Heading out on your 4WD adventure is time well spent to enjoy the outdoors and your vehicle investment.
It could be time spent alone, with family, friends, or even with a group you might not know that well. Regardless, the benefits should be satisfying and certainly not stressful.
Some people prefer to venture out alone and explore new ground, while others believe in the saying, "there is safety in numbers," and prefer to tag along with others.
We are going to discuss the benefits of travelling with others and, importantly, the topic of convoy etiquette.
Driving in a convoy can simply be seen as travelling with two or more vehicles, and it really is a simple process. However, there are a few things to consider. You might call these rules, but realistically, most people don’t want more rules to deal with, especially on the weekend. So, we see these as guidelines on how you and your friends can embark on an adventure where everyone helps each other, and nobody gets lost.
If you look up the term convoy, it comes up with the following definition:
“A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, travelling together for mutual support and protection.”
Mutual support and protection... that sounds about right. Heading out on a trip where everyone goes in different directions is certainly not a convoy, but you might be surprised at how often this happens. You might try to drive simply across town with a group of vehicles, and everyone ends up all over the place. You might all feed the same destination into your vehicle's navigation systems or your smartphones, but the difference between Google Maps, Apple Maps, or Waze can lead to almost a change in direction. So, you end up with vehicles scattered everywhere. This is neither “supporting” nor “protecting” others in the group.
You might not be someone who likes to follow others and may think, "I don’t need to know this as I prefer to venture out alone." But you never know when you might need to understand what to do to create a convoy of your own. You might find someone out on the tracks who has become lost, and you'll need to use convoy procedures to help them back to the main road.
A basic understanding of convoy procedure and its importance is good to have.
Everyone will have their own opinions about how this works, and there are no set rules.
The first thing you need to figure out is... who is leading?
This is extremely important because establishing who sets the route ensures everyone knows whom they are following in the group. This should probably be the person who has either set the trip or has knowledge of where they are travelling.
This person should hold a meeting at the start of the trip and explain how they would like to see people work together in a convoy, showing “support” to each other.
We recently needed to drive a group of vehicles across town for work. One person in the group placed me as the lead vehicle, and immediately, someone else just headed off following their navigation aid with no consideration for the rest of the group. When people started getting slowed down in traffic, there was nothing that could be done except let them drive off and hope they found their way successfully. This is not showing “support” to others.
The group should also establish who should run at the back to ensure everyone gets there safely.
So, let’s step back a little.
A planned route is usually set and outlined so that everyone has an idea of the destination and, in as much detail as possible, the planned route to follow. Some people are good at reading maps, and some might simply prefer to enjoy the scenery. So, while it is extremely important to understand where you are going, the people behind you might be quite happy just to enjoy the journey. If you are the person up front, make sure you have a good idea of where you are going.
Provide this information to the group at the start of the trip, letting them know the destination and what they will see along the way. If you have some trip notes, that might be handy, as some people might be so excited that they don’t really hear what is being spoken about.
Ensure you understand the different levels of experience with the types of terrain you will be driving on, as this might help you figure out who should be placed where in the convoy. For example, I usually have the least confident person travelling behind me so that I can assist them through obstacles as we travel, maybe by simply providing them with a little track information or getting out to guide them through an obstacle.
Figuring out who should be at the back of the group is usually determined by their level of experience and the UHF radio installed in their vehicle. Experience with the terrain being driven on, recovery, and repair knowledge is helpful if someone in the convoy has an issue. As communication is extremely important, a good quality radio is needed to ensure the front and the back of the convoy can communicate with each other. The vehicle at the back of the convoy is usually known as Tail End or Tail End Charlie.
The next important consideration is to talk through what happens when you arrive at an intersection on a road or track. What do you do to ensure the group all makes the corner?
It’s easy. Let’s say the intersection requires a left turn. You should call on the radio about the upcoming left turn, stating the signage. For example, "Left turn up ahead, signposted 'Barry's Corner.'"
You then pull up at the corner with your left indicator on, identifying the corner.
When the vehicle behind you sees your left indicator flashing, they will call on the radio, "I see your left turn," and you can then proceed.
By waiting at the corner, you are watching the person behind you to ensure they don’t take a wrong turn. That is exactly what convoy procedure is all about: looking after the person behind you, not just watching the person in front.
A convoy on a track through a state forest might cover a short distance, but out in the outback with dusty roads, the convoy might become quite spaced out. So, it's important to understand what to do to ensure everyone stays connected on the journey. You might need to pass a call through to the rear vehicle. This is simple as well. A good example is as follows: You see a vehicle heading towards the convoy and call this through to the group.
“Oncoming vehicle, oncoming vehicle!”
The person behind you calls,
“Barry and Sue passing the oncoming vehicle!”
And so on until the tail end Charlie calls,
“Oncoming vehicle has passed tail end Charlie!”
It doesn’t need to be too formal, but it does need to be clear.
If the convoy is stretched out as suggested here, someone in the middle of the convoy should feed the information back to the front by stating,
“Oncoming has passed tail end Charlie!”
This will be replied to by the lead vehicle as,
“Copy that... Oncoming has passed tail end Charlie!”
What is extremely important here is that people need to be mindful of chatter on the radio. The longer someone speaks, the less chance there is for someone to call an urgent message down the convoy. It is important to keep messages short and concise to allow others to communicate.
Let’s bring up an example of someone getting a flat tyre and needing to stop.
People need to pass the message forward to ensure that everyone, especially the lead vehicle, is aware of the trouble for someone in the convoy. This is where the experience of Tail End Charlie will assist in both identifying and solving the problem at hand.
Again, there are no real rules regarding this process, but the more you communicate, the better you will be able to “support” and offer “protection” to others in the convoy.
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Travelling in a convoy should not be stressful... It should be fun.
Enjoy your next convoy with your friends and family.
“Cheers”
Michael Ellem | Offroad Images
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