Trouble overtaking trucks on the motorway?

[Dos_Box]

If you are like me and have wondered why, in the past year of so it seems some trucks are doing more like 70mph rather than 56 and getting away with it, well worry no more as I've found out why.

I was at a wedding reception in Lythham last night (suffering for it today!!) and sat next to a truck driving freind of mine and asked hom why so many trucks were speeding and gettign away with it as surely the tachographs and e-tachos (credit card type licences with some memory that record all of the drivers activity) would give the game away when pulled over or handed in at teh end of the day.

What he told me that some truck companies (particularly overseas based ones) now fitted larger tyres that allowd the wheels to record a road speed of 56mph whilst actually making the truck go closer to 70mph!!

And yes, it is illegal.

[rad]

Probably more interesting that talking to a guy about asbestos and going into council houses covered in cr*p when you are trying to eat your dinner.

[glennda]

Not only that in my experience of driving in lorrys although they are limited - the limiters are not the most acurate of things. As also if you are going down a hill this makes a big difference - and some parts of the braking system in some trucks also cause the break lights not to come on. Edited October 2, 2010 by glennda

[john]

Another one seems to be having the trucks foreign registered as they don't have the same limits as we do thus they can get away with it Its just stupid and annoying.

[Dos_Box]

Another one seems to be having the trucks foreign registered as they don't have the same limits as we do thus they can get away with it Its just stupid and annoying.

 

Actually they can't. To operate a vehicle on the UK highways they must conform to UK law. Quite a few of them are now being targeted, and teh police now actually have a truck that patrols the M4/M5 corridor, so they can see int oteh cabs of trucks and catch drivers texting, making brews etc.

[glennda]

Actually they can't. To operate a vehicle on the UK highways they must conform to UK law. Quite a few of them are now being targeted, and teh police now actually have a truck that patrols the M4/M5 corridor, so they can see int oteh cabs of trucks and catch drivers texting, making brews etc.

 

Not just the police its vosa that are the ones that where brought into check things just becuase traffic police do not know all the rules and regulations surrounding lorrys, there weight limits towing weights etc. Vosa are the ones lorry drivers are scared of as all the police really check is for normal traffic violations plus the tacko.

[john]

Actually they can't. To operate a vehicle on the UK highways they must conform to UK law. Quite a few of them are now being targeted, and teh police now actually have a truck that patrols the M4/M5 corridor, so they can see int oteh cabs of trucks and catch drivers texting, making brews etc.

 

Really, well its about time they get up here as there seems to be a lot that don't have the 100 limit set on them

[glennda]

Really, well its about time they get up here as there seems to be a lot that don't have the 100 limit set on them

 

its actually 90kmh which is 56mph

[ChrisH]

Get something with 2 wheels then you wont have any trouble overtaking anything with 4+ wheels. 0-60 in 3 seconds rocks

[glennda]

Get something with 2 wheels then you wont have any trouble overtaking anything with 4+ wheels. 0-60 in 3 seconds rocks

 

but a higher likely hood of being run over by lorry drives that can't see - as they do not have the greatest level of visibility out of them

[Hightower]

To be honest, I can't see bigger tyres increasing speed by 14 mph. 2 or 3 mph is believable, but 14 just seems far fetched.

[glennda]

I think its probly not just the tyres. the lorrys i have driven/be in will easily do more then 56mph even tho they are supposed to be limited and they do have the correct tyres etc. at the end of the day on a car the speedo is allowed to be 10% out and the same applies to lorrys so they can be doing 60ish easily

[ChrisH]

but a higher likely hood of being run over by lorry drives that can't see - as they do not have the greatest level of visibility out of them

Well if you can't get out of the way of a big truck you should't be on 2 wheels! The only time that you should get caught out is that rare freak gust of wind.

[localzuk]

Get something with 2 wheels then you wont have any trouble overtaking anything with 4+ wheels. 0-60 in 3 seconds rocks

 

So, you're saying that people should go faster than 70mph to pass these trucks? ie. speed?

[ChrisH]

So, you're saying that people should go faster than 70mph to pass these trucks? ie. speed?

Well if the truck is doing a theoretical maximum of 56 how are you speeding ?

[localzuk]

Well if the truck is doing a theoretical maximum of 56 how are you speeding ?

 

See OP and others...

[Andrew_C]

The trucks that truly rile me are the ones doing 56.5 mph trying to overtake the one doing 56. Until they reach a hill, where they both do 55. This way they force everyone into the third lane and cause a proper snarl-up. I'm quite sure that this is the primary cause on my miserable drive to work every morning!

[ChrisH]

See OP and others...

 

Yes I did see them hence "theoretical"

[laserblazer]

The trucks that truly rile me are the ones doing 56.5 mph trying to overtake the one doing 56. Until they reach a hill, where they both do 55. This way they force everyone into the third lane and cause a proper snarl-up. I'm quite sure that this is the primary cause on my miserable drive to work every morning!

 

And if they are putting bigger tyres on, the gear ratio will go up and they'll slow down even more on the hills. I once was stuck in a queue behind an overtaking truck on the A34. He took from the M4 to Oxford before he pulled back to the nearside lane.