As I headed through the little village of Kilmore, I noticed a "Smokie Bear" in a caged truck (whatever you call that over there - we call it either a "Paddy Waggon" or a "Dog Box") had apprehended a 4 wheeler with "L" plates signifying he was a learner driver (that has to be accompanied by a fully licenced driver) and he had the angry lights going and the whole shooting match.
As I was scooting around the Smokie, I read the sign in 12 inch high letter emblazoned across the back of the back window of the apprehended 4 wheeler.
It said ......
Scroll down
Scroll down
COP BAIT.
I couldn't resist it.
I picked up the CB microphone and said, "Looks like he caught one".
I wonder how long it takes the young fulla to realise that rule 2 in the etiket book for learner car drivers is to not antagonise the poor buggers who are only doing their job. Rule 1 is refer to rule 2 before antagonising the cops.
Showing posts with label etiket. Show all posts
Showing posts with label etiket. Show all posts
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Etiket 101 (Part 1)
There will be 2 or 3 posts, today, but I will keep the yarns separate even though they are sort of related. You are getting these more or less “hot off the press” in that even my best friend hasn’t been appraised of them.
This first one deals with truck driver etiquette (or, since many of us aren’t French, I prefer to spell it Etiket – in the style of John O’Grady or Nino Cullotta fame). As an aside, Terry, did you enjoy the Nino stories?
As a preface, I should declare right now that I am a very gentle man but am just a tad imposing – or so they say. I stand 6’2” and weight something like 240 or 250 Lbs and I am pretty thick through the chest area. Despite the fact that I am gentle, ignorance and arrogance doesn’t go over too well with me.
So, for the 3rd or was it 4th night this week, I had earned a night off. I dunno if this is because I am so efficient (cough cough) or, as is more likely, that due to the rain, the time of year and a whole heap of other reasons, freight in our little patch of work is not overly plentiful. Whilst we are still constant, we certainly are not flat out.
Melbourne is a little like New York in that they know they have to have truck to bring their commodities, but they really don’t want us and certainly choose to not provide adequate facilities. There are only 2 truck stops of other such areas to get a feed and a shower and so forth and they are only tiny establishments anyway, so parking (and showers and tucker) are at a premium.
So. I approached the one place I figured on camping and here is this absolute dipstick in a B-double (2 trailer combination) doing an illegal turn and coming out the entrance whilst blocking 2 other access points into the site. Actually, there's a bit more to this story that I am not saying here, that involves his very disrespectful attitude to a lady driver, but suffice to say he was being a real ignorant, arrogant arse! I could see that there were 2 parking spots inside, but this dingbat had blocked my access to the joint and was forcing people on the road to take all kind of avoidance action because he was gonna force himself onto everyone – “bugger you all, I’m all right and in any case, I am more important than all of you”.
Rather than add further to the congestion already created by this absolute nincompoop, I drove around the block (a very big block). By the time I got back, he had gone ….. somewhere …. And my parking spots were taken up. As the surrounding streets were also full of parallel parked trucks for about 2 mile (which is why the first go around the block was so large), I had to go around the block again.
Guess what?
Second time around and I notice shitferbrains coming towards me in this quiet side street, so I just naturally discovered that my truck had this predisposition to suddenly go diagonal and block the entire quiet side street so our “friend” couldn’t move past – or back – or anything. Backing something up that is double articulated around a bend is a little problematic for some.
I set my brakes and proceeded to walk up to said nincompoop’s truck, whereupon we commenced a discussion regarding attitudes and “etiket”. For some strange reason he seemed somewhat disinclined to join me on the pavement for a more comprehensive and in depth coverage of the topic. He did, however, eventually verbally agree that he had been in error and that he would endeavour never to impose himself again in such a manner – although this was after he had made accidental contact with my knuckle after I climbed upon his step tank and was reaching in to thank him for his efforts.
Why he should attack my knuckle with his jaw in such a manner is beyond me.
Strange critters these new age drivers.
This first one deals with truck driver etiquette (or, since many of us aren’t French, I prefer to spell it Etiket – in the style of John O’Grady or Nino Cullotta fame). As an aside, Terry, did you enjoy the Nino stories?
As a preface, I should declare right now that I am a very gentle man but am just a tad imposing – or so they say. I stand 6’2” and weight something like 240 or 250 Lbs and I am pretty thick through the chest area. Despite the fact that I am gentle, ignorance and arrogance doesn’t go over too well with me.
So, for the 3rd or was it 4th night this week, I had earned a night off. I dunno if this is because I am so efficient (cough cough) or, as is more likely, that due to the rain, the time of year and a whole heap of other reasons, freight in our little patch of work is not overly plentiful. Whilst we are still constant, we certainly are not flat out.
Melbourne is a little like New York in that they know they have to have truck to bring their commodities, but they really don’t want us and certainly choose to not provide adequate facilities. There are only 2 truck stops of other such areas to get a feed and a shower and so forth and they are only tiny establishments anyway, so parking (and showers and tucker) are at a premium.
So. I approached the one place I figured on camping and here is this absolute dipstick in a B-double (2 trailer combination) doing an illegal turn and coming out the entrance whilst blocking 2 other access points into the site. Actually, there's a bit more to this story that I am not saying here, that involves his very disrespectful attitude to a lady driver, but suffice to say he was being a real ignorant, arrogant arse! I could see that there were 2 parking spots inside, but this dingbat had blocked my access to the joint and was forcing people on the road to take all kind of avoidance action because he was gonna force himself onto everyone – “bugger you all, I’m all right and in any case, I am more important than all of you”.
Rather than add further to the congestion already created by this absolute nincompoop, I drove around the block (a very big block). By the time I got back, he had gone ….. somewhere …. And my parking spots were taken up. As the surrounding streets were also full of parallel parked trucks for about 2 mile (which is why the first go around the block was so large), I had to go around the block again.
Guess what?
Second time around and I notice shitferbrains coming towards me in this quiet side street, so I just naturally discovered that my truck had this predisposition to suddenly go diagonal and block the entire quiet side street so our “friend” couldn’t move past – or back – or anything. Backing something up that is double articulated around a bend is a little problematic for some.
I set my brakes and proceeded to walk up to said nincompoop’s truck, whereupon we commenced a discussion regarding attitudes and “etiket”. For some strange reason he seemed somewhat disinclined to join me on the pavement for a more comprehensive and in depth coverage of the topic. He did, however, eventually verbally agree that he had been in error and that he would endeavour never to impose himself again in such a manner – although this was after he had made accidental contact with my knuckle after I climbed upon his step tank and was reaching in to thank him for his efforts.
Why he should attack my knuckle with his jaw in such a manner is beyond me.
Strange critters these new age drivers.
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