Kip Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 Can any one explain to me why, on my travels in to work in the morning down the A41 - from shrops. in to Wolverhampton - the lorries are only capable of maximum 40 mph thus, frustrating and holding up all the car drivers wanting to get a shimmy on - yet when they hit the motorway are quite capable of 60mph. Now, here is the strange part, on my way home lorries seem to be able and very capable of doing and sustaining 50 to 60 mph and not hold up anyone. Do the morning lorry drivers have a reason for going so painfully slow? And, has any one else noticed this in their early morning travel to work? (obviously not using the A41 but similar roads throughout the country) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazarus Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 New law, lorries are only allowed to do 40 now unless on the motorway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kip Posted November 17, 2005 Author Share Posted November 17, 2005 Ah, but as I said, in the evening it's a totally different kettle of fish, they don't hold any one up and do and sustain 50 plus. If there is a new law, why do the lorry drivers only seem to adhere to it in the morning? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colsoop Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 Probably because in the morning they are fully laden with materials or whatever they carry and in the evening they have finished deliveries and are at their lightest so able to go quicker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kip Posted November 17, 2005 Author Share Posted November 17, 2005 Now, that seems more plausible, I had thought of that, however, when they hit the motorway they can get to and sustain 60. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colsoop Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 I know when i used to drive when your on motorways you tend to be shielded from the elements e.g wind and you have time to build up your speed as it is essentially straight you can see along way ahead and dont have to worry about someone pulling out on you. Also you get a bit of a formula one slip stream going on with other lorries, which is what you see when a lorry pulls out to overtake another lorry and it takes him about half an hor to get past as he has lost his slipstream. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si wants supra Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 My thoughts would be they have a less chance of getting a speeding ticket in the evening than the morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarkey Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 What irritates me with lorry drivers is .. they overtake each other up hill! .. wtf ?! Secondly, they have tendancy to sit on your back bumper! Thirdly, they use poor judgement when pulling out of roundabouts/junctions. I've seen a truck pull out - which has caused the string of traffic to brake fairly hard. And Forthly, truck drivers probably all eat Yorkie bars. And Yorkie bar are for chumps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 It's not exactly a fast road though is it? I used to do this journey frequently when I went to uni at wolves and work in Compton. There's that stretch after Cosford up to the traffic lights near the Subaru garage that you can cane it down I guess, but the rest of it is slow going anyway. I've been caught out by people pulling out on me from those country lanes. I live in Telford BTW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethr Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 New law, lorries are only allowed to do 40 now unless on the motorway. Don't think it's a new law. IIRC the limit was always 40, but rarely enforced. When I were no'but a lad, small van drivers.... sorry, drivers of small vans, not small drivers of vans .... used to get booked for doing more than 40. Anyway, whatever speed they are doing, the combination of trucks, needless 50 limits / the national 60 limit, and speed (sorry, "safety") cameras, totally stuffs up any off-motorway journey because it's impossible to overtake the sodding things without risking a ticket. :thumbdown And as for motorways and dual carriageways.... don't get me started! I'd just ban 'em from any lane but lane 1, then they couldn't just swerve out regardless of what's overtaking, or sit alongside another HGV for miles. Apologies to any considerate HGV/PSV drivers out there, but your less considerate fellow "knights of the road" (yeah, right!) have tried to kill me too many times since I first took to the roads (about a million years ago). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedM Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 I think they should be banned from being on the roads between 7-9 am and 5-7 in the evenings. Evry bloody hill you come to on a motorway and it's two sodding lorries side by side causing the hold-up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
black cat Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 the closing speed is far too geat, trust me i know and have a stiff neck to prove it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :complain: tt steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 fellow "knights of the road" That's the RAC isn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kip Posted November 17, 2005 Author Share Posted November 17, 2005 Agree with all comments so far - I am also reassured to hear from others that lorry drivers seem to be lacking in, observation, manners and consideration. Thought it was just my 40 plus age thing kicking in - you know, grumpy old man thing. Seems they upset quite a few of us in one way or another - and I apologise now to the more considerate lorry drivers that may be amongst us. I whole heartily concur with the banning of lorries from any other lane than lane 1 on motorways, unless other wise stated, this rule works really well in Germany. I also like the idea of specific times they would be allowed on any other roads than motorways. Other than the speed in a morning issue one other thing that really gets my goat is the way they use the "I'm bigger than you, don't argue" bully boy tactics. Knights of the road my arse...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrickTT Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 A truck driver speaks: The speed limits for lorries are: Single carriageway 40mph Dual carriageway 50mph M-way 56mph All trucks built after 1990 are electronicly limited to 56mph (90kph) except the irish registered ones. If anyone here has actually driven a truck, you will notice that they are a little bit bigger than your car, that they bend in the middle and they dont do 0 - 60 in 5.2 sec. We have to use alot of space on islands and sometimes when it is real busy the only way to get out of a junction is to make someone slow down a bit. If you get stuck behind one on a single carriage way you have two options: 1. shut up moaning and live with it. 2. stop driving your big flash jap sports car like a girl and overtake. As for being bad drivers, ask your self this: when the motorway is really busy, why is it always the outside lane that stops first, while the trucks are all still moving. Answer: Cos we are all better drivers than 99% of the cars out there. We spend 10 - 12 hrs a day out there and do anything up to 100 000 miles a year so it stands to reason that we are pretty good at what we do. Finally try and think of a single thing that you own that hasn't been on a truck at some point in its life!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarkey Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 So, why do truck drivers overtake each other uphill ? What's the point of trucks overtaking each other .. if one truck is going 52 mph and the other is doing 56mph ? Why do truck drivers drive soooo close together ? .. Leaving less than a car's lengths gap of the truck in front. It's mainly the first 2 points - that annoy me. Because - it causes alot of congestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kip Posted November 17, 2005 Author Share Posted November 17, 2005 Ah, the voice of authority, all duly noted and succinctly put. Also in the car drivers defence, take a look at the reason lane 3 / 4 stops first, think you will find all the lorries are in one and two forcing car drivers in to three / four, hence, making a three or four lane carriage way in to a single laned highway and just the shear volume in lane 3 / 4 brings it to a halt, and, have you ever tried to get in to lane 1 from three or four in a jam? And yes allot more car drivers need a little more forward observation and planning. Guess we all have to share the same roads, a little more harmony, consideration and karma between the two would be nice though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrickTT Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 Speed limiters are not all the same, thats why trucks seem to take forever to overtake. Believe me they are a PITA, but we all want to get home as much as car drivers so if we come across a slower truck we overtake, just like you would in your car. Then the big electronic nanny cuts in and we have to sit there, overtaking at 1/2 mph faster. Blame Europe for that. Kip - why does a lorry doing 30mph in lane 1 force you into a line of traffic in lane 3 doing 10 mph. I see that all the time on the m-way and i still dont understand it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarkey Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 hmm .. still can't see the advantage why a truck has to overtake another truck .. when the only thing speedwise between them is 1mph - 6mph. At those speeds there's little point. All it's going to achieve is congestion - long tailbacks. And overtaking uphill ? Why ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kip Posted November 17, 2005 Author Share Posted November 17, 2005 Tricki52. In answer to your question, the car moves to lane two to over take the slow moving lorry - then moves to lane three to do the same, or even to overtake the car driving middle lane hog - then comes toward the traffic congestion and just cant get back over to 1, consequently gets stuck in lane three. And I would put a small wager on that we all get to the same point at the same time......how does that work? Also, don't forget the drivers of cars that believe lane three is specifically there for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 Also, don't forget the drivers of cars that believe lane three is specifically there for them. Of course they're wrong. It's for the exclusive use of Supra owners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rush Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 hmm .. still can't see the advantage why a truck has to overtake another truck .. when the only thing speedwise between them is 1mph - 6mph. Dont forget truck drivers have to stick to driving hours aswell, so if you only have 5 hrs driving left, doing 50mph your gona cover approx 250 miles, doing 56mph and covering that extra 30 miles before your hours run out, may not seem much, but it can sometimes be the difference whether you make it home or have to park up in a layby and sleep in the cab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarkey Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 doing 56mph and covering that extra 30 miles before your hours run out, may not seem much, but it can sometimes be the difference whether you make it home or have to park up in a layby and sleep in the cab. Yeah - point taken. Nuff Said Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ascot54 Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 The other reason trucks tend to overtake each other on hills is down to the torque of the engine. The old "T" plate truck i used to drive was capable of 56mph on motorways no probs, some trucks were able to pass me. However, when it came to the hills, the torque of my engine was better than most, therefore it made sense to overtake "slower trucks". Car drivers do the same, you get a sports car and pass a slower vehicle. Majority of car drivers fail to realise too that ALL TRUCKERS hold a car licence. You cannot get a HGV licence otherwise. I would like to see all trainee car drivers take a day out in a truck to see some of the crazy antics car drivers carry out...!!! Zip across 3 lanes of motorway to get off at the exit 5yds away....trying to overtake on roundabouts, nip around the back of the trailer as the vehicle is reversing...!!!!! Driving like this shows a lack of common sense....!!!! Mate of mine witnessed a fatal on M6 southbound, sports car tried to nip in between 2 trucks. Car was sandwiched resulting in 3 fatalities in the car...!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangerous brain Posted November 17, 2005 Share Posted November 17, 2005 I sympathise in a way with both sides of the field that the original post was about. I didn't actually know that the speed limit for trucks on single carriageway A roads was 40 mph that certainly explains a lot. I travel on the A338 to work daily between Ringwood and Salisbury. Its a nightmare being forced to sit day in day out at 40 or usually less. It adds 15-20 minutes each way each day to my trip. thats 2 1/2 hours a week added to my working week for free so I can understand the frustration (imagine if you will that your boss told you that you had to put in 2 1/2 hours extra work every week for free you'd be a bit pissed right!). I myself endure about 50k miles a year on the road and see some bloody incredible stuff on the road so lorry drivers must see even more stuff like that. A mate of mine that used to agency drive artics once went round a sharp left hand corner that he had to get in the middle straight on lane to get round the corner. He got round the corner and looked in his left hand mirror to see all sparks coming out from under the trailer. Some eejits in a renault 5 gt turbo had decided to try and get round the artic down the left turn lane, they were going straight on but there was a car in the lane to turn right and nowt in the turn left lane but a lorry indicatin left. Morons came up too fast to stop and my mate didn't see em coming so they ended up squished under the trailer. Anyways off topic there a bit. What grips my shit is cars that sit at speeds less than 40 on the said same road and there is no need for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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