UHF - why aren't they used?

[Lach]

i just got back from our first 3 week trek with the new van. Had a fantastic time with the family and was everything I'd hoped it would be. Family is planning next trip already.

One point though that surprised me was the lack of uhf usage by vans in the bush. I saw many vans, not on uhf just holding up traffic incl big trucks with either no care or no idea. This forced trucks to over take in dangerous ways and it amazed me the risk being created by the fact towers did not talk to trucks.

All trucks are on channel 40.

Get a uhf. If you see a truck coming up, give him a call up, tell him you'll pull over in next layby spot and he can get past you. Usually they even tell you where next spot is. You can slow down, he can sail by and everyone stays safe.

Sorry for rant, but I just saw so much unnecessary risk being taken that could be a ameliorated by the use of uhf, it frankly pi55ed me off.

 

[Bellbirdweb]

Have to agree @Lach, noticed similar on our trip in Central QLD over Christmas.

I sat on Ch40 the entire trip and spoke to a couple of truckies. I think they appreciated the ability to be able to let us know what was happening

 

[Dobbie]

Does everyone have the channel 40 plastered on the back of the van?

I know we didn't for some time, even though we had the uhf on channel 40.....then we added the sign but didn't notice any real difference.

Just wondering if the trucks wait to dial you up or try ch 40 on the off chance. My thoughts, off chance but hoping.

Always ready to pull over for the big rigs...they be bigger than me.

 

[twscoot]

Agree @Lach.
My family always cracks up laughing when I chat to trucks behind me, asking them to let me know when they want to pass. But they get that it makes my life (and theirs) easier and far safer. Never had a driver not appreciate a quick hello and letting them know I'm keen to allow them on their way.

 

[Bluey]

Comming home from NSW i was behind a truck for ages should i shouldnt i ...... i ended up overtaking him
Then got stuck 5 mins up the road a van cruising on 80 not moving over so i could see if anything comming to take him too .... now truck behind me ......
Got my chance blasted past the triton and then up the road let truckie know take him if you want heaps of room let you know if anything comes .... no worries mate i got him i got the room .....
He then says why carnt be all like you and just do speed limit i said i dont know bro i carnt keep my prado going slow it flys evan towing
He also said how much it kills them slow cruising vans and how they get angry just doing there job
I stoped at next servo to let misses have a toilet break all my good work gone then truck pulls in i spoke with him 15mins before he said i got to go ive allready spoke too long he had a jayco too at home and also sits on 100 never 80
I like to hear police reports too

Laybys in vic we use Laybys in shops to pay for toys for christmas or somthing
We use slow vehicle turn outs or passing lanes the great ocean road has heaps but still some vans dont use them and 100 cars behind them doing 30 ks go figure

 

[bigcol]

it is a constant amazement to me as well @Lach

on the flip side though, I have had to let a truckie know that its not me talking to someone else on the radio, and annoying them
a couple of old grey gonads were yapping away for ages, until I reminded them that it was a Truckies channel, and they may not want to know about Marge's hysterectomy - maybe move to another channel for personal stuff like that

my missus and this truckie were rolling around laughing at me.........

 

[Scrounger]

Off topic but amusing
20+ years ago the misses and I were out back of nowhere cruising along radio on 40 and a faint conversation was in the background slowly getting stronger, the gist of the story was old mate telling another truckie about his exploits and prowess last night, well my wife was a little surprised at the finer detailed points of the conversation but would not let me change channels at the point that old mate said that they had broken the bed in there excitement my missis grabs the radio mike and screamed " I told you not tell anyone about that."
Well the silence was deafening

 

[Lach]

Does everyone have the channel 40 plastered on the back of the van?

I know we didn't for some time, even though we had the uhf on channel 40.....then we added the sign but didn't notice any real difference.

Just wondering if the trucks wait to dial you up or try ch 40 on the off chance. My thoughts, off chance but hoping.

Always ready to pull over for the big rigs...they be bigger than me.

Hi Mate, when it comes to safety, i think it is incumbent on everyone to take the initiative so i just call them up, as opposed for waiting for them to call me up.

Have never had a truck not answer a call up. Just flash you hazards and tell them you are the guy flashing your hazards if needed.

Given most vans don't seem use UHF (or don't monitor ch40), i can imagine the truckies giving up on trying to raise towers.

 

[Lach]

Comming home from NSW i was behind a truck for ages should i shouldnt i ...... i ended up overtaking him
Then got stuck 5 mins up the road a van cruising on 80 not moving over so i could see if anything comming to take him too .... now truck behind me ......
Got my chance blasted past the triton and then up the road let truckie know take him if you want heaps of room let you know if anything comes .... no worries mate i got him i got the room .....
He then says why carnt be all like you and just do speed limit i said i dont know bro i carnt keep my prado going slow it flys evan towing
He also said how much it kills them slow cruising vans and how they get angry just doing there job
I stoped at next servo to let misses have a toilet break all my good work gone then truck pulls in i spoke with him 15mins before he said i got to go ive allready spoke too long he had a jayco too at home and also sits on 100 never 80
I like to hear police reports too

Laybys in vic we use Laybys in shops to pay for toys for christmas or somthing
We use slow vehicle turn outs or passing lanes the great ocean road has heaps but still some vans dont use them and 100 cars behind them doing 30 ks go figure

I think you can do whatever speed you feel safe at, but if you are below the speed limit, it is incumbent upon you to check you mirrors constantly, know who is behind you, call them up and pull over regularly when safe to allow traffic past.

Not to do this is just plain selfish in my view.

 

[bigcol]

some times it is practical for you to move for them, some times its not

but atleast if you talk to them, they will know what you are doing

I usually have mine on Ch20, when we are away with others, and flick to Ch40 if and when required / needed
have thought about updating to the new fangled 80Ch, and keep the 40 for convoy use on Ch20

 

[bigcol]

should also say "when travelling Solo" - the UHF is on Ch40 all the time

 

[mbr37746]

I believe in a couple of things...
-Those guys and gals driving those trucks are working, I'm not, so I'm not generally time bound.
-Regardless of the bad press, they do a fantastic job of getting the consignment to the customer on time. Especially with all the pressures from regulators and an ever increasing fast moving goods world.
-Common courtesy goes a long way.
-A quick "g'day champ, how ya going?" Or "I'm sitting in front/behind you, let me know if you need me to move" etc. Is always appreciated.

I usually will find a truck doing a good speed, most will sit on 100 really steadily, give them a call and let them know I'm planning on staying behind them if they don't mind. I've never been met with any issues.
In short, if you've got a uhf, they're a great tool, if you don't have one they are pretty cheap for a small hand held unit to shove in the glove box.

 

[Dobbie]

Yep. Totally believe in them as well.

and I frighten easily....hence my interest in getting a rear view camera so I spot anyone I'm holding up....and pull over if possible.....and use the uhf to get in touch if I can.

Today I've checked our portable one....the battery charger cable must be damaged as I've discovered it's flatter than a toad on our driveway......so a replacement lithium has now been sourced and ordered. I've charged it once a month, the light was on on the charger but I didn't check to see if it worked. It didn't.

This is getting to be another of my expensive silly mistakes.

Do you have a channel 40 sticker on the van?

 

[NoWorries]

What you let Trucks pass you ??
They can only go 100

JK
I suppose that a lot of people don't use a UHF because they
1) are never taught how to use it
2) not really sure why they need it
3) don't care

I will admit that many times I forget to turn mine on but as I said above "you let trucks pass you" in my case its a bit like "catch me if you can"
I did have a not so nice work with a truckie one day when he purposely moved into the middle of the road near the end of a overtaking lane to stop me from passing (there was still about 500mtrs to go) then he had a go at me for overtaking him further down the road saying that i was breaking the speed limit.

 

[Bluey]

What you let Trucks pass you ??
They can only go 100

JK
I suppose that a lot of people don't use a UHF because they
1) are never taught how to use it
2) not really sure why they need it
3) don't care

I will admit that many times I forget to turn mine on but as I said above "you let trucks pass you" in my case its a bit like "catch me if you can"
I did have a not so nice work with a truckie one day when he purposely moved into the middle of the road near the end of a overtaking lane to stop me from passing (there was still about 500mtrs to go) then he had a go at me for overtaking him further down the road saying that i was breaking the speed limit.

Catch me if you can nice work LIKE

 

[Doc]

While I think I understand the sentiment, i pretty much got lost when the OP wrote: "...This forced trucks to over take in dangerous ways..."

No one "forces" another driver - of a truck or otherwise - to do anything let alone anything dangerous. Should another driver CHOOSE to do something dangerous - that entirely on them.

Do I monitor UHF 40 and 18 (among a handful of other channels) when I travel - yeah. Do I get sick and tired of the foul language, constant drivel (on CALL frequencies - not just on other channels)? Yeah. So much so that as often as not, the UHF gets turned down to a level that i can't hear it - or turned off entirely.

 

[Bushman]

I scan 18 and 40 (vans use 18 for there chatter normally) while the better half does get a bit annoyed at the language coming for the trucks at time generally find it's not that bad once your away from the cities, I don't have a problem with trucks (even the cowboys) most are fairly courteous on the roads if you are to them, in fact it's generally other motorists that give me the sh....ts more than anything.

I remember travelling the Hume a few years ago with @chartrock on our way to the Vic High Country met when a truckie called us up and wanted to know about our vans, (we both still had Expandas then).

A UHF 18/40 stick is always a go idea let's them know you have a radio and may be on channel, I need to get one for my van, several years ago I ordered some and sold them to members here at cost plus postage, I'd be willing to do this again if I can get enough interest and the same supplier is still doing them, though I'll start another thread at a later date.

 

[Drover]

I usually forget to turn mine on untill I see a couple of the fellas coming up behind, at times I don't want to blast along at a Dollar so will fire it up and call them around, since I speak Truckie I never seem to have any trouble but always ID the truck I'm calling up, Blue Kenny etc..............even when I was driving one I would turn the damn thing down when I got to big towns/cities as too many drop kicks on the air but country truckies are usually cool............................been thinking of putting a Retired Truckie sticker on the back of Big Mal, maybe one day.
As for dangerous overtaking, a lot of the time it is quite safe from the prospective of being 10 foot above the ground where sitting in a car about 2 foot above the tar its a scary view.

Used to hate coming up behind a van on the highway, still do so not much changed.

 

[millers]

Agree that truckies (and other road users) are there to get from A to B, and I was once told that you can avoid accidents with people in front of you but not so easy (if not impossible) with people behind you. So any build up of traffic behind me, I will take the first safe opportunity to let as many as possible pass. That said I will also take the opportunity to pass trucks and clear them, so that they act as a buffer to filter the cars approaching from behind.

Have always found truckies appreciate you letting them through.

Do not use UHF yet, just need to give positive indication as to what you are doing, but a UHF is on the list (with scanning capability).

 

[bigcol]

yeah, thats a bugga when the Police went to Digital phones

cannot use the scanner I have anymore.....(I got it off Noah at a Garage sale after he grounded the Ark)