Fines fuck em

Does anyone else get put off of driving by all the fines?

I’ve worked at places where they expect you to go to London and deliver to new customers all the time. No idea what the parking situation is.

You can get fined for taking a ■■■■.
For parking in the wrong place.
For going over your hours.
For being overweight.
For speeding.
For defects to your truck
For going over a weight limit
For overtaking too slowly
For eating or drinking while driving
For using your phone while driving
Fined for taking your break at a garage that only allows you to stop for 44 minutes. (ye these exist lol)
Oh and if you don’t bring food in with you then you are kinda forced to use the stupidly overpriced MSAs that completely rip you off.
Fined for taking your break at the only sensible place you can find (usually an Ind Estate in which they hire private security to ensure no one takes their break there!) - Looking at you that ■■■■■■ Ind Estate in Ipswich!

Now, I’ve only ever had one fine and that was about £170 for ■■■■■■■ against my truck in an Ind estate with no toilet facilities nearby. (It was late at night and almost all 24/7 garages are nightpay only). So hard to find a great place for a ■■■■.

I’m sure there are many other fines that apply to hgv drivers. Along with the greater risk.

I’m just curious is it really worth it for what is usually around £14 p/h when a forklift driver who has almost no risk can take home 11 p/h.

Just got me thinking as there was caller on LBC the other day who had a breakdown due to the cost of living crisis who got a parking fine while doing a job. (He was a plumber I think). He said that one fine means he basically did not get paid that day.

Oh and another one. The ■■■■■■■ weekend low ultra emission zone ■■■■■■■■. Which usually applies on weekends.
You have to follow certain roads in and out of London or you get fined.

For example last weekend I think I had my first drop starting in Thurrock to go to Ealing then Croydon.

Thurrock to Ealing is easy enough. A406 and your there. But Ealing to Croydon on a weekend in a 44t truck? I asked what route I could take no one knew.
In the end I decided I am not going to go back round the A406 onto the M25 or take the A40 and go the long way round the M25.
So what I did was A406 - > A205 → A3 → back on the A205 then A23 to Croydon. I saw plenty of signs saying Ultra low emission zone blue signs with with 16.5t or under only except permit holders on weekends or after 10pm only crap. I just ignored them.

I doubt I am going to get a fine because I’ve done it plenty but its ■■■■■■■ annoying that its made harder than it needs to be just to play by the ■■■■■■■ rules.

^^^ Be interesting to hear how many fines you get if any. ^^^

adam277:
Oh and another one. The [zb] weekend low ultra emission zone [zb]. Which usually applies on weekends.
You have to follow certain roads in and out of London or you get fined.

For example last weekend I think I had my first drop starting in Thurrock to go to Ealing then Croydon.

Thurrock to Ealing is easy enough. A406 and your there. But Ealing to Croydon on a weekend in a 44t truck? I asked what route I could take no one knew.
In the end I decided I am not going to go back round the A406 onto the M25 or take the A40 and go the long way round the M25.
So what I did was A406 - > A205 → A3 → back on the A205 then A23 to Croydon. I saw plenty of signs saying Ultra low emission zone blue signs with with 16.5t or under only except permit holders on weekends or after 10pm only crap. I just ignored them.

I doubt I am going to get a fine because I’ve done it plenty but its [zb] annoying that its made harder than it needs to be just to play by the [zb] rules.

That’s the London lorry control nothing to do with the ultra low emission
zone. The low emissions zone is in force 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
The 16.5 ton sign is wrong it should be 18 ton.

fingermissing:

adam277:
Oh and another one. The [zb] weekend low ultra emission zone [zb]. Which usually applies on weekends.
You have to follow certain roads in and out of London or you get fined.

For example last weekend I think I had my first drop starting in Thurrock to go to Ealing then Croydon.

Thurrock to Ealing is easy enough. A406 and your there. But Ealing to Croydon on a weekend in a 44t truck? I asked what route I could take no one knew.
In the end I decided I am not going to go back round the A406 onto the M25 or take the A40 and go the long way round the M25.
So what I did was A406 - > A205 → A3 → back on the A205 then A23 to Croydon. I saw plenty of signs saying Ultra low emission zone blue signs with with 16.5t or under only except permit holders on weekends or after 10pm only crap. I just ignored them.

I doubt I am going to get a fine because I’ve done it plenty but its [zb] annoying that its made harder than it needs to be just to play by the [zb] rules.

That’s the London lorry control nothing to do with the ultra low emission
zone. The low emissions zone is in force 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
The 16.5 ton sign is wrong it should be 18 ton.

As well as the wrong weight what about the sign itself
sure that’s not a proper sign format, first one I’ve seen like it…

It is not personal to truck drivers; all drivers are easy targets for fines due the the registration factor - it makes them easy to locate & pursue.
It is also not personal to drivers.

We live in a country & world that is going to be controlled by a very few with advanced privileges over even that which they have enjoyed for centuries.
Once impoverished through time and or money you become easy to control.
Your frustration, anxiety, stress is their delight - it is only going to get worse.

fingermissing:

adam277:
Oh and another one. The [zb] weekend low ultra emission zone [zb]. Which usually applies on weekends.
You have to follow certain roads in and out of London or you get fined.

For example last weekend I think I had my first drop starting in Thurrock to go to Ealing then Croydon.

Thurrock to Ealing is easy enough. A406 and your there. But Ealing to Croydon on a weekend in a 44t truck? I asked what route I could take no one knew.
In the end I decided I am not going to go back round the A406 onto the M25 or take the A40 and go the long way round the M25.
So what I did was A406 - > A205 → A3 → back on the A205 then A23 to Croydon. I saw plenty of signs saying Ultra low emission zone blue signs with with 16.5t or under only except permit holders on weekends or after 10pm only crap. I just ignored them.

I doubt I am going to get a fine because I’ve done it plenty but its [zb] annoying that its made harder than it needs to be just to play by the [zb] rules.

That’s the London lorry control nothing to do with the ultra low emission
zone. The low emissions zone is in force 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
The 16.5 ton sign is wrong it should be 18 ton.

Yea, that is probably what I meant I mix up the terms lorry control zone and ULEZ.
Also almost all the new signs say 16.5t instead of 18ton these days.
Maybe the Major caught on that 18t ton trucks are quite abundant and were being used to deliver in these areas and lowered the weight even further to ■■■■ firms up even more.
But we have been told at work if the lorry is 18t or less GVW then the london lorry control scheme routes dont apply to you.
Maybe they are just using these signs for when they lower the limit even more?

Don’t forget the resent highway code changes and soon yellow box fines now in London coming to a town near you.

Various bus gateways, bus lanes and cycle lane fines

£100 fines if even the lightest loads are not strapped down.

No right, or left turns and closed roads due to Covid restrictions.

While some laws are not aimed at trucks drivers many are, like weight restrictions, stopping restrictions, overtaking restrictions.

Seems the worst ones are in labour controlled councils like Sadiq Khan’s London and Andy burnham’s Manchester who are all to happy to collect revenue from working people doing their job.

Forgetting the stupid CPC card (why is the drivers licence, cpc card and drivers card not combined?) is another money maker.

adam277:
Does anyone else get put off of driving by all the fines?

No because I’m not getting them regularly enough to be concerned. In 33 years of driving including 27 years of driving lorries I’ve had two lots of speeding over 20 years apart, one FPN for no number plate, one FPN for contravening a box junction and maybe a couple of parking tickets although one I didn’t pay because they put down the right make and model of my car but the numberplate from the one parked next to it.

If you’re getting them that much that it’s a big deal then you need to be looking in the mirror and giving yourself a good talking to.

Conor:

adam277:
Does anyone else get put off of driving by all the fines?

No because I’m not getting them regularly enough to be concerned. In 33 years of driving including 27 years of driving lorries I’ve had two lots of speeding over 20 years apart, one FPN for no number plate, one FPN for contravening a box junction and maybe a couple of parking tickets although one I didn’t pay because they put down the right make and model of my car but the numberplate from the one parked next to it.

If you’re getting them that much that it’s a big deal then you need to be looking in the mirror and giving yourself a good talking to.

a lot of it is down to your load runs and times of the day, if you are doing london every day and driving through peek times ,you are more likely to get a ticket getting stuck in a box junction than driving in rural areas…

adam277:
Oh and another one. The [zb] weekend low ultra emission zone [zb]. Which usually applies on weekends.
You have to follow certain roads in and out of London or you get fined.

For example last weekend I think I had my first drop starting in Thurrock to go to Ealing then Croydon.

Thurrock to Ealing is easy enough. A406 and your there. But Ealing to Croydon on a weekend in a 44t truck? I asked what route I could take no one knew.
In the end I decided I am not going to go back round the A406 onto the M25 or take the A40 and go the long way round the M25.
So what I did was A406 - > A205 → A3 → back on the A205 then A23 to Croydon. I saw plenty of signs saying Ultra low emission zone blue signs with with 16.5t or under only except permit holders on weekends or after 10pm only crap. I just ignored them.

I doubt I am going to get a fine because I’ve done it plenty but its [zb] annoying that its made harder than it needs to be just to play by the [zb] rules.

It would be useful if there were a whole lot more of these blue 16.5t signs around London - seeing as the LBTS is totally inconsistant in that you get a different set of routes you can and cannot use, depending upon which outfit you currently drive for…

Eg. If you go straight ahead on the A205 south circular here at this junction (Clapham Common) then you’ll be returning towards the A23 streatham crossroads, where some traffic is obliged to turn right towards Streatham, and other traffic is directed straight ahead - towards the low bridge @ Tulse Hill ahead!

If you turn right at this junction, you’ve just done a 180 U-Turn back towards the A3 if you need to.

The LBTS roads are not signposted by themselves, so you don’t know if it is OK to use say.

Surely there cannot possibly be some geezer on a camera somewhere - looking down at Joe Bloggs driving for Company Hauliers Ltd who isn’t allowed to use one route, whist when he’s pulling for say, Morrisons - he has to use a different route, neither of which is signposted 18t or whatever…

I asked for a detailed map showing which routes I can or cannot use - but got knocked back every time.
“Why can’t you just do what you’re told on the maps” I get told…
Actually giving me a fresh map I just asked for, rather than the one that is out-of-date with buildings missing, roads now gone, replaced by buildings, new no-right turns, etc etc - would be nice!!

If you have “The Knowledge” - it has counted against one in London for some time since.

The roads as you remember them - are long gone, with all the building developments all over the big smoke.
The routes you can get down (lack of low bridges, wider roads, easier access etc) are likely to now be “not permitted for your company at the moment on the LBTS”.

I realise that this doesn’t apply to the Monday-Friday daytime crowd, but FFS - who would want to still drive a truck in daylight London NOW?

“Job is monday to friday, 10 hours per day, 50 hour week.”
…has between the lines…

" If you take 12-15 hours because of being stuck in traffic you don’t get paid any extra because you are salaried".

If you’re late beyond 13 hours more than 3 times per week, you’ll be discliplined for the infringement in the usual way.

Use the emergency pull-in on the Rochester Way to take any legal breaks you’re required to take. You’ll be deducted 60minutes to 90 minutes weather you take that break or not.

Any fines accrued - are to be paid by the driver, as this firm is too tight-fisted to cover the outlay themselves.

Winseer:
I asked for a detailed map showing which routes I can or cannot use - but got knocked back every time.
“Why can’t you just do what you’re told on the maps” I get told…
Actually giving me a fresh map I just asked for, rather than the one that is out-of-date with buildings missing, roads now gone, replaced by buildings, new no-right turns, etc etc - would be nice!!

I get this all the time.
To be fair the maps are great that I get given. But they always presume you are starting from the depot so if you have two or more depots you are ■■■■ out of luck.

For example on a saturday night you have a delivery to say Fenchurch street then down to Croydon, are you really meant to go back down the A13 over the M25 and up the A23?
I honestly dont know lol,.

adam277:

Winseer:
I asked for a detailed map showing which routes I can or cannot use - but got knocked back every time.
“Why can’t you just do what you’re told on the maps” I get told…
Actually giving me a fresh map I just asked for, rather than the one that is out-of-date with buildings missing, roads now gone, replaced by buildings, new no-right turns, etc etc - would be nice!!

I get this all the time.
To be fair the maps are great that I get given. But they always presume you are starting from the depot so if you have two or more depots you are [zb] out of luck.

For example on a saturday night you have a delivery to say Fenchurch street then down to Croydon, are you really meant to go back down the A13 over the M25 and up the A23?
I honestly dont know lol,.

The sat navs that default to an “Avoid ULEZ Roads” but then put you straight under that bloody bridge at tulse hill when it supposedly knows you’re a HGV, most of which are over the headroom height…

FFS If you’re deliving/collecting somewhere already in the ULEZ - then why the bloody hell would you want a route “avoiding ULEZ” before or after that drop■■?

…You only have to turn off the A205 these days to be “in the ULEZ” after all… Lewisham is inside it… What a moneyspinner Khaaaan has got going there, assuming all these trips inside - collect their ULEZ daily fee and all… And yet this Prince of Moneywasters is always moaning out for ever-more cash to keep his wokery going, now spread out even more across London than ever before…

I think that you are allowed to attend to the call of nature by relieving yourself against the REAR NEARSIDE wheel of your cart.

Optimum:
I think that you are allowed to attend to the call of nature by relieving yourself against the REAR NEARSIDE wheel of your cart.

Highly doubtful and even so good luck arguing it.

Optimum:
I think that you are allowed to attend to the call of nature by relieving yourself against the REAR NEARSIDE wheel of your cart.

I’m not 100% sure but I think that they changed that law a while back. I also think that Hackney drivers may well still be allowed to, happy to be corrected however.

Speaking of archaic laws I still think that Hackney drivers are required by law to carry a bale of straw in their boots, dating back to the days of horse drawn Hackneys.

Of course all this may be wildly inaccurate. I was very very drunk at the time.

Unless it has recently changed, I don`t think there is any UK National Law, (there may be by-laws) about urinating in public.
Prosecutions are for causing a nuisance, or indecent exposure, or some-such.

Happy to be corrected though.

adam277:
Does anyone else get put off of driving by all the fines?

No