So glad I stayed at home!

[glenn2926]

2o year ago I used to drive a 7.5 tonne truck that was plated at 7490 kg, which meant it could do 70 mph, and use lane 3, happy days

I also drove one. Great fun passing all the bigger trucks in the outside lane at 70.

 

[Paulypaul]

I also drove one. Great fun passing all the bigger trucks in the outside lane at 70.

That's because bigger trucks have speed limiters fitted at anything between 53mph - 56mph....even though the speed limit is still 60mph. Figure that one out.

 

[glenn2926]

That's because bigger trucks have speed limiters fitted at anything between 53mph - 56mph....even though the speed limit is still 60mph. Figure that one out.

Not when I started driving they didn’t. The limit was 60 and they were not allowed in the outside lane. The bigger tipper I drove would do just short of 80 fully loaded allegedly .

 

[gus-lopez]

whizzing up the outside lane at 70mph is proper irresponsible!

It used to be a hard job getting past a scaffolding 7,5tonner in the outside lane sat at 90

 

[The Dotties]

That's because bigger trucks have speed limiters fitted at anything between 53mph - 56mph....even though the speed limit is still 60mph. Figure that one out.

Because EU law supersedes UK law. The limit in U.K. was never lowered to 56 when the EU decreed all speeds limiters must be set at 56mph.
I don’t believe a HGV overrunning at 60 downhill is breaking the law.

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[Paulypaul]

Because EU law supersedes UK law. The limit in U.K. was never lowered to 56 when the EU decreed all speeds limiters must be set at 56mph.
I don’t believe a HGV overrunning at 60 downhill is breaking the law.

Over run is a prosecutable offence. When a download of a tacho is done it comes up as an infringement and the DVSA or plod can nick you for up to 28 days. Also, when you overspeed, a warning of an infringement comes up on the tacho.
Pre 1990 with no speed limiters fitted, it was much safer driving a truck. You could get yourself out of a bunched up situation like you see now, with all motors basically tailgating cause we're all doing pretty much the same speed give or take a phone or two. Plus you could get your foot down and do some serious mileage, 3 series Scania 450, off the clock at 120 km/h....allegedly, or so I've been told.
Ahh, the good old days.

 

[The Dotties]

Over run is a prosecutable offence. When a download of a tacho is done it comes up as an infringement and the DVSA or plod can nick you for up to 28 days. Also, when you overspeed, a warning of an infringement comes up on the tacho.
Pre 1990 with no speed limiters fitted, it was much safer driving a truck. You could get yourself out of a bunched up situation like you see now, with all motors basically tailgating cause we're all doing pretty much the same speed give or take a phone or two. Plus you could get your foot down and do some serious mileage, 3 series Scania 450, off the clock at 120 km/h....allegedly, or so I've been told.
Ahh, the good old days.

I still shudder at some of the, now, stupid tricks and speeds/ hours infringements pulled in the past!

 

[Shrimp]

A lady out walking last Friday told us the campsite near her warned residents that 50 caravans were arriving Sat morning!
We stayed put too, will wait for the excitement to die down and hope we don’t end up in lockdown again!

 

[BILL 875]

Ever been overtaken by 40 ton truck in the third lane doing 80mph, standard practice in the good old USA. Bill

 

[Paulypaul]

I still shudder at some of the, now, stupid tricks and speeds/ hours infringements pulled in the past!

I know exactly what you mean! Scary stuff when you think about it, but the culture was completely different to now.

Drivers were pretty united together, not like now. You dont get flashed in when overtaking, you dont get thanked when you flash someone in, except when it's an old school driver.

As for a bit of graft, how many drivers these days know what handball means? A lot of drivers want a risk assessment done just to pull the curtains open.

Mind you, with so few smaller operators now its no wonder the comradery has disappeared. It's quite refreshing to talk to an old school driver who knew what it was like to be told on a pay phone by "him in the office", a week before christmas, to "get your 'arris back up to Calais, get shipped over to tip Spitalfield, ship out again and and run mt back down to Seville, to pick up another load of citrus, 3 days later" ....and you're still just south of Madrid, but the jobs paying him a few grand so what's he care?
Mmmm, the good old days indeed!

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[BILL 875]

What about picking a trailer up in Italy with 20 ton of steel covered with 20 tons of boxes on top to fill it up with a brown envelope, that when the max weight was 32 tons happy days

 

[Paulypaul]

What about picking a trailer up in Italy with 20 ton of steel covered with 20 tons of boxes on top to fill it up with a brown envelope, that when the max weight was 32 tons happy days

Yeah, and it made for some good conversation on the ferry coming back didnt it? Driver these days dont know how easy they have it, mind you, it just wouldn't be possible to get away with it would it?

 

[tonyidle]

Drivers were pretty united together, not like now. You dont get flashed in when overtaking, you dont get thanked when you flash someone in, except when it's an old school driver.

I'm surprised by how many trucks flash me in with mh & trailer, and by how many do the l/r flasher thank-you when I do the same. So it does still happen - and pretty often too.

 

[Paulypaul]

I'm surprised by how many trucks flash me in with mh & trailer, and by how many do the l/r flasher thank-you when I do the same. So it does still happen - and pretty often too.

It does still happen, its a habit that is very hard to break after years of doing it, but I do find more and more drivers don't do it, or reciprocate when you flash them in.

I always flash moho's in, or anything pulling a fair sized trailer, just to give them some assistance. Sometimes I get a response, but I'm assuming most of the time I don't is because people don't understand why that lorry was flashing his lights or they weren't using their mirrors?

 

[tonyidle]

It does still happen, its a habit that is very hard to break after years of doing it, but I do find more and more drivers don't do it, or reciprocate when you flash them in.

I always flash moho's in, or anything pulling a fair sized trailer, just to give them some assistance. Sometimes I get a response, but I'm assuming most of the time I don't is because people don't understand why that lorry was flashing his lights or they weren't using their mirrors?

Could be. I find it really helpful. The rear view cam is pretty good at seeing when the trailer is clear but invariably a flash helps you get back in more quickly.

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[joe and sue]

In my defence, looking at the link posted, the second point describing vehicles not allowed in outside lane states:

a goods vehicle having a maximum laden weight exceeding 3.5 tonnes but not exceeding 7.5 tonnes, which is required to be fitted with a speed limiter

Surely I'll get some brownie points for being partially correct?

No, points deducted for being partially incorrect, haha

 

[joe and sue]

It does still happen, its a habit that is very hard to break after years of doing it, but I do find more and more drivers don't do it, or reciprocate when you flash them in.

I always flash moho's in, or anything pulling a fair sized trailer, just to give them some assistance. Sometimes I get a response, but I'm assuming most of the time I don't is because people don't understand why that lorry was flashing his lights or they weren't using their mirrors?

I understand that most HGV drivers are now told not to flash people back in as there have allegedly been cases of incidents happening and the get out has been, " but he flashed me to let me know to pull in" and in these days of claims etc, everyone is covering their butts,
Whatever happened to common sense and courtesy