So I was on the m40 late at night,all dark and I noticed the orange flashing lights on the hard shoulder so I moved to the middle lane in case there was anything sticking out but then I couldnt pull back to the slow lane because another truck had started overtaking me.He was on the limiter.
Is it an unwritten rule then that we shouldnt do less tgan 56 in the middle lane.
What do you think?
I do 53 because I dont have to worry abiut overspeeds.The auto retarders stop it going over 56
Sploom:
So I was on the m40 late at night,all dark and I noticed the orange flashing lights on the hard shoulder so I moved to the middle lane in case there was anything sticking out but then I couldnt pull back to the slow lane because another truck had started overtaking me.He was on the limiter.
Is it an unwritten rule then that we shouldnt do less tgan 56 in the middle lane.
What do you think?I do 53 because I dont have to worry abiut overspeeds.The auto retarders stop it going over 56
Nah you did the right thing, I always (when safe to do so)., give any breakdowns in hard shoulder a wide berth also.
The unwritten rule (or fact) is that we are surrounded by many absolute f/whits in trucks who simply have not got a clue, but consider themselves drivers or truckers, after successfully blagging a licence.
Just ignore them mate. they will eventually end up in a heap, while you continue to act as a professional driver.
Just to clarify; you couldn’t move back to the “slow” lane because another truck had started to overtake you? Do you mean he had started to undertake you?
Regardless of whichever you did the right thing by moving over to give space, if the other guy was undertaking you then he is a knob of the highest degree. A little tip that I do which may help is that I too move across (traffic permitting) but I’ll semi straddle lanes one and two to discourage this sort of behaviour.
When you saw the lights and moved over why didn`t you straddle lanes 1 and 2 to prevent anyone undertaking and help protect anyone working on the hard shoulder?
Sploom:
So I was on the m40 late at night,all dark and I noticed the orange flashing lights on the hard shoulder so I moved to the middle lane in case there was anything sticking out but then I couldnt pull back to the slow lane because another truck had started overtaking me.He was on the limiter.
Is it an unwritten rule then that we shouldnt do less tgan 56 in the middle lane.
What do you think?I do 53 because I dont have to worry abiut overspeeds.The auto retarders stop it going over 56
You did exactly the right thing as said. Also top advice given. It’s just a pity these undertaking morons were not caught more often. 
Yes,he was undertaking me.It was pitch black ,all I could see was the glare of the orange lights so no way of knowing if ànything was sticking out into the running lanes.
It used to be one of my pet hates when I’d move over, and immediately the vehicle behind would undertake like that. I find the best thing to do is to move half into lane 2. It prevents undertaking (although it wouldn’t surprise me if one day a motorbike zooms up the inside) whilst still giving the people and vehicles on the hard shoulder room.
Sploom:
I do 53 because I dont have to worry abiut overspeeds.The auto retarders stop it going over 56
You don’t need to worry about overspeeds anyway. Overspeeds on your tacho are not an offence in the UK.
Conor:
Sploom:
I do 53 because I dont have to worry abiut overspeeds.The auto retarders stop it going over 56You don’t need to worry about overspeeds anyway. Overspeeds on your tacho are not an offence in the UK.
Define “offence”? Coincidentally, I was speaking to a driver yesterday who (some years ago) ended up in front of the TC when he was clocked on a motorway, by a police car, doing 60mph in his artic.
The TC said being fully loaded (around 43T) at that speed meant dire consequences for any other vehicle he might hit, so she removed his entitlement and made him take a retest! 
Back of a ■■■-packet maths, and assuming no deceleration takes place, makes the impact of the higher speed about 7.5% higher than the lower speed. But in reality, getting hit by 1.08 million newtons compared to 1.16 million newtons is probably going to feel about the same I would imagine.
I think it’s a relevant factor that the TC in question was no other than the infamous Beverly Bell…
Wow,thats crazy.But to be honest,I feel better doing 53mph.I know its only 3mph difference but thos occasions when I need to do 56,it seems to need more concentration.Youre overtaking all the time,through narrow lanes a lot of the time …
I just got used to 53 now
Zac_A:
Conor:
You don’t need to worry about overspeeds anyway. Overspeeds on your tacho are not an offence in the UK.Define “offence”? Coincidentally, I was speaking to a driver yesterday who (some years ago) ended up in front of the TC when he was clocked on a motorway, by a police car, doing 60mph in his artic.
It is not a tachograph offence to have overspeeds recording on your card, you can’t be prosecuted for speeding as long as you don’t go over 60MPH. It is however an offence to have POWERED DRIVE above the 90KPH a speed limiter should be set at so if you’re driving along at 60MPH on the flat and up hills you’ll attract attention for not having a properly functioning speed limiter.
I would however suggest that given how much crap drivers spout that the event in question is one that exists purely in the mind of the person who was telling you about it rather than reality.
peirre:
When you saw the lights and moved over why didn`t you straddle lanes 1 and 2 to prevent anyone undertaking and help protect anyone working on the hard shoulder?
I’m a newbie, but this is what I tend to do
Zac_A:
Define “offence”? Coincidentally, I was speaking to a driver yesterday who (some years ago) ended up in front of the TC when he was clocked on a motorway, by a police car, doing 60mph in his artic.The TC said being fully loaded (around 43T) at that speed meant dire consequences for any other vehicle he might hit, so she removed his entitlement and made him take a retest!
I think it’s a relevant factor that the TC in question was no other than the infamous Beverly Bell…
Couldn’t care less if it was Beverley Bell or ‘‘Beverley Hills’’ I’m calling classic '‘Drivercrap’ on that one. 
…Did he tell you that little gem in a supermarket rdc waiting pen by any chance?
Even if it was true (a weeks wage says it aint btw) a good brief would get it thrown out of court immediately.
Sploom:
Wow,thats crazy.But to be honest,I feel better doing 53mph.I know its only 3mph difference but thos occasions when I need to do 56,it seems to need more concentration.Youre overtaking all the time,through narrow lanes a lot of the time …
I just got used to 53 now
Nothing wrong with sitting at 53 bud. I do it all the time aswell. Because we use gas trucks which are awful on fuel economy, sitting that bit lower really does make a difference and the minutes lost through the day I often get some of them back at the gas station through filling up less.
Plus it’s much more relaxing to just let everyone go racing off if they choose to and leaves a bit of spare speed in the bank for the times where you do need to overtake so you can get it done quicker
robroy:
Couldn’t care less if it was Beverley Bell or ‘‘Beverley Hills’’ I’m calling classic '‘Drivercrap’ on that one.
No, I was meeting all the drivers during an audit of a potential new client, and while I was discussing what the new policy would be regarding driver conduct, when I spoke about overspeeds he said not to worry, he would not under any circumstances be over speeding, then told me about his problems.
I’m fine with your scepticism, I think it’s very healthy to disbelieve a lot of driver talk, but up close and personal with someone who might potentially be my responsibility soon, I’m fairly critical of whether or not they receive any credibility.
Conor:
I would however suggest that given how much crap drivers spout that the event in question is one that exists purely in the mind of the person who was telling you about it rather than reality.
Potentially, but I’m no stranger to TCs making up new rules for drivers and operators, which might not be strictly against the law, but are certainly a condition of the TC not kicking their butts in a more severe way than they have already done that day.
Zac_A:
robroy:
Couldn’t care less if it was Beverley Bell or ‘‘Beverley Hills’’ I’m calling classic '‘Drivercrap’ on that one.No, I was meeting all the drivers during an audit of a potential new client, and while I was discussing what the new policy would be regarding driver conduct, when I spoke about overspeeds he said not to worry, he would not under any circumstances be over speeding, then told me about his problems.
I’m fine with your scepticism, I think it’s very healthy to disbelieve a lot of driver talk, but up close and personal with someone who might potentially be my responsibility soon, I’m fairly critical of whether or not they receive any credibility.
Nah…Still not having it mate, he was driving within the legal speed limit for his type of vehicle, albeit actually on the limit.ie perfectly legal.
More than likely going downhill.and avoiding 61 presumably, where he would be illegal.
How exactly is that breaking the law?..,.and when do the goalposts stop being moved between him driving on his own personal limiter of 53 to 56, and driving on his legal limit of 60?
57 ?, 58? or is 59 acceptable but 60 ain’t?
It’s a bit like doing a driver for maxing out his weekly/fortnightly driving hours and then taking his legally absolute minimum rest in between …,.then nicking him for not taking enough rest because of the potential ‘‘dire consequences’’ of him falling asleep because of it.
As I said it would be laughed out of court.
Well, I’ll get to find out if he’s a BS merchant if they become a client, but the company certainly trust him with the newest, most expensive vehicles and trailers, so he can’t be too bad. If it is a tall tale, it’s not the worst I’ve heard.
Zac_A:
, but the company certainly trust him with the newest, most expensive vehicles and trailers, so he can’t be too bad.
You can be a good driver as well as a good bullshiner!
True, but IME the BS merchants are usually those who also suffer from Dunning-Kruger syndrome, so there tends to be other documented indicators
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E … ger_effect
One BS story in amongst a mass of evidence of being knowledgeable, and more importantly from my POV, regularly compliant, deserves to be taken in a different context.
