My experience as a white van man for a day

[flango]

Thought I would share this one with you, time for daughter to move out of the apartment she has been using for Uni, so in the best tradition I hire a LWB transit as my battle wagon for the A1,M18, M1, challenge, my fine chariot is fuelled up and ready to go, so I decide to go for the perfect drive and observe the reactions to my white van Junior SWMBO with me and as she is studying psychology thought it would be interesting for her too.

First 40 miles went well until I got on the M1 then was undertook in lane 1 by an Audi A4 repmobile who then came back into lane 2 and missed me by millimetres, approx 10 miles later another Audi A6 t*sser who thinks it's a laugh to block me moving back to lane 1 from lane 2 by matching my speed, result 2 lanes of traffic now moving very slow and me nearly missing my exit.

So arrive at our destination fill the van up to the gunnels and head back to Doncaster. M1 again this time a Fiat 500 comes screaming past me in lane 3 (I'm on an up hill slog maintaining 70 mph) pulls back in front of me and then proceeds to slow down to 45 mph as she realises her put put engine can't handle the hill either who's at the wheel an aged granny face planted on the windscreen hunched out of the seat. So that passes and we get near Sheffield an my turn off for the M18 I'm in lane one and all of a sudden a Corsa comes from lane 3 missing my front end by a fraction, in fact if I had not braked it would have hit me. So it's then in lane one as I overtake it who's at the wheel another bl*ody granny with jam jar glasses hunched over the wheel driving half in lane one half on the hard shoulder (this one got reported to the police she was so dangerous it was untrue, definitely needs her eyesight testing and a resit of her test, fortunately got this one on video from my daughters iphone)

So 120 miles and 4 incidents, so next time you have a pop at white van man think of the abuse and incidents they have to put up with, I now have a little more sympathy for them after today's experience and what is it with the Audi drivers, are these the old Vectra/Mondeo rep brigade graduated into a decent car but left their brains and manners in the old one?

So I'm back on my old crusade, retest everyone at 70 years old and remove the ones that aren't capable and give company car drivers advanced driver training and get them to respect the rules of the road instead of abuse them

OK rant over

 

[Deleted member 37751]

This is what happens once you step foot out of our glorious county Ian; anarchy.

Good to see you back home, safe and sound.

 

[developer]

A view from the other side:

I drove a Sue Ryder van once a week for about four years.

There was a definite difference on my driving style - more aggressive, less forgiving.

White van man really does exist .

 

[davidjpowell]

This is what happens once you step foot out of our glorious county Ian; anarchy.

Good to see you back home, safe and sound.

It's a dangerous world out there.

Ian you got it wrong, admit it. If you'd driven like a proper WVM you would have your foot down and nothing would stop you!

 

[flango]

It's a dangerous world out there.

Ian you got it wrong, admit it. If you'd driven like a proper WVM you would have your foot down and nothing would stop you!

You are probably right David I should have put my WVM head on and gone for it It did cross my mind to teach the A6 driver a lesson he would not forget in a hurry but had junior SWMBO on board and on that side of the vehicle

 

[MCFastybloke]

Lol

I have done this (from a van drivers pov)for 30 years and over half a million miles.

Fighting for life on a daily basis.

 

[jp 1]

driving a van in my working week,(a large sprinter van) I cant understand how some people pass there test. eg cutting up, driving to near to the back of van, on turning right at a mini roundabout had a car overtake me on the right hand side. also trying to push pass on the chevrons from a dual carrage way to a single lane.

 

[John]

I remember hiring a van back early last decade to move from my flat into our first house.

Taking the X reg (I think it was) Transit Duratorq back - I got it up to 110mph on the Autobahn41.

Great to drive actually - plenty of room and surprisingly good gearbox.

 

[flango]

I remember hiring a van back early last decade to move from my flat into our first house.

Taking the X reg (I think it was) Transit Duratorq back - I got it up to 110mph on the Autobahn41.

Great to drive actually - plenty of room and surprisingly good gearbox.

I must admit Transit's have come a long way it was a very pleasant van to drive.

 

[davidjpowell]

The best I've enjoyed has been 7.5T box wagons. Transits on steroids....

 

[cinek]

I have always said it, it is not the vehicle but the driver who offends.
'White van man' attitude can exhibit itself in a car, lorry or even a push bike.

Not all van drivers drive in the same manner, and no, I dont drive/own a van.

 

[MD5]

First 40 miles went well until I got on the M1 then was undertook in lane 1 by an Audi A4 repmobile....

anther Audi A6 t*sser who thinks it's a laugh to block me moving back to lane 1....

this time a Fiat 500 comes screaming past .....who's at the wheel an aged granny face planted on the windscreen hunched out of the seat.

....who's at the wheel another bl*ody granny with jam jar glasses hunched over the wheel driving half in lane one half on the hard shoulder


So 120 miles and 4 incidents,

And statistically, 50% were old grannies, which happens to the rest of us anyway! Not convinced!

 

[pipmk]

A complex question, firstly young drivers kill,themselves, passengers and other motorists,Grannies (however you define them) by and large only annoy. "Never had an accident,seen hundreds"
Secondly one presumes most white van men are in a hurry to earn a living at the next call. This is no excuse for the two inches from your bumper style of driving, after all all they are doing is rushing up to the next hold up or sometimes to A&E but it is what their head is telling them.
Thirdly,without doubt being in a large high up vehicle with a short bonnet gives a psychological feeling of superiority and immunity. A false impression but one that is also common to 4X4 drivers.
Fourthly, most white van men are local traders who do the same few miles day in day out, familiarity leads to complacency,most accidents happen within a few miles of base,not just because these are the roads we travel most frequently but because "nothing has happened the last 500 times,ergo nothing will happen this time" a basic but common misunderstanding of the laws of chance.
Fifthly because they often travel with the van very laden they have forgotten that the mass they are driving requires longer distances to stop, more time to accelerate and presents an increased damage factor should they crash.

As for getting young reps in someone elses car using someone elses paid for fuel to drive with care and consideration, well the best of luck with that. It is hired car syndrome,in that they will always go 10 miles an hour faster than the makers thought they would.

 

[BTB 500]

We get a bit of this when driving the Vito, but it's jasper blue rather than white ... which probably helps a bit

Funnily enough last night I had a car try to under-take us in a bicycle lane at a set of traffic lights - and it wasn't even an Audi!

 

[baxlin]

First 40 miles went well until I got on the M1 then was undertook in lane 1 by an Audi A4 repmobile who then came back into lane 2 and missed me by millimetres,

Obviously, I don't know the details, and may have misunderstood, but shouldn't you have been in lane 1? (as in "keep to the nearside lane except when overtaking")

 

[StMarks]

.... and what is it with the Audi drivers, ......

You're not alone with your concerns about that lot mate.:
675.cc ? View topic - Audi drivers!!!

Just count your blessings that you are safe in your cage, unlike some of us.

 

[lxi]

One of the motoring highlights of my life was when driving a van in Glasgow (summer job, I was a student of about 20, so like all such, automatically and simultaneously immortal with the reactions of a cat and the skill of a formula 1 driver).

The Kingston Bridge over the Clyde wasn't long opened and (as is still the case up to a point) there were about 5 feeder roads on and 5 exits off with something like 400 yards to make the required changes of lanes. Imagine a fairground dodgem ride & you get the idea.

So I am only halfway over & already in my lane for exit when someone else decided he wanted to be where I was and basically tried to push his way in.

Mistake.

It's the only time I have ever intentionally hit another car (just a gentle side to side smack) and the satisfaction of seeing the total and absolute shock on his face made every minute of the subsequent "discussion" with my boss worthwhile.

 

[D-18]

As already stated, WVM should have the foot to the floor.

I remember seeing slow motion footage of the Thrust SSC attempt on the land speed record. If you looked carefully, you could just see the white Astramax van behind it flashing its lights trying to get past.....

 

[Deleted member 65149]

You don't have to be in a white van or subjected to Audi drivers to suffer of course. I collected visitors from Luton Airport this morning (what a bloody awful place to pick up/drop off anyone!). Happily sitting on the A1 with CC set to 70 (+ a bit) and saw a BMW approaching at speed so decided it would be well past before I needed to pull out to overtake a lorry. The 318 got next to me in no time just as we were approaching a fast bend, but then decided he couldn't maintain that speed round the bend so hovered there and slowed even more in time with me slowing because of the closing distance to the lorry. By the time we'd cleared the bend and the lorry our speeds had dropped to less than 60! Then another BMW (a 530D) did virtually the same thing on the way back home. What is it with the Bavarian boxes, can't they go round bends? In future I'll not be so accomodating when one of them is approaching at speed from behind. They'll just have to wait until I'm confident they're not going to be able to box me in!!!

 

[Meldrew2]

Obviously, I don't know the details, and may have misunderstood, but shouldn't you have been in lane 1? (as in "keep to the nearside lane except when overtaking")

Not necessarily. Lane 1 might have been marked as leaving at the next exit. In such circumstances, those of us who get into lane at the correct time leave space for the idiots to do stupid manouevres.

(Not stating that this was the case in this occasion - I'm not the OP)