There are two general overtaking techniques: flying overtaking and accelerating overtaking.
A flying overtake is when you approach and overtake a slower vehicle in front of you at a significantly higher speed than it is travelling at. An accelerating overtake occurs when you drive behind another vehicle and, once there is a sufficient gap in oncoming traffic, accelerate and overtake it.
Flying overtakes are considered safer than accelerating overtakes in most situations, regardless of what type of vehicle you are overtaking. Flying overtakes are faster and give you better visibility ahead and more opportunity to abort the overtake if needed.