The Juggernaut in your Mirror

The Juggernaut and You: A Professional's Guide to Motorway Driving with HGVs

Let’s be honest, for many drivers, the sight of a 44-tonne articulated lorry fills them with a sense of dread. They see a lumbering behemoth, a rolling roadblock, an obstacle to their progress. That, right there, is the first mistake. The amateur sees an obstacle; the advanced driver sees a professional at work and understands the unique dynamics of their vehicle.

Sharing our motorways with Heavy Goods Vehicles is a simple fact of modern life. They are the lifeblood of our economy, and their drivers are, for the most part, highly skilled professionals. Your job, as the driver of a far more nimble and agile car, is not to fight them for a piece of tarmac. It’s to use your superior observation and planning to work with them, ensuring safety for all.

Understanding the HGV Driver's World

Before you can safely interact with a lorry, you must understand its limitations. An HGV is not a big car. Its braking distance is monumental. Its acceleration is glacial. And, most critically for you, it is surrounded by enormous blind spots, or "No-Zones." These are areas to the direct front, rear, and sides where the driver simply cannot see you.

If you cannot see the lorry driver’s face in their mirror, it is safe to assume they cannot see you. To linger in one of these zones is to gamble with your life on the assumption that nothing will go wrong. We do not gamble. We plan.

The Art of the Overtake: A Decisive Manoeuvre

The most common point of interaction is the overtake. This is not a time for hesitation. It is a time for crisp, decisive action based on forward planning.

1. Position for the View: Long before you reach the HGV, you should have positioned your car to get the best possible view of the road ahead. See what the lorry driver sees. Is there a line of traffic ahead? Is the road climbing a gradient that will slow them further? This is 'Advanced Observation'.
2. Don't Linger: The cardinal sin is to creep up and sit in the HGV's rear blind spot. Hold back, maintaining at least a two-second gap, where the driver can see you clearly in their mirrors. This gives you space, a view, and time to act.
3. Indicate and Move: When your path is clear – and I mean all the way past the lorry and back in again – signal your intention clearly and commit to the manoeuvre. Move out smoothly into the overtaking lane.
4. Pass with Purpose: Do not dawdle. Accelerate briskly and pass the entire length of the vehicle without delay. Be aware that as you pass the cab, you will experience a 'bow wave' of air that can buffet your car. Anticipate it with a firm grip on the steering wheel.
5. Return with Respect: Once past, do not cut back in sharply. This is amateurish and dangerous. Continue until you can see the entire front of the lorry's cab in your central rearview mirror. Only then should you signal and smoothly move back into your lane. This ensures you haven't robbed them of their essential braking distance.

When the Elephant Dances: Being Overtaken

Few things frustrate the unprepared driver more than two lorries executing a slow-motion overtake, often referred to as an "elephant race". Anger is a wasted emotion here. The lorries are governed by speed limiters, and a fractional difference in speed is all they have to work with.

Your role is simple: be predictable. Maintain your speed and lane position. If you can, a slight ease on the accelerator can help the overtaking lorry complete the manoeuvre more quickly. This isn't submission; it's intelligent system management. You are helping the entire traffic flow return to normal.

Conclusion: Professionalism Breeds Safety

Driving on a motorway is not a race. It is a complex ballet of vehicles of different sizes and capabilities. Your car gives you the advantage of agility, acceleration, and braking. Use it wisely.

Respect the HGV. Understand its limitations, give it space, and be decisive in your actions. The hallmark of the expert driver is not muscling their way through traffic, but navigating it with an invisible, effortless skill. Show the professionals in their cabs the courtesy they deserve, and you will have proven yourself to be the better, safer driver.

June 2025