Is it just me or are a lot of vehicles over 7.5t ignoring the no overtaking rules in Northamptonshire on both sides of the carriageway on the A14 
I have expected the foreign trucks to but last week I had people overtaking in the zones in British registered trucks.
Whereabouts is the ban in force? I only use a short section between Kettering & Thrapston & Iāve never noticed any signs.
tallyman:
Whereabouts is the ban in force? I only use a short section between Kettering & Thrapston & Iāve never noticed any signs.
a section between catthorpe and junction1 not the entire length though.supposed to save people some time on their journey.seems like an ill thought out expensive exercise considering that when the overtaking ban ends all the wagons that are in a long line then all pull out at once to overtake,so any journey time saving that has happened is then undone.
would have been better in my opinion to do a decent stretch of 2 lane carriageway like the M11 between stansted and the A11 juction.
they tried it on the m42 last year on a poxy little stretch and they worked out the ban saved people about 2 seconds or something ridiculous like that
I frequently use that section and as far as I can see the whole āJourney Time Trialā things is pointless as there is no enforcement of the ban and trucks just seem to ignore it. If they are going to use this as a trial then it needs to be enforced or any data they get on journey times will be false.
Too Fat To Fly:
I have expected the foreign trucks to but last week I had people overtaking in the zones in British registered trucks.
I would expect the majority of the foreign trucks to take notice of the signs and not overtake as these no overtaking restrictions are very common everywhere else in Europe, and are enforced with on the spot fines, so the foreign drivers are very used to them. I always suspected it would mostly be the British registered trucks which would ignore it, along with Austrians, Spanish and Irish. 
I agree, they are a pain in the backside and a sure sign of more to come. Its just the amount of people ignoring it really surprised me.
Its a pain and dangerous especially with the layby on the uphill section on the eastbound carriageway, I get a horrible feeling theres going to be an horrific pileup there very soon 
Still as long as the vehicles under 7.5t save a few seconds theyāll be happy 
I very often use this stretch of A14 and as I stick to the 50mph limit and gross 44 tonnes my speed is down to about 35 in this no overtaking stretch, I get passed by loads of UK and foreign trucks every time! unless theres a camera or police patrol it seems a waste of money!
mikermhh:
I very often use this stretch of A14 and as I stick to the 50mph limit and gross 44 tonnes my speed is down to about 35 in this no overtaking stretch, I get passed by loads of UK and foreign trucks every time! unless theres a camera or police patrol it seems a waste of money!
On the very rare occasion iām not at 44t I will be at 56 to be honest, Iām just amazed really how many just ignore it
I havent seen any police about when Iāve been through but I reckon they soon will be 
There are two of these sections on the A1 South in the North East too, in the Chester le Street and Bowburn areas also.
Nobody seems to pay attention to these either.
There was a patrol car on the west bound side one day last week. He was at the top of an incline and at first I thought it strange as heās unlikely to catch anyone speeding there - then I realised, he could have been looking for rogue over-takers!
Coffeeholic:
I would expect the majority of the foreign trucks to take notice of the signs and not overtake as these no overtaking restrictions are very common everywhere else in Europe, and are enforced with on the spot fines, so the foreign drivers are very used to them.
My experience on the continent is that whilst the majority of trucks do adhere to the overtaking bans, you often do see trucks ignoring them.
They certainly are enforced over there, though, as we came very close to a multi-truck pile-up when a German policeman walked out of a layby into lane 1 of a long, relatively steep downhill section of the Autobahn to signal the truck in front of us (that had just overtaken us in the banned area) to pull over, right at the last minute.
MrFlibble:
Coffeeholic:
I would expect the majority of the foreign trucks to take notice of the signs and not overtake as these no overtaking restrictions are very common everywhere else in Europe, and are enforced with on the spot fines, so the foreign drivers are very used to them.My experience on the continent is that whilst the majority of trucks do adhere to the overtaking bans, you often do see trucks ignoring them.
Austrians, Spanish and Irish tend to be the ones who ignore them most. Iāve been done for ignoring it 3 times myself in Germany, once was because I hadnāt realised it was a no overtaking section and twice because I had the hump and an I donāt give crap attitude on at the time.
MrFlibble:
They certainly are enforced over there, though, as we came very close to a multi-truck pile-up when a German policeman walked out of a layby into lane 1 of a long, relatively steep downhill section of the Autobahn to signal the truck in front of us (that had just overtaken us in the banned area) to pull over, right at the last minute.
They are good at leaving it late. I once went past a copper who jumped out at the last minute on the border at Remich. He jumped back in a bit quick as I almost clipped him. I didnāt stop though as I was over the bridge and into Luxembourg before I had time to think about it, although I did avoid that border for a few weeks after that. 
the whole thing is an expensive, not thought out joke, at our (HGV) expense. Experienced it for first time this week, missed 1st sign as was overtaking truck, saw second and just managed to get in in time. Down to 30mph, cause some poor sod at front was heavy. Mirror earlier comments as exactly as ban ended we all pulled out to overtake, holding everything up behind. Worse thing was as we were all getting slower in hilly section, and backing off all the time, you end up tailgating each other trying to keep momentum. It is dangerous, and a joke, and if you want to do as I have and mail a complaint to A14journeytimetrial@highway.gsi.gov.uk I have told them exactly what I think of my taxpayers money being wasted on this farce.
As a closing point, after got throught he ban, came up on M6/M1 junction, into outside lane for M1, cruising down outside suddenly what pulls out from inside with no indicators, then travels down lane and squeezes into lane 1 again just before roundabout? Yep, so called proffessional driver from HA in expensive toy 4X4. Got alongside and told him exactly what i thought of his little manouvre. Expect it from the usual twerps but not from them.
Just be thankful that for the moment these are very short sections of no overtaking. There are sections in Germany of 100+ kilometres, along with shorter ones of 20 - 50 odd kilometres. Wait until those sort of lengths are brought in over here.
Coffeeholic:
Just be thankful that for the moment these are very short sections of no overtaking. There are sections in Germany of 100+ kilometres, along with shorter ones of 20 - 50 odd kilometres. Wait until those sort of lengths are brought in over here.
That seem ridiculous. What happens if there is a STGO (or equivalent) doing 40/45. Do they all still have to sit there for 50-100km or can they pop past if the speed drops at a certain level?
have to sit there i am afraid. the worst thing is if you come across the German army on the road, with itās tanks and trucks, that can be extremely boring sitting behind them! the biggest problem used to be the East Europeans with their slow smoky trucks, a couple of times i have had them pull onto the hard shoulder so i can overtake, but most of them are up to speed now.
Dieselcowboy:
have to sit there i am afraid. the worst thing is if you come across the German army on the road, with itās tanks and trucks, that can be extremely boring sitting behind them! the biggest problem used to be the East Europeans with their slow smoky trucks, a couple of times i have had them pull onto the hard shoulder so i can overtake, but most of them are up to speed now.
Them were the days when you came across F Troop on the A61 or over the 3 on the Cats Back. Smoky old Roman Diesels. Same problem when you saw UZUN ARAC
hammer:
That seem ridiculous. What happens if there is a STGO (or equivalent) doing 40/45.?
Iāve overtaken Convoi Exceptional and army convoys in the past with no problem, and been seen by the police doing it. Whether you can officially overtake them I have no idea. if it is just a regular truck going a bit slower then youāre stuck behind it. There is a no overtaking section on the A5 from Baden-Baden down to the Basle border which must be getting on for 150 km. Still, it gives you time to make a coffee and sandwich.
hammer:
Coffeeholic:
Just be thankful that for the moment these are very short sections of no overtaking. There are sections in Germany of 100+ kilometres, along with shorter ones of 20 - 50 odd kilometres. Wait until those sort of lengths are brought in over here.That seem ridiculous. What happens if there is a STGO (or equivalent) doing 40/45. Do they all still have to sit there for 50-100km or can they pop past if the speed drops at a certain level?
Well, there we all were on the M42 going along quite nicely when 100yds into the ban hereās a certain large N.E. based artic wandering along at 40-45mph. Itās pretty flat and heās basically taking the ā ā ā ā . Hereās the questionā¦
The outside lane is clear for at least 1/2 mile behind. If this is really a journey time trial you could pass and not hold anyone up. So, do you overtake ā ā
Is the real point of the trial to see how much the LGV journeytime can increase ?
a better idea would be ban vehicles that cant do 80 ks in the outside lane uphill
I saw a copper pull a container driver over on the A14 westbound one morning towards the end of April.
He was in lane 2 where the 7.5T ban is in place.
They are out there looking.