HGV Driving.

[TWR]

Do you get your back up if your stuck on an (A) or (B) road behind a HGV that is doing 40mph? do you know the HGV's speed limit?

[gina32]

iisnt it 56 mph, or am i missing something?

[TWR]

40 mph Gina.

[saxy_jag]

No. An HGV's speed limit is 40mph on a single carriageway, 50mph on a dual carriageway and 60 mph on a motorway. They can't get away with the odd bit of speeding like the average does. They have a tachograph which is analysed and prone to random inspection. The drivers can't go faster even they want to - unless they want to lose their jobs. I can assure you that driving with an impatient line of car drivers crawling along behind them isn't something truckers enjoy either.

So no, I don't get my back up. It's frustrating but I know I'll get there sooner or later so I sit back and enjoy the ride until it's safe to overtake.

[TWR]

Ex HGV Driver Saxy, it was 60 on the Motorways but now 56mph EU Regs, only the Irish are unlimited!! whatever the Truck can do.

[New Judge]

Not quite correct, TWR.

Speed limits in the UK are laid down in Schedule 6 of the Road Traffic Act 1984:

http://www.legislatio...ga/1984/27/schedule/6

You will note that all the limits (with the exception of a couple at the bottom relating to tractors) are in multiples of 10mph. The one relating to large HGVs (60/50/40 as mentioned) is at 5.2 (b).

The confusion arises because an EU directive is in force which relates to speed regulation equipment fitted to such vehicles. This states that the equipment must be set to 90kmh (56mph). When it was first issued the UK obtained an exemption to this (we were allowed to govern the vehicles to 60mph) but this expired in 2006:

http://www.dft.gov.uk...imiterlegislation.htm

(See third paragraph and .pdf table)

So vehicles fitted with governors are governed to 56mph, but their speed limit (on motorways in the UK) is 60mph. So whilst there may be an offence of failing to fit or properly calibrate the speed limiter, the offence of speeding is not committed unless 60mph is exceeded.

Yet another example of unnecessary confusion caused by EU regulations!

[Toureman]

No and yes !

[TWR]

With respect to your answer Judge, you are right but IF in the case of an accident on the motorway & the HGV was found via the taco was doing 57>>58 the driver would get done, I appreciate your answer but the way the law treats HGV drivers, its just unreal its the only job in the country that you can get done for driving a minute over the 4 1/2 hrs, but yet the driver can work on duty a 15hr day, you tell me that's right.

[gina32]

so i was right?

[New Judge]

No, you were not right, gina.

As I have said and demonstrated with the links the speed limit for large HGVs on motorways in the UK is 60mph, not 56mph.

When you say, TWR, that the HGV driver “would get done” in the event of an accident if it were shown he was doing between 57 and 60 mph, what exactly are you suggesting he might get done for? Because it certainly would not be for speeding.

[lozzer50]

what ever speed they can do it gets on my nerves when they pull into middle or outer lane on motorway and cant gain enough speed to actually overtake anything. why cant lorries just travel at night when there isnt much traffic it would free up the roads for everyone else

[New Judge]

So if you were a lorry driver, lozzer, you'd be happy to be told that you can only work at night then. Plus, of course, the people working at either end of the lorry's trip would also have to work unsocial hours to load and unload the cargo.

Maybe to ease congestion perhaps cars should only be allowed on the roads at night. After all the country depends on goods delivered by road so lorry journeys must be more important.

Have you really thought this through?

[didoatwork]

Lozzer if HGVs were only to travel at night the price of all things carried in that manner would increase dramatically.

[ABerrant]

"... it gets on my nerves when they pull into ... outer lane on motorway ..."

lozzer50 - When did you last witness an HGV holding up traffic in the outer lane?

[rov1100]

What gets my goat are tractors or farm machinery. Sometimes its impossible to overtake and they seem to go for miles ignoring lay bys etc.

[lozzer50]

AB quite often i use motorways everyday

[ELVIS68]

The lorry I drive at work has a speed limiter of 56mph on it, even if you`re going downhill with the wind behind you it still won`t go any faster.

As for overtaking, other lorries will slightly reduce their speed allowing other lorries to pass whereas car drivers will stick at the same speed making overtaking last about 2 miles!

[theshedman]

Hi lozzer, you say you see HGVs in the outer lane quite often. I have been driving including HGVs for many years and very rarely seen this especially as they are not allowed in the fast lane, except on a 2 lane motorway and only then to overtake.