lively debate at work today if a motorway goes from 3 to 2 lanes what is speed limit for trucks? also if A road goes from 2 to 3 lanes whats the speed limit , 2 lads had to be pulled apart over this
A motorway is still a motorway regardless of number of lanes, as is an A road (at least that’s my understanding 
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The speed limit is down to the class of road, not the amount of lanes.
Speed limits are just an advisory notice and you should drive at whatever speed you feel comfortable with 
just dont let the piglets catch you
simon
It doesn’t matter whether the motorway has 1 lane in each direction (ie. Carrington by-pass) or 20 lanes in each direction. If it’s classed as a motorway and has a blue “start of motorway” sign at the start then the speed limit for trucks over 7.5 tonnes is 60mph.
A-road dual carriageways are 50mph for trucks overs 7.5 tonnes, regardless of whether there’s 1 lane in each direction or 20 lanes in each direction. The important point here is that for it to be classed as a dual carriageway, each direction must be separated by a barrier or central reservation like a strip of grass or something. If there is no separation between each direction (ie. A556 either side of M6 J19) then it is not classed as a dual carriageway; it is a single carriageway road and therefore single carriageway speed limits apply, ie. 40mph.
An additional point which you may find useful and that is that on non-motorway dual carriageways with more than 2 lanes in each direction (ie. North Circular round London, or A46 top side of Coventry etc), you are allowed to use the outside lane in a truck over 7.5 tonnes. It is only on motorways that you cannot use the outside lane, if it’s got more than 2 lanes in each direction.
I can only agree with the previous posts, well except for Simon’s. 
Ditto! Rob K
I never seen a truck doing only 50 mph on a dual carriageway unless theres a big hill! 
daveb0789:
I never seen a truck doing only 50 mph on a dual carriageway unless theres a big hill!
He only said that 50mph was the legal speed limit 
daveb0789:
I never seen a truck doing only 50 mph on a dual carriageway unless theres a big hill!
follow me then
slowest wagon on the A1 between Blyth and Peterboro.
Still, saves me having to plan any overtakes (apart from caravans and coffin dodgers).
Same for me el gordo 78.
39 on a single carriageway, 48 on a dual carriageway, 50-52 on a motorway.
Most of ours go at this sort of speed.
In a queue on the north circ last week. White Sprinter pulls up next to me. Passenger opens the window and says,
‘Why do you lot ■■■■ about at 40 mph all day? Your boss should sack the lot of you!’
I then explained to him that BOTH of our vehicles were subject to lower speed limits than cars, and that I would get the sack if I went any faster.
Both him and the driver said I was ‘talking ■■■■■■■■’, and off they went.
Why do I bother. 
On another note, I know a bloke who got done at 50mph on a ‘dual carriageway’ with no barrier / grass etc in the middle. I thought he was joking till he showed me the points.
Be careful out there people!
flying_fenman:
On another note, I know a bloke who got done at 50mph on a ‘dual carriageway’ with no barrier / grass etc in the middle. I thought he was joking till he showed me the points.Be careful out there people!
Would that be the A556 off Junc 19 M6, A few drivers were nicked there believing as it had 4 lanes it was a dual carriageway, but because it deosn’t have a central reservation it still classed as single carriageway.
daveb0789 wrote:
I never seen a truck doing only 50 mph on a dual carriageway unless theres a big hill!follow me then
slowest wagon on the A1 between Blyth and Peterboro.
Still, saves me having to plan any overtakes (apart from caravans and coffin dodgers).
same as me im paid by the hour thats the speed limit,no rush mon take it teasy
jon
flying_fenman:
39 on a single carriageway, 48 on a dual carriageway, 50-52 on a motorway.
Ditto.
Exact same speeds as me. Especially at £8.27 p/hr I’m going nowhere fast. Amazing the extra miles I can get out of the tank too being very light with the right foot.
flying_fenman:
Same for me el gordo 78.39 on a single carriageway, 48 on a dual carriageway, 50-52 on a motorway.
Most of ours go at this sort of speed.
Yeti:
Exact same speeds as me. Especially at £8.27 p/hr I’m going nowhere fast. Amazing the extra miles I can get out of the tank too being very light with the right foot.
Then at least have the decency to pull over once you cant see the back of the que in your rear view mirrors, and let those of us past that want to get on with the job and get home.
Yeah, I got done on the A556 heading towards Middlewich in 2003, 48mph in 40 zone. 
Only noticed when I saw 60mph signs. First fine and points in over 25 years driving 
flying_fenman:
50-52 on a motorway.
This is my opinion is dangerous, your vehicle has a legal limit of 60mph on a motorway, and its capable of doing 56mph, you obviously have no respect for road safety to be travelling along a motorway at 50-52 mph, causing everyone else to have to pull in to lane 2 to overtake you, which then forces faster vehicles into lane 3, plus the ones that just form a que behind the trucks in lane 2 thinking they will get past in a minute, until they get cheesed off with waiting and then decide to join lane 3, and in rush hour, you will notice traffic finally slows down and people are doing all kinds of stupid and dangerous manouvers to get through, all because you have been given one store to deliver to, and are doing your best to hang the job out, but ■■■■ the roads up for everyone else, and im talking from experience as ive done plenty of trolley work, but on a single A road id pull over now and then if the que got bad, and on a motorway there is absolutely no excuse for not doing 56mph, IMO.
Gurner:
flying_fenman:
Same for me el gordo 78.39 on a single carriageway, 48 on a dual carriageway, 50-52 on a motorway.
Most of ours go at this sort of speed.
Yeti:
Exact same speeds as me. Especially at £8.27 p/hr I’m going nowhere fast. Amazing the extra miles I can get out of the tank too being very light with the right foot.Then at least have the decency to pull over once you cant see the back of the que in your rear view mirrors, and let those of us past that want to get on with the job and get home.
I always keep well to the left, and if the queue does start to get ridiculous then I will pull into a layby if able to, though as I work nights this rarely happens.
However, if it’s single track and somebody looks like they are going to come unstuck doing a crazy overtake, I’d be unlikely to ease off unless there was a real danger of someone getting killed.
Without wanting to get into a ‘freedom of choice’ argument. The law of the land says 40mph, 50mph, and 60mph. Not me or anybody else. I worked hard to get my licences, and (touching wood) I have no (nor ever had) any points on my licence. I don’t want to lose it.
This week a DAF tipper hit a car pulling out of a road opposite my depot. The seventeen year old car driver was killed. The truck driver was unhurt.
It is obviously the car driver’s fault - he pulled out. But if I had been driving the truck, and IF I had been doing more than 40mph, I would now be saying to myself ‘had I been doing 40, maybe I could have slowed enough so the kid would have lived’.
Not sure I would be able to convince myself I was totally blame-free. 
Just my thoughts and way of looking at it perhaps.
[quote="
Then at least have the decency to pull over once you cant see the back of the que in your rear view mirrors, and let those of us past that want to get on with the job and get home.[/quote]
WHY, we are not going slow we are doing what the law say’s 40, but if you give me your driving licence if i get caught i will happily let you have the point’s.
Gurner:
flying_fenman:
50-52 on a motorway.on a motorway there is absolutely no excuse for not doing 56mph, IMO.
Well tell the police cars that you see doing 50 to go a bit faster, you can’t spend time at home with your family if your dead