They insist they wont change the speed limit on single carriageways in the UK.With modern braking systems,ABS etc,it is safer to go faster now.I never see trucks sticking at 40,then get the 2 fingered salutes from irate business men/women,who have been delayed.
Castle Cement are strict speed limts, just been to Milford haven and back (On a night out) and apart from Wrexham by pass and Carmarthen it was all A roads, totally mind numbing… Did pull over if i had a couple of trucks behind me, but stuff the cars…
My thoughts on the 40 mph are this.
Ideally raise our limit to 50, trucks will be more economical (I had an Axor 430, most of the time it was 8th low, as 8th high was under the green band @40), and reduce the cars to 50, no need for stupid overtaking moves then, every thing moves freely…
Aint gonna work, why not?
Cops know we do 50, so its £60 (for the Gov and 3 points for us) cars get ■■■■■■ off, so go screaming past, whoops there is the copper, cars gets 3 points and £60 for the goverment…
At 50, apart from a handful of prats, most will sit there and over take at more sensible places…
Was there a post on this site about the Conservatives putting it up to 50 if they got in 
Sorry for being stupid, but why would a driver be bothered what the law is concerning speeds, at the end of the day will you get paid more for getting the job done quicker? no didn’t think so.
ajdavis64:
Sorry for being stupid, but why would a driver be bothered what the law is concerning speeds, at the end of the day will you get paid more for getting the job done quicker? no didn’t think so.
Good point for hourly paid but what about those that are not
TBH raising the limit to 50mph wouldnt make much difference because the car drivers will just want you to go even faster. I think its more of a pyschological thing to them, big lumbering lorry holding them up, must get out the way etc. You could be driving 10mph over the speed limit and they’ll still be sitting on your ■■■ 
ROG:
ajdavis64:
Sorry for being stupid, but why would a driver be bothered what the law is concerning speeds, at the end of the day will you get paid more for getting the job done quicker? no didn’t think so.Good point for hourly paid but what about those that are not
Ok then, would a very large majority of drivers get paid more.
Coddy:
Aint gonna work, why not?
Cops know we do 50, so its £60 (for the Gov and 3 points for us) cars get ■■■■■■ off, so go screaming past, whoops there is the copper, cars gets 3 points and £60 for the goverment…
SPOT ON
ajdavis64:
Sorry for being stupid, but why would a driver be bothered what the law is concerning speeds, at the end of the day will you get paid more for getting the job done quicker? no didn’t think so.
I get paid the same if i do the job in 8 hours or 12 hours as I am salary paid, Which amount of time do you think I will be trying to do it in? 
I think its dangerous espec on long distance A routes, ive worked for companies paid by the hour with trackers where your in trouble for going over 40mph, and worked for other companies where your on a salary and want to get a move on.
Sitting at 40mph everyone wants past you, they get frustrated and take risks. Going faster on A-roads people still want past you but are nowhere near as frustrated and don’t take as many risks. Much more chance of someone doing something really stupid to get past you sitting at 40mph.
Plus as well roads like the A9 north of Perth its mind numbing sitting at 40mph, no wonder people have accidents drifting off.
Plus as well it isnt effiecent sitting at 40mph, more efficent sitting at 50mph.
As for the paid by the hour mob, i’d rather get a move on get where i am going then have a sleep in the cab for a bit longer whilst getting tipped. Still end up getting paid the same.
Also whats going on with the drivers that religiously stick to just under 40mph on an A road but when they get to a dual carriageway they go flat out and break the speed limit, does my head in.
ROG:
Was there a post on this site about the Conservatives putting it up to 50 if they got in
That was over on the “Other Site”…
i have to admit, i never stick to 40 on the A9 because it is so mundane. that is a dangerous speed for that reason. there is no reason why a truck cant sit on that perth to inverness stretch at 50 and be perfectly safe. its the other drivers that create the danger. comparing that to a road like the A82 and the differences speak for themselves. but it is a limit, not a target so if the conditions to not allow for safe travelling at 50 then you dont do 50. as professionals, i think we should be entrusted to tell the difference. the average numpty car driver is even though a lot of them dont know how to read the conditions properly 
Dont think you can really have an arguement on the ‘Im hourly paid’ brigade…
At the end of the day, its not you the bosses are interested in, they run a business, and that means profit…
Its more economical to run a truck at 50 than it is to run at 40, time saving, poss would mean another load on that vehicle in the course of the week, its safer for oter road users…
To my mind its better to have a Company that is profitable and can keep you employed at a time like this, than trying every trick in the book to hang it out to get some extra pocket money, and the boss poss is struggling…
I am and always have been against raising the limit for HGV from 40 to 50. It makes not one jot whether the limit is 40 or 50 or 60 to boredom or lack of concentration. I can sit at 90mph on a motorcycle and still get bored. It is monotony that is the problem.
Take the A1 in England, generally most heavies heading north use the M11, A14 before joining it near Alconbury rather than the direct M25 A1 route past Sandy. The A1 was an interesting road, although it is Dual Carriageway, since removing the roundabouts the road has become so boring.
The A9 is different in that the road switches from single to dual, occasionally split by a hill or trees so that a holiday driver not concentrating may think the quiet single carriageway is actually duelled as he is squished by a speeding overweight juggernaut coming the other way. 
Apart from that, the A9 is used by tractors, it is crossed by tractors, it is crossed by sheep herders. it gives a myopic driver time to cross at one of the many intersections and crossroads.
If we raise the dual carriageway limit to 50mph, it will be only months before there is a new lobby to raise it to 56mph
Wheel Nut:
If we raise the dual carriageway limit to 50mph, it will be only months before there is a new lobby to raise it to 56mph
You might find that it is 50 already… 
Coddy:
Dont think you can really have an arguement on the ‘Im hourly paid’ brigade…
i suppose im in the ‘‘hourly paid brigade’’ category 
Would i rather do 50 than 40 - yes 
i stick to the speed limits because its in my best interests to, wages and license. If i get a 60quid fine its no the company that pays it, its also no the company that pays the higher insurance premium on my car either. If the speed limit got increased to 50, i wouldn’t lose any wages - id just get more drops and a agency driver would be binned for the day. Our company doesn’t have trackers or gps nonsense but we do have time sheets and tachos which can be used to see if you are speeding, so its not really the drivers fault for sticking to the 40.
Speed limits for HGVs, and cars, should be carefully considered for each individual road, regardless as to whether it’s single, dual carriageway or motorway.
There are some single carriageway roads which are wide, straight, and safe enough (ie. no junctions) which are perfectly safe for 56mph. It’s these roads where frustrated car drivers make poor overtakes and die/kill others. There are others, or certain sections of others that are currently national speed limit (40 for heavies) which probably should be reduced to 30 because of the severity of bends/condition of carriageway, but these are the kind of stretches where HGV drivers would already drive at 30mph unless they judge it incorrectly and possibly end up on their side.
There are some dual carriageways where the lanes are so narrow or have dangerous turnings/crossovers which should have and sometimes do have reduced speed limits.
There should never be any one blanket restriction for the whole road network, the many thousands of miles on it, it doesn’t work as most of us can already tell. One-size-fits-all policies never have. The alternative requires some legwork and thought going into it. This is where the problem lies, and why it’s probably never going to happen:
-
They’re not going to do it as if they get it wrong, someone might be held responsible, and nobody’s got the balls to answer criticism.
-
Speeding fines are a nice little earner for the government, free-flowing roads are not.
Wheel Nut:
Apart from that, the A9 is used by tractors, it is crossed by tractors, it is crossed by sheep herders. it gives a myopic driver time to cross at one of the many intersections and crossroads.
so how is this any different to the A1? i have been stuck behind tractors on the A1.
besides, cars can still do 60 on these same roads so i really dont see your point. yes, cars can stop quicker but we are better trained, can see more and are more likely to react correctly.
one thing that sets the A9 apart is the fact that there is nothing between perth and inverness. on a night trunk i fill my mug at broxden and dont get another coffee until i have tipped, had a rest break and returned to broxden which should be around 7 hours or so later
manowar:
Speed limits for HGVs, and cars, should be carefully considered for each individual road, regardless as to whether it’s single, dual carriageway or motorway.There are some single carriageway roads which are wide, straight, and safe enough (ie. no junctions) which are perfectly safe for 56mph. It’s these roads where frustrated car drivers make poor overtakes and die/kill others. There are others, or certain sections of others that are currently national speed limit (40 for heavies) which probably should be reduced to 30 because of the severity of bends/condition of carriageway, but these are the kind of stretches where HGV drivers would already drive at 30mph unless they judge it incorrectly and possibly end up on their side.
There are some dual carriageways where the lanes are so narrow or have dangerous turnings/crossovers which should have and sometimes do have reduced speed limits.
There should never be any one blanket restriction for the whole road network, the many thousands of miles on it, it doesn’t work as most of us can already tell. One-size-fits-all policies never have. The alternative requires some legwork and thought going into it. This is where the problem lies, and why it’s probably never going to happen:
They’re not going to do it as if they get it wrong, someone might be held responsible, and nobody’s got the balls to answer criticism.
Speeding fines are a nice little earner for the government, free-flowing roads are not.
your suggestion would cause more accidents as a direct result of confusion. if people are constantly on the look out for changes to the speed limit, they are not concentrating on the job of driving, regardless of category. taking responsibility from people is not the way forward. you need to educate them well enough to understand the principles of driving and how to read the road and any given situation. to back up my claim, there are many members here who do not stick to the 40 limits, thats a fact. it is also a fact that they are not having endless accidents because they know what they are doing. if you then throw constantly changing speed limits at them then they will be looking for road signs which is a distraction from watching the road ahead, very similiar to the way that people have accidents caused by mobile scameras. they are looking for them, when they see them they then watch the speedo from fear of crossing the limit by 1MPH. neither of these things are watching what is going on around them hence, detrimental effect on road safety!
sorry mate but you are wrong on this one 