then comment on CB Ill let you pass etc . When they pull out to pass . Then I ease off throttle so passing is done as safe as possible . If the hit there speed limiter passing time can be a problem !! Using left indicator is telling Im giving way allowing room, easing more to left of road being car full of stones etc . Using right indicator to pass could have issues if I was to turn right !