Get Ready for the Super Lorries

Get ready for super lorries weighing 60 tonnes under new EU plans
By Ray Massey Daily Mail

Huge 60-tonne lorries will be common on our roads under controversial EU plans, leaked documents reveal.

The heavier and longer continental juggernauts could be introduced to ‘harmonise’ lorry weights across Europe.

Changes would mean the maximum weights in the UK soaring from 44 tonnes to 60 tonnes or beyond, and lengths rising from 54ft 1in to 82ft 10in.

The heavier and longer continental juggernauts could be introduced to ‘harmonise’ lorry weights across Europe

One leaked report from the EU’s Motor Vehicle Working Group earlier this month sets out how Brussels intends to ‘redesign’ directives.

Arrangements for governments to opt out are ‘inconsistent’, it notes, and they should not be able to block EU decisions. Green campaigners are concerned about the impact on the environment.

Stephen Joseph, of the Campaign for Better Transport, said: ‘The EU is set to steamroller bigger and heavier lorries into Britain, whatever UK ministers might say.

'They simply won’t have the power to stop them. Much of the Continent already has 60-tonners with some countries pressing for 90 tonners.’

He added that although ministers might object, officials within the Department for Transport were putting up less resistance to Brussels: ‘The Government is caving in to European pressure for new big juggernaut lorries. The EU is forcing heavier lorries on our roads.’

Jack Semple, of the Road Haulage Association, suggested both ‘longer and heavier vehicles are more sensible’, adding: ‘The safety-conscious Swedes have been using 60 tonners for five decades.’

‘Some member states - Finland and Sweden - want harmonisation at the maximum currently allowed in any part of the EU — which means 60 tonnes road trains (two trailers) at 25.25 metres,’ Mr Joseph said.
‘In fact the Swedes are testing a 90 tonne vehicle with three trailers, almost double our current length. All of this would add hugely to road damage and potholes,’ he added.

It will make live interesting getting some of these around our streets.

FM

can i have that super lorrie … please …looks a bit newer than my mack b-train…
imo 82ft 10 will be a real handful on uk rds but will you get a wage rise to drive then or a better rate to haul ,i doubt it.

The Scandinavian countries have had these for years, can’t see it ever being allowed in the UK though.
Denby have been testing these for a few years.
Can you imagine the hippy greens letting these loose on our roads ?

Great idea, carry more goods, make life more difficult and all for the same money.

You can bet your grannies clock the financial increases (if any) will go to the bottom line and not the drivers or warehousemen operating these vehicles

Ferryman:
Get ready for super lorries weighing 60 tonnes under new EU plans
By Ray Massey Daily Mail

Huge 60-tonne lorries will be common on our roads under controversial EU plans, leaked documents reveal.

The heavier and longer continental juggernauts could be introduced to ‘harmonise’ lorry weights across Europe.

Changes would mean the maximum weights in the UK soaring from 44 tonnes to 60 tonnes or beyond, and lengths rising from 54ft 1in to 82ft 10in.

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The heavier and longer continental juggernauts could be introduced to ‘harmonise’ lorry weights across Europe

One leaked report from the EU’s Motor Vehicle Working Group earlier this month sets out how Brussels intends to ‘redesign’ directives.

Arrangements for governments to opt out are ‘inconsistent’, it notes, and they should not be able to block EU decisions. Green campaigners are concerned about the impact on the environment.

Stephen Joseph, of the Campaign for Better Transport, said: ‘The EU is set to steamroller bigger and heavier lorries into Britain, whatever UK ministers might say.

'They simply won’t have the power to stop them. Much of the Continent already has 60-tonners with some countries pressing for 90 tonners.’

Let me guess Stephen Joseph is one of the rail freight loving zb’s .So why are the zb ‘green campaigners’ concerned about more fuel efficient trucks .

Those on long distance,together with the EU wide removal of all road fuel taxation,would give the rail freight lot some competition for a change.

which country in europe has 60 ton outfits running on their roads apart from uk with the stgo stuff??

i used to load trucks going to europe with board,we sent it to poland,france,holland,germany & we had to be spot on with the weights.nothing went out overweight & i never saw anything above 23 tons going on the trucks,sometimes it was as low as 19,so their gross weight didn’t exceed 38-40tons.most of them were 4x2 units though,but i’m sure some parts of europe the gross weight couldn’t be more than 38tons.

jrl driver:
which country in europe has 60 ton outfits running on their roads apart from uk with the stgo stuff??

i used to load trucks going to europe with board,we sent it to poland,france,holland,germany & we had to be spot on with the weights.nothing went out overweight & i never saw anything above 23 tons going on the trucks,sometimes it was as low as 19,so their gross weight didn’t exceed 38-40tons.most of them were 4x2 units though,but i’m sure some parts of europe the gross weight couldn’t be more than 38tons.

Most of Scandinavia is now part of the EU and Germany and Holland have been using those outfits on trial.But there’s a difference between using drawbar outfits at high train weights to using artics at high combination weights.So there’s no reason why that spec of 8 axle drawbar outfit should’nt be running at at least 65 tonne GTW not 60 t.Effectively it’s just a 25 tonner 3 axle rigid pulling a 40 tonne gross 5 axle trailer.That’s not the same thing as running a 5 or 6 axle artic at 60 t gross.

Yeah lets harmonise the whole of Europe at 40t on five axles with a 4m running height. More lorries, more jobs.

Oh yeah they will dead handy on country lanes doing farm work and how many bridges are up to that weight, not many id bet.

Imp:
Oh yeah they will dead handy on country lanes doing farm work and how many bridges are up to that weight, not many id bet.

I imagine they will be like the current double deck trailers, mostly used on trunking, or you are only allowed to put them on your o-licence if you stick to certain routes.

Carryfast:

jrl driver:
which country in europe has 60 ton outfits running on their roads apart from uk with the stgo stuff??

i used to load trucks going to europe with board,we sent it to poland,france,holland,germany & we had to be spot on with the weights.nothing went out overweight & i never saw anything above 23 tons going on the trucks,sometimes it was as low as 19,so their gross weight didn’t exceed 38-40tons.most of them were 4x2 units though,but i’m sure some parts of europe the gross weight couldn’t be more than 38tons.

Most of Scandinavia is now part of the EU and Germany and Holland have been using those outfits on trial.But there’s a difference between using drawbar outfits at high train weights to using artics at high combination weights.So there’s no reason why that spec of 8 axle drawbar outfit should’nt be running at at least 65 tonne GTW not 60 t.Effectively it’s just a 25 tonner 3 axle rigid pulling a 40 tonne gross 5 axle trailer.That’s not the same thing as running a 5 or 6 axle artic at 60 t gross.

ah right,cheers for the info carryfast

tofer:
…or you are only allowed to put them on your o-licence if you stick to certain routes.

I think Denby tried that argument and the powers that be pointed out what would happen if roads were closed.

I can’t see it happening tbh.

Ferryman:
Jack Semple, of the Road Haulage Association… All of this would add hugely to road damage and potholes,’ he added.
FM

Que? No increase in loads being moved - decrease in total unladen weight being moved + no increase in axle weights = so how are the roads going to be damaged? Either J Sample is talking bottom or (more likely) the Daily Mail is misquoting him.

I can see a slight change in the future maybe a few extra feet but no this. Our roads cant take the weight and our junctions cant take the length. Also think about RDCS, ok maybe one or two could have the space to expand parking bays and loading areas but most wouldn’t.

But if you gave me the keys to one the morra for mulit drop id take it just for a laugh

merc0447:
I can see a slight change in the future maybe a few extra feet but no this. Our roads cant take the weight and our junctions cant take the length. Also think about RDCS, ok maybe one or two could have the space to expand parking bays and loading areas but most wouldn’t.

But if you gave me the keys to one the morra for mulit drop id take it just for a laugh

tesco livingston you could reverse an austrailian roadtrain onto their bays

Biscuits:

Ferryman:
Jack Semple, of the Road Haulage Association… All of this would add hugely to road damage and potholes,’ he added.
FM

Que? No increase in loads being moved - decrease in total unladen weight being moved + no increase in axle weights = so how are the roads going to be damaged? Either J Sample is talking bottom or (more likely) the Daily Mail is misquoting him.

Someone speaks with fork ed tongue here then!

Jack Semple, of the Road Haulage Association, suggested both ‘longer and heavier vehicles are more sensible’, adding: ‘The safety-conscious Swedes have been using 60 tonners for five decades.’

I can’t see them being used for general haulage, taking one of them into a small business park and ind. estates with cars abandoned everywhere and tight spots to get into. Or there will just be trailers dropped everywhere while the prime mover goes in and does the delivery.I bet there will be a time curfew on them aswell, only to be used in the night for trunking or something.

Bad idea 44 tonnes have damaged our roads and bridges,please dont tell me they are ok because of axle wieghts than rubbish was to con the public into thinking they were ok,they are not our roads were never designed for them.What will it do more rate cutting more expense from damaged bridges ect ect and the driver will not get his just reward it will only give pleasure to the arm out of the window brigade and hvent I got a big one.No thanks.

this will never happen denby got stop dead, also half the weigh bridges in country couldnt weigh you anyway. i wouldn’t want to line my bosses pockets with anymore money carryin extra weight

fuse:
Bad idea 44 tonnes have damaged our roads and bridges,please dont tell me they are ok because of axle wieghts than rubbish was to con the public into thinking they were ok,they are not our roads were never designed for them.What will it do more rate cutting more expense from damaged bridges ect ect and the driver will not get his just reward it will only give pleasure to the arm out of the window brigade and hvent I got a big one.No thanks.

We put more axle weight onto the roads when we were running 32500 on 4 axles than we do through 6 axles at 44 tonne

I do think air suspension knackers the road surface though