Increase speed limit on A roads from 40mph to 50mph

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
41

Lucy:
I can see where he’s coming from Rob. Look at it this way…If you don’t have enough time to get through the docks and away up the road because you’ve been pottering about the place at 40mph, then you a) lose twenty-odd quid’s worth of night out money (against a taxable tenner or whatever you’ve gained on hours) and will lose part of your driving and spread by having to run in the morning, hence decreasing your ability to get home on the Friday - especially if this happens on Thursday night! :cry:

That said, it’s well documented that I AM in fact completely off my rocker, so maybe you have a point after all… :blush: :wink: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

I know where both he and you are coming from. I know perfectly how to maximize ones hours to ones own advantage :wink: but you need to be careful how you work it otherwise instead of getting a reasonable amount of work per week to do that is actually not a lot at all but you spin it out to make it look like a lot :confused: :smiley: , instead you could end up cutting your nose off to spite your dial by rushing about and get even more work dumped on you because you’re getting through what you’ve already been given so quickly :frowning: .

We actually had a good discussion about this not so long ago Lucy if you recall.

I know one of the things I quickly wised up to was to never park outside - or be within sight of - your drop/pick-up in the morning after your night out because you can guarantee that you’ll be getting a knock on your door at 5am which means 2 hrs work that you weren’t planning on doing, whereas you could’ve parked round the corner, put your tacho in at 5am and then told the office that there was a big queue in front of you while you had another 2 hours kip (for example).

Obviously due to you being paid by the load (in effect) Lucy, you need to go hell for leather everywhere to make a decent living, but the vast majority are paid hourly (from what I can gather) so I see no reason for any trucker to be petitioning for higher back road speed limits unless it’s someone such as yourself. :confused:

42

True, Rob, true…But you see my point. Even if you are on hours and do run things so you get maximum money for least work, there are times when it’s good to be able to clog it a bit.

As for:

Obviously due to you being paid by the load (in effect) Lucy, you need to go hell for leather everywhere to make a decent living

That couldn’t be further from the truth these days. I make an above average wage for the area doing 12 hours a day with a minimum of 11 off nigh on every night. Even on a mileage scheme. But that’s because, like, you, I’ve learnt how to work smart rather than hard…:stuck_out_tongue:… (That and you can’t ■■■■ without getting a tenner bonus at our place now. :laughing: )

43

Lucy:
As for:

Obviously due to you being paid by the load (in effect) Lucy, you need to go hell for leather everywhere to make a decent living[/b]
[/quote]
That couldn’t be further from the truth these days. I make an above average wage for the area […]
[/quote]
Exactly my point. :wink:

44

I’ll pulled 29k not including nights out last year Rob. It’s hardly penury considering how little I do to earn it! :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

45

Lucy:
I’ll pulled 29k not including nights out last year Rob. It’s hardly penury considering how little I do to earn it! :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

It’s a pity that 28k of that was your phone bill from what I’ve heard about your phone usage… :laughing:

46

We won’t go into that… :blush: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:…(Or the other 28k I put on the cabphone…Shhhh… :wink: )

47

Lucy:
I’ll pulled 29k not including nights out last year Rob. It’s hardly penury considering how little I do to earn it! :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

So when did you stop having to handball short-sea’s then? :wink: I’d want that just to get in the box, never mind the driving :stuck_out_tongue: .

48

Around about the time I got high enough up the seniority list not to get given that crap any more… :stuck_out_tongue: :stuck_out_tongue: :stuck_out_tongue:

49

Lucy:
Around about the time I got high enough up the seniority list (read: we got sick of her whinging about her 3000 different ailments :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: ) not to get given that crap any more… :stuck_out_tongue: :stuck_out_tongue: :stuck_out_tongue:

50

Well if ya can’t beat 'em… :wink: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

(And it’s only one. Just with lots of symptoms. :sunglasses: )

51

Smart Mart:

DenisF wrote:

Smart Mart wrote:

However if you are not in favour, then please keep your opinions to yourself.
/

I thought the idea of a forum was that all opinions were discussed - not just the ones you agree with

Thats why I put the emoticons after the sentence - although I couldn’t find a tongue in cheek!

My opinion in supporting an increase (and yes I don’t think it will ever happen), is based on Lincolnshire roads and the high death rate, which may be reduced if cars did not have to risk overtaking slower moving trucks at in-appropriate places - in fact there is a case for all traffic to have a 50 mph speed limit.

No there isn’t.

52

Well from what ive seen, working for a company on a salary, and not wanting to hanging about noticed car drivers on single carrigeways not as desperate to overtake you.

Majority seem quite content and will wait till its safe to overtake you.

Driving a supermarket trolley sitting at 40mph most drivers are desperate to get past you because they don’t want to be doing 20mph under the speed limit and a lot take chances to get past you.

Being realistic most runs we do a change in the speed limit on single carriageways wouldnt decrease journey times that much if at all. Even the likes of Newcastle we used to go down there on the limiter across the A69 because give us more time to sleep when we got there. Other guys sat at 40mph and the difference was about 10mins. SIx of us went down every night and we all got a 10 hour shift out of it whatever speed we were doing.

Fair enough its going to decrease journey times if your run involves 4hours of driving on empty single carriageway roads, with no roundabouts and no other slow moving traffic.

But being realitic an increase in the speed limit wouldnt mean TM’s were able to say ok this run should be done a lot faster or mean you can go a lot further.

Just feel all round it would be safer, plus it bores me to tears sitting on the likes of the A69 at 40mph holding up everyone.

53

i do my best to stay at 40 now as having 6pts on licence and working on agency it just is not worth the extra few mins saved in getting another 3 and then losing on most chances of any work or a job as the limit seems to be 6

54

The originator of the petition was using the wrong argument. In fact, he didn’t appear to have an argument. :unamused: That I could see. :stuck_out_tongue:

In environmental terms, there is a valid argument for raising the limit from 40mph to 45 mph as, with the increasing use of automatic vehicles, these tend to run at 45 mph at 1,000 rpm whereas, at the lower speed, they tend to drop a gear and run at 1,200(ish) rpm, thereby using more fuel and adding to Global Warming (not that I’m even convinced on the basic concepts that such a phenomenon exists. :unamused: ).

For a petition, any petition, to have any chance of attracting support, it must appeal to the considerations pertinent to everyday concerns at the time.

Had it been couched in environmental terms, with supporting evidence, then it might well have been worth supporting. In the meantime, I’m quite happy sitting there at 40mph watching the clock click up another few £ signs. :wink:

55

“I can see where he’s coming from Rob. Look at it this way…If you don’t have enough time to get through the docks and away up the road because you’ve been pottering about the place at 40mph, then you a) lose twenty-odd quid’s worth of night out money (against a taxable tenner or whatever you’ve gained on hours) and will lose part of your driving and spread by having to run in the morning, hence decreasing your ability to get home on the Friday - especially if this happens on Thursday night”

Looks to me like the calulation is sound
until you factor in the extra expenditure deducted from after tax income,

That you incure when you private car insurance renewal comes around
(with a nice new endorsment for SPEEDING )

And the totual LOSS of income, when you tot-up maxium points, and your license is SUSPENDED.

Appears my sugestion that we “The Truckers” should begin buy NOT lobbying for increased speed limits.

But instead inceased Public awareness to the Publc Health & Safely issues
(Ie Running at 40mph, when the multitude can run 20mph Faster (excuding 7.5t’s etc.))

Is presently a SERIOUS Publc Health & Safely issue.

Just fell on deft ears.

Next time a frustrated car overtakes you, then cuts in far to close
Maybe: Even slam’s on there brakes, to show there frustration (to you)
Or maybe: your watching them in the mirror overtaking when there’s oncoming traffic,
happens even on double yellow lines

That this is just there ignorance
And its this that is a serious public Health & Safely issue
that need highlighting…

2xQ see’s it this way

Step 1: educate the general public
( This might reduce the incidence of unsafe overtaking, and road rage)

Step 2: get Car motoring organisations on are side (there a powerful lobby )

Then we might stand a chance that the goverment will listen to a speed increase for trucks… “”

2xQ out >>

56

i would like to see less prosecutions for speeding and more on dangerous driving. It can be safe to drive at 50 on a 40 road and dangerous to do 20 in a 30 zone. But that would mean the police actually doing their jobs rather than hiding cameras in horse boxes etc

57

Eye, and Mr road side camera,
always just positioned just right to catch you running downhill :wink:

I know its totually off tread (on a tangent)
But we all know that Safely camera’s are funded
by taking a percentage of the revenue fines generate.

Well, ( Think about this)
if No One exceeded the speedlimit
That would mean they would loose there funding

Think about it

Goodbye Safely Camera’s :slight_smile:

58

leave it well alone, but change all 30 mph to 37 mph limits , and back date the new law a month :wink: :wink: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: