Fincham:
In the days of 40mph for lorries why was there invariably a queue of lorries behind a Tesco/Asda lorry? If everyone was driving at the correct speed then they wouldn’t catch up with them, just a thought?
Here is another thought: The Government have upped the limit to 50 with no road improvement changes. Why on earth was it ever 40 in the first place?!?!
ajt:
Fincham:
In the days of 40mph for lorries why was there invariably a queue of lorries behind a Tesco/Asda lorry? If everyone was driving at the correct speed then they wouldn’t catch up with them, just a thought?Here is another thought: The Government have upped the limit to 50 with no road improvement changes. Why on earth was it ever 40 in the first place?!?!
It was 30mph for years,and before that in the early 50’s it was 20mph for lorries. The speed limit has risen, but the road infrastructure hasn’t kept up.
Dave the Renegade:
It as 30mph for years,and before that in the early 50’s it was 20mph for lorries. The speed limit has risen, but the road infrastructure hasn’t kept up.
I think that it was BRS driver’s that voted to raise it to 30 Dave? I know it used to take my old man 6 days to do Reading to Fort Willliam and back at 20 mph and return empty…leave Sunday afternoon and get home Saturday afternoon and then grease the lorry, digs all payed for up front and the truck still made a profit! 
Somehow it all went wrong… 
Pete.
windrush:
Dave the Renegade:
It as 30mph for years,and before that in the early 50’s it was 20mph for lorries. The speed limit has risen, but the road infrastructure hasn’t kept up.I think that it was BRS driver’s that voted to raise it to 30 Dave? I know it used to take my old man 6 days to do Reading to Fort Willliam and back at 20 mph and return empty…leave Sunday afternoon and get home Saturday afternoon and then grease the lorry, digs all payed for up front and the truck still made a profit!
Pete.
I remember drivers from this area taking a week to do a trip to Scotland and back Pete. As you say those firms stayed in business, and drivers and boss were happy with their lot.
Cheers Dave.
Muckaway:
Fincham:
In the days of 40mph for lorries why was there invariably a queue of lorries behind a Tesco/Asda lorry? If everyone was driving at the correct speed then they wouldn’t catch up with them, just a thought?Because they were ■■■■■■■ about doing 36mph maximum on perfectly good roads.
And there was a reason for that. With the telematics, the moment your speedo needle hits that magic 40 then you’re OVER the speed limit; not on it , over it, cos it starts recording that you’re doing 40.1 mph etc and that flags up to the jobsworths in the office that you’re speeding. So, given that by keeping on the limit you incur infringements and end up getting a bollocking or losing your fuel bonus, losing your job even; WTF is the driver supposed to do? You keep your speed far enough below that limit to make ■■■■ sure you don’t get any infringements, that’s what.
It’s all very well seeing the heroes spouting off on here about how they’d tell the firm to go do one, and work for a REAL company; the harsh reality is that those trolley drivers have well-paid jobs and if the penalty for keeping those jobs is being bored witless and hated by everyone else on the road then so be it.
I’ve still not followed a Tesco wagon since the increase on a scway, but I assume they’re now doing 40something as I’ve seen the “taking your safety seriously” stickers have been taken off of some trailers.
Muckaway:
I’ve still not followed a Tesco wagon since the increase on a scway, but I assume they’re now doing 40something as I’ve seen the “taking your safety seriously” stickers have been taken off of some trailers.
Followed one at 50 on a a single carriageway the other week…
I was quite happy to be doing 40 behind one of their double deckers the day we were diverted off main road and he knew another route and I would have had to stop to work one out. Got back on route with no problems.
Re50MPH…I was expecting the bosses to say, "Hey Cheekymonkey, seeing as the speed limit has been increased and you can now drive further in a shift, were going to give you more money to reflect this. Strangely it hasnt happened yet. Im beginning to think they arent going to and they`re going to keep the extra for themselves along with the extra bunce the lower oil price has brought. Surely not!
Imagine the factory workers being told…"great news lads, were going to speed up the line! You can do more work you little beauties!..... Theres no more money though… “Oh, dont worry about that guvnor, were happy to go as fast as we possibly can. You go and enjoy your holidays boss”.
Sidevalve:
And there was a reason for that. With the telematics, the moment your speedo needle hits that magic 40 then you’re OVER the speed limit; not on it , over it, cos it starts recording that you’re doing 40.1 mph etc and that flags up to the jobsworths in the office that you’re speeding. So, given that by keeping on the limit you incur infringements and end up getting a bollocking or losing your fuel bonus, losing your job even; WTF is the driver supposed to do? You keep your speed far enough below that limit to make ■■■■ sure you don’t get any infringements, that’s what.It’s all very well seeing the heroes spouting off on here about how they’d tell the firm to go do one, and work for a REAL company; the harsh reality is that those trolley drivers have well-paid jobs and if the penalty for keeping those jobs is being bored witless and hated by everyone else on the road then so be it.
Sometimes money isn’t everything…If all companies were like this i wouldn’t be a trucker no way.
ajt:
Sidevalve:
And there was a reason for that. With the telematics, the moment your speedo needle hits that magic 40 then you’re OVER the speed limit; not on it , over it, cos it starts recording that you’re doing 40.1 mph etc and that flags up to the jobsworths in the office that you’re speeding. So, given that by keeping on the limit you incur infringements and end up getting a bollocking or losing your fuel bonus, losing your job even; WTF is the driver supposed to do? You keep your speed far enough below that limit to make ■■■■ sure you don’t get any infringements, that’s what.It’s all very well seeing the heroes spouting off on here about how they’d tell the firm to go do one, and work for a REAL company; the harsh reality is that those trolley drivers have well-paid jobs and if the penalty for keeping those jobs is being bored witless and hated by everyone else on the road then so be it.
Sometimes money isn’t everything…If all companies were like this i wouldn’t be a trucker no way.
Nor me; but the fact remains that if you’re with a firm that’s got better than average pay and conditions for the area, you’d be a darn fool to jack it in just for the sake of going a bit faster.
I’m by no means a fan of the increasing tendency to micro-manage drivers’ behavior; okay, saving fuel I can see the logic in that, but it seems to me that once you’ve made that initial saving, a lot of the stuff is just solutions looking for a problem to solve, dreamed up by people who have to do that sort of crap to justify their existence on the payroll. Much like Elf and Safety people, actually.
I’ve said this before; but I really do think I belong to the last generation of HGV drivers who can actually say that they’ve by and large enjoyed doing this job.
eagerbeaver:
Agreed-the ’ phone callers ’ are easy to spot on approach.Weaving in the lane,gradual loss of speed,sudden steering inputs etc… we have all seen it far too often.
Not forgetting the foreign lorry driver I saw in slow moving traffic yesterday having an ’ in cab fry up " frying pan in hand at 20mph on m6.,
VXR8OWNER:
eagerbeaver:
Agreed-the ’ phone callers ’ are easy to spot on approach.Weaving in the lane,gradual loss of speed,sudden steering inputs etc… we have all seen it far too often.
Not forgetting the foreign lorry driver I saw in slow moving traffic yesterday having an ’ in cab fry up " frying pan in hand at 20mph on m6.,
Did he offer you a bacon butty though? Think I’d’ve let him off if he did!
VXR8OWNER:
eagerbeaver:
Agreed-the ’ phone callers ’ are easy to spot on approach.Weaving in the lane,gradual loss of speed,sudden steering inputs etc… we have all seen it far too often.
Not forgetting the foreign lorry driver I saw in slow moving traffic yesterday having an ’ in cab fry up " frying pan in hand at 20mph on m6.,
Presumably he doesn’t like fast food.
dri-diddly-iver:
Paul Who:
You must drive UNDER 50 to be safe and legal .Why?
Why not 
VXR8OWNER:
Not forgetting the foreign lorry driver I saw in slow moving traffic yesterday having an ’ in cab fry up " frying pan in hand at 20mph on m6.,
Yeh but did you REALLY, or is it another post for comedy effect in the subject of Foreign driver bashing, or in the same vein as the tipper driver having a crap/bus load of nuns old chestnut.
Sounds a bit like the time when I was on a LHD Foreign regd truck, and some nice motorist (that I had just had a slight ruck with after he cut me up) phoned the law and told them they had just seen a ‘Johnny Foreigner’ swigging on a bottle of Whisky.
robroy:
VXR8OWNER:
Not forgetting the foreign lorry driver I saw in slow moving traffic yesterday having an ’ in cab fry up " frying pan in hand at 20mph on m6.,Yeh but did you REALLY, or is it another post for comedy effect in the subject of Foreign driver bashing, or in the same vein as the tipper driver having a crap/bus load of nuns old chestnut.
Sounds a bit like the time when I was on a LHD Foreign regd truck, and some nice motorist (that I had just had a slight ruck with after he cut me up) phoned the law and told them they had just seen a ‘Johnny Foreigner’
Either that or he was putting a LP on the record player, for those that remember l.p.'s. …
Someone will probably ask what is a “record player”.