Bad driving reported. No response, should I escalate.

[Trickedem]

I had a very bad incident when I was riding last Sunday. This was probably one of the most shocking displays of bad driving that I have been unfortunate enough to witness and I felt so strongly about it that I wrote to the company responsible. I have only ever reported bad driving once before, but I felt so strongly about this that I felt it couldn't go unreported.

"At approximately 5am on Sunday 30th June. I was cycling in a South Westerly direction on the Axxx near xxxxxxxx One of your lorries, which was very large complete with a trailer overtook me at speed with very little space to spare (about 12 inches). A motor cyclist was travelling in the opposite direction at the same time and was also forced to swerve out of the way.​

I cycle several miles every year and this was the most shocking display of unprofessional, impatient and dangerous driving I have seen for a long time. The most annoying thing is that if your driver had simply waited for a few moments the road would have been clear and he could have overtaken me giving me plenty of room. The traffic at this time of the morning is extremely light and I didn't see another vehicle for over 10 minutes.​

I am sure you will be able to identify the vehicle and the driver, which I assume had recently left your xxxxxxxx Depot. Can you please investigate this matter and explain to the driver that if they continue to driver in this manner it is only a matter of time before they cause a serious accident."​

5 Days later and I have heard nothing, other than an acknowledgement that the Transport Manager is investigating. This is a very large National Company and I am now annoyed all over again at the lack of response. I am now thinking of escalating this via twitter and bringing this out into the public to shame the company. I have deliberately not provided the details here as I feel I should give them time to look into the matter, but I am not sure they are all that bothered. Does anyone have any experience or advice.

 

[Brandane]

I used to be an HGV driver. Most companies don't really care how their drivers get the lorry from A to B, as long as they do it quickly without damaging the lorry or the freight. That is the bottom line. There may well be the odd exception to this attitude, but not many (Supermarkets might be concerned about the image thing). If you want to report bad driving, then you should report it to the Police. Oooops; I used to be a Police Officer too, before I was an HGV driver!
The Police may well listen intently to your complaint but without any witnesses they might not be able to do very much. Best you can hope for is that they trace the driver responsible and have a word with him, but chances are that even that won't happen. It's an unfortunate fact that unless there is an accident involving injury, the Police don't have the resources to get involved.

As far as escalating it by taking it to social media; I am too much of a dinosaur to know how effective that might be! I wouldn't have thought that a haulage company could be shamed, though. It's not like they have a customer base who would sit up and take notice. Their customer base are generally only concerned about cost and reliability.

 

[martint235]

I've found that escalating things onto Twitter tends to get a pretty quick response. Companies are aware at just how wide the audience is and do their best to limit their negative exposure.

 

[PK99]

5 Days later and I have heard nothing, other than an acknowledgement that the Transport Manager is investigating. .

5 days? come on, to expect investigation and response in that timescale is ridiculous.

 

[Spinney]

From what Brandane says, it sounds like Twitter is the way to go. It may not change their driving, but at least you may feel you have got a little 'own back' for the bad publicity.
However before you do that, it might be worth another polite email asking if they have identified the driver concerned and can they reassure you that he* has been spoken to about his standard of driving.

*on the assumption that the majority of lorry drivers are male

I got the following reply after complaining about the same bus passing me far too close twice in 10 minutes. It sounds very reassuring, but it is always possible that this is just a standard 'express concern' email to shut the complainers up - I have no idea if they ever identified the driver!

I was most concerned to read your e-mail regarding one of two of our driver's operating the Service 81B on 8th May 2013 at approximately 1600.

May I assure you that we take this type of complaint very seriously and as soon as I have identified the drivers concerned I will get a plain clothed Trainer to assess these drivers driving standards and if needs be they will be placed back into Driving School for further training.
I will be pleased if you would accept my sincere apologies for these drivers actions. May I also take this opportunity in thanking you for bringing this matter to my attention which undoubtedly assists us in our ability to monitor any potential and internal difficulties in service delivery.

 

[Boris Bajic]

I'm not sure this post is serious. Do I win the prize for guessing correctly?

1. You have had a response (although you do not ask for one). The transport manager is investigating it. Five days is not a long time. It may not be the response you hoped for, but it is a response. You asked merely that the matter be investigated and the driver spoken to.

2. You write "I cycle several miles every year". This is a peach and will have had the recipient smiling.

3. Twitter is where people publicise their indecision about coffee brands. It is the playground of the deluded; worse than the Internets.

4. Your unfortunate incident sounds not unlike what many cyclists (and motorists) see several times a week.

5. You write "I am now annoyed all over again". If I read your post in a comedy John Major voice, or descend into Derek & Clive sub-Estuary, it attains a comic perfection beyond anything you could have hoped for. Try it. A few comic pauses improve it further.

6. In the highly unlikely event that this is a genuine post, I'm afriad you will be getting even more annoyed even more times because there are one or two inattentive, unskilled or inconsiderate road users out there. Most are skilled, curteous and patient. A few are not.

Most of all, you need a camera. You will then find yourself getting EVEN MORE annoyed than you thought possible.

 

[400bhp]

5 days? come on, to expect investigation and response in that timescale is ridiculous.

Agree-give them 2 weeks and then (politely) ask how the investigation is going.

 

[martint235]

Most of all, you need a camera. You will then find yourself getting EVEN MORE annoyed than you thought possible.

I found having a camera to be a calming influence. I stopped trying to drag drivers out of their cars for a while when I used one.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I'd suggest that if @Trickedem felt he was endangered by the lorry sufficiently to write to complain, then it was an overtaking move of such egregious villainy that it would have sent the rest of us off in search of a small tactical nuclear device and a drone with which to bomb the cr@p out of the company concerned and sod the collateral damage. Because, frankly, he iz well 'ardcore.

 

[Pale Rider]

I always set myself a strict cut-off point for complaints like this.

A lorry driver threw some litter as he drove along.

I decided it was worth one email to the company, no more, response or not.

In that case, a director of the firm rang me to apologise and tell me he would speak to the driver.

This case is more serious, but you cannot expect the firm to say much more than they are dealing with it.

Internal disciplinary proceedings are just that - internal.

 

[Trickedem]

I'd suggest that if @Trickedem felt he was endangered by the lorry sufficiently to write to complain, then it was an overtaking move of such egregious villainy that it would have sent the rest of us off in search of a small tactical nuclear device and a drone with which to bomb the cr@p out of the company concerned and sod the collateral damage. Because, frankly, he iz well 'ardcore.

Thanks Greg, You have summed this up very well. Everytime I cycle I get my fare share of close passes and I find I am able to ignore them and get on with enjoying my ride. However this was an absolute shocker, one swerve on my part, or a bit of cross wind and I would have been a goner.
I think I should have come on here to ask some advice before sending my email of complaint.
Is 5 days long enough for them to investigate. Of course it is, if this is given sufficient priority by the company involved. I also tried to be polite in my email to the company and although I haven't asked for a reponse, I really don't think this is necessary.

 

[DRHysted]

The time scale is the only thing I'd hold off on, most of the NCRs that my firm raise against supplies come back with a standard 30 day investigation.

 

[Globalti]

Transport Manager: "Oi, Fred, were you working on the 30th?"

Fred: "Might have been, why?"

TM: "Some cyclist nutter has written complaining about one of our drivers!"

Fred: "Did he get the reg?"

TM: "No."

Fred: "Oh dear."

 

[Ticktockmy]

12 inches to spare, you lucky guy, 6 inch is the average, as others have said, it can take some time for a transport manager to gather the facts. As the incident happened on a Sunday early in the morning, the driver might well be a tramper or on rotating shift work, thus it could well be that the manager cannot speak to the driver for some while. From my time as a driver, I sometimes when working a rotating shift, I would not see the manager for as long as a month. Sometimes I would get a message from the dispatcher telling me that I was in the pooh, and the manager wanted to chat to me about it next time he saw me. If it is a major chain then the Transport manager might be located in another part of the country. All factors you have to bear in mind.

 

[Brandane]

[QUOTE 2534427, member: 30090"]Yes they do, with good reason with the potential suspension of their O license.[/quote]

True; but if drivers aren't involved in accidents (i.e. not damaging the lorry) and keep within the tacho regulations, weight limits etc., and keep VOSA happy, then they are unlikely to have their operators licence suspended.
You know as well as I do that the OP's complaint will be totally disregarded by the vast majority of TMs. Any TMs I have worked for are far too busy being run ragged dealing with operational matters to take on things that they can get away with ignoring, such as complaints about drivers. It might merit a word with the driver at most, who will of course have a different version of events.