Escorting a large load

[snipe]

Before you Lot start, not taking a fat bird out! What is the point on having an escort vehicle behind a slow moving vehicle like a combine or large Crain on a duel carriage way, as I think you are ment to do by law. If people can’t see a combine with flashing lights on there is not much hope of seeing a little van following behind. Can anyone with a bit of knowledge Of highway rules explain why this is thought to be a good idea.

 

[daveydiesel1]

would it not make more sence to have the van a few hundred meters in front of the wide load.

 

[melted welly]

...............

 

[KennyO]

would it not make more sence to have the van a few hundred meters in front of the wide load.

Not on a dual carriageway.....

 

[daveydiesel1]

Not on a dual carriageway.....

Fair enough never thought that through.

 

[melted welly]

Before you Lot start, not taking a fat bird out! What is the point on having an escort vehicle behind a slow moving vehicle like a combine or large Crain on a duel carriage way, as I think you are ment to do by law. If people can’t see a combine with flashing lights on there is not much hope of seeing a little van following behind. Can anyone with a bit of knowledge Of highway rules explain why this is thought to be a good idea.

ive given it a bit of thought in the past.
and I reckon it’s because Mondeo man doesn’t really encounter wide machines very much, so wouldn’t immediately recognise it as a hazard, whereas a car/van with a flashy light and a bit of chevron is a bit more normal, so less likely to overwhelm the senses when happened upon at 85mph on the bypass.

 

[Harry47]

The traffic on the dual carriageway isn’t usually coming towards the combine or wide load, no need for a warning van in front, so the escort van is behind to warm the approaching traffic that there is a hazard in front of them, some drivers can’t judge speed of slow moving vehicles very well as many of us are only to aware

 

[Wooly]

 

[DrWazzock]

I have often thought the escort vehicle creates more of a problem than it solves. First they have to overtake you in the combine which can be hair raising enough, then they have to get past the escort vehicle which is another risk to take. Its bollox in my view. As said, if they can't see the combine what hope is there.
Which gets me onto another thing. Reversing bleepers on combines. What's the point? If you can't hear a combine reversing at you, would you even hear the bleeper.?

 

[ARW]

Not wanting to hijack your thread but I was once towing a hedgecutter back behind my pickup, most probably a few kg’s near my towing weight limit and I came across a escort moving a huge bulldozer clocking on at 50mph on the motorway.
I happily joined the back of the convoy and the escort vehicle signalled me past, I just stuck behind the wagon all the way to my junction for a good hour! The escort vehicle at first tried to make me pass but gave up and let me join in!

 

[KennyO]

I have often thought the escort vehicle creates more of a problem than it solves. First they have to overtake you in the combine which can be hair raising enough, then they have to get past the escort vehicle which is another risk to take. Its bollox in my view. As said, if they can't see the combine what hope is there.
Which gets me onto another thing. Reversing bleepers on combines. What's the point? If you can't hear a combine reversing at you, would you even hear the bleeper.?

Do you not have corners in the roads down there?
My escort vehicle will often go ahead to slow traffic or stop it when the 4m wide combine needs to come round corner with one wheel over the white line.

 

[Drillman]

Do you not have corners in the roads down there?
My escort vehicle will often go ahead to slow traffic or stop it when the 4m wide combine needs to come round corner with one wheel over the white line.

And most idiot car drivers just squeeze past the escort vehicle then panic wen they happen across the big high wide machine unexpectedly shortly afterwards!

 

[Campbell]

From experience, it's preferable on most rural and A roads to escort machines from the front, using all the attention signs and lights you can legally muster. I encountered four red faced blokes aboard Gator the other day, waving frantically at me, I duly slowed down on the bend to see they were escorting the local hunt....Tally - Ho!

 

[britt]

Combine escort is my job.
When you know there is a narrow strech of road or bad bend I get well ahead and block the road to on coming traffic, much safer than them meeting in the wrong place (although many fail to understand initially) . The other main job is to watch the combine through narrow gaps past parked cars etc or to knock on doors to get cars moved if needed.

 

[Andrew]

Before you Lot start, not taking a fat bird out! What is the point on having an escort vehicle behind a slow moving vehicle like a combine or large Crain on a duel carriage way, as I think you are ment to do by law. If people can’t see a combine with flashing lights on there is not much hope of seeing a little van following behind. Can anyone with a bit of knowledge Of highway rules explain why this is thought to be a good idea.

An escort vehicle is behind, in contact with the driver, to monitor the other drivers. For example telling him that some idiot is sat 2ft from his nearside bumper waiting to undertake him when he moves right to sweep round the roundabout ahead - or even better to plug that gap with the escort vehicle.

 

[steveR]

Do you not have corners in the roads down there?
My escort vehicle will often go ahead to slow traffic or stop it when the 4m wide combine needs to come round corner with one wheel over the white line.

Wide, straight roads in Lincolnshire. Just the drainage ditches to worry about!

 

[David.]

Tractor and header on trailer in front, 4ft sign on weight frame saying Wide Vehicle Following, lights on, flashing beacon; and drivers still seem genuinely surprised to encounter the combine following a few 100 yds behind it.
You can only do your best, and be legal. Blocking the road with the escort seems to be akin to setting a slalom challenge for some of the idiots. HGV drivers tend to be no trouble at all.

 

[chaffcutter]

A couple of years ago I was escorting our combine up the A38, a new route to us. Lots of artics coming past, no problem, then they started hanging back level with me, and we realised that for some considerable length of road near Burton on Trent, the carriageway is actually narrower than normal so there was not enough width for them to pass!

 

[Dman2]

I refuse to allow someone to drive behind me as an escort on the A19 ( dual carriagway )
I have numerous flashing lights on both combine and header.
I class the header as my crumple zone, seen to many accidents on this road where wagons have ploughed into the back of slow moving vehicles
Why put someone else at risk

Now having someone in front on back roads is a different thing altogether

 

[Drillman]

I think how another motorist reacts to a wide high slow moving load on a country road is directly in proportion to there (lack of) reversing skills.

truck drivers are totally switched on as a rule and know what to do.

the mid life crisis motor bikers I find aren’t too bad either.

the worst ones are the people who just see a car as a box on wheels to get them from A-B and have no other interest in driving.

they have no skill and cannot read the road much beyond the end of there car bonnet re not switched on and have no spacial awareness.