As a relatively new LGV driver i’m still learning a lot of new things from day to day at work. There were a few things i wanted to ask you guys who have more experience and see what your opinions are…
DUAL CARRIAGEWAYS: As we all know the legal speed limit for us lot on these is 50mph (unless the van weighs 7500kgs or less).
Now the thing i was wondering was; am I the only one who actually slows down and sticks at 50 when a motorway turns into a dual?? because it certainly feels like it most of the time! I drive a section of the M8 daily and it annoys me that the law stipulates i have to slow to 50 when there is absolutely NO additional benefit safetywise, all it causes is a deficit in my journey time. Without fail every day i drive the M8/A8 i’m overtaken by other frustrated motorists (who probably don’t understand the LGV limits anyway) and even lorry drivers (who probably do). Why are we confined to 50 on duals and if we stick to 56/60 will the speed coneras flash us?? I’m not prepared to risk it, asi want to keep my licence clean with no points.
AVERAGE SPEED CAMERAS: Do these things actually work, or are they switched off at night or what’s the deal i’m not sure…■■ Because if they are always on anad actually DO work, the government must be making an absolute KILLING from them! I’m saying that based on the unbelieveable number of motorists who overtake me EVERY NIGHT while i’m sticking to prercisely 40mph as signposted. Even my colleague who drives the same route as me admitted he does about 50 through them because he feels intimidated by the other traffic.
When it’s 2 lanes it’s not so bad as if they’re really desperate they can pass you. But i really hate the 1 lane ones, bcause as soon as the reduced speed zone ends, the abuse from the guys who were stuck behind you always inevitably starts.
Cops usually turn a blind eye to doing 56mph on national speed limit duals but if you want to stick to the speed limits then you do it, regardless of whether the bloke behind thinks you should be on the limiter.
I slow down to the speed limit (if not already doing it) for all speed cameras, gatsos and specs types because I don’t want to gamble with my (now) clean licence whether they’re switched on/set for wagon speed limits or not. The only ones I do ignore are the ones on the national speed limit bits of the A1 and A14 round Cambridge/Huntingdon, and also the ones on the M42 at the side of Brum which I’ve been informed from a reliable source don’t work - well they don’t work when they’ve got 20/30/40/50mph speed limits through the roadworks anyway.
having been daft enough to get two speeding tickets, i keep to limits every where now and it dosn’t make any noticable difference to my journey times.
it’s true the bobies will normally turn a blind eye to 56 on a dual but i’ve seen more than few pulled on the a38 in the last couple of months.
The problem I find is on single carrige way’s where we are limited to 40mph, car drivers give me dirty looks when they manage to pass me but at the end of the day I’ve only had my LGV licence 2 months and plan on hanging on to it for a little while longer.
if i see a layby then I will pull in to let built up traffic pass as this is what I was taught on my course. I still think car drivers should spend a day out in and LGV or HGV vehicle so they can see our point of view.
Don’t speed to please your boss or anyone else for that matter, its your licence
I think you would be unlucky to get pulled for 56mph on a dual, just watch it if you get a fast motor that’ll nudge 60 or one that will roll away down a hill without dipping the clutch.
if i see a layby then I will pull in to let built up traffic pass
Really? I’m sure you’ll soon stop that, as no-one will ever thank you for it and you are completely in the right at 40mph.
I always assume average speed cameras work, and ease off for a gatso so that I do not exceed MY speed limit, as I read somewhere that they can identify different vehicles. Can’t see how they can tell a coach from a rigid but I aint chancing it.
I stick to the speed limits - have had a couple of points before I started driving for a living, but not worth the risk now that I need the licence. Paid by the hour as well, so by risking a fine or points I earn less money… … If drivers get irrate by getting held up then they should write to their MP, assuming of course that they can read & write - although the only hassle I have had in the last year was on the A11 (twice) and it was truckers not car drivers…
… … in fact I even back off rather than overtake at 0.001 mph on the motorway now.
As for speed camera’s I assume they all work - even though I know that they don’t … … …
It seems you are making the standard (understandable) newbie error of being much too sensative about what others think of you. Its your licence and you need to develop a thick skin about your speed especially 40 on a single track. I know it can be frustrating but 3 points on yer licence will soon cure you of that and until this absurd law is changed you will have to put up with it.
Incidently, does anyone know if the 6 points and you retake your test again rule applies to HGV? I must admit to not knowing.
if i see a layby then I will pull in to let built up traffic pass
Really? I’m sure you’ll soon stop that, as no-one will ever thank you for it and you are completely in the right at 40mph.
I disagree. I used to regularly go over The Snake with 28 tonne of truck axles on the back and always used to pull in at that layby just after Ladybower reservoir where the pub is to let the traffic come past before the climb up the other side towards Sheffield. The majority of the vehicles closest behind me would give me a quick beep or a wave in appreciation.
daneinter:
Incidently, does anyone know if the 6 points and you retake your test again rule applies to HGV? I must admit to not knowing.
Rules state that this applies within the 2 years from pasting your car test - so, if you done you car in march, class 2 in april and class 1 in may - and if you get 6 points in the following 18 months - you will have to resit the test for the car.
Interesting question though - if you lose your license and forced to resit the car test again - do you have to do class 2 and class 1 again?
I would say yes to the above,at the end of the day you lost your licence through your own fault,so you need to resit your lgv/hgv as well.Thats my opinion,could be wrong,but if you know theirs a chance that u would need to resit class1/2 again ask yourself is it really worth it,and most of all can i really affoard it again.2 years ain’t that long is it,surely you can stick to the rules/laws
I drive a section of the M8 daily and it annoys me that the law stipulates i have to slow to 50 when there is absolutely NO additional benefit safetywise,
It might be stupid to you,but rest assured there will be a reason for it,it might be accident black spot or something like that,but there’s always a reason m8.Next time you talk to a copper ask him/her.
Give you a wee tip,don’t worry about car drivers m8,they are a real pain.I had one yesterday coming up the M77 from killie.A Hovis rigid pulled out to pass me ( i was running with freight on) and him being light and still struggling to pass me enough to pull in( well he made the choice to pass me)and i could see a bmw behind him flashing him,and that made me more determined that the hovis driver was staying out there as much as i could,just to wind the bmw driver up more. I stayed beside the hovis driver for another mile or so and then i let him in by slowing down and flashed him in,he said thanks and although he must have thought i was being un-professional at 1st after being flashed by the bmw driver i think the hovis driver new wot i was doing.But wot made it even more worth while, when the ■■■■ passed me as he looked up at my cab he had a rangers football top on ( heading to the game ) and i just laughed at him even more coz you could see he wasn’t a happy teddybear.pmsl
Personally, I stick to the limits (usually; lapses in concentration excepted ). I get paid by the hour, so why should I put my license at risk just so that I can get paid less?
That includes 40 on single carriageways and 50 on dual carriageways. Most dual carriageways are at least two lanes, so vehicles behind can overtake (even if it takes a while to pull out), and on single carriageways, I either pull over when appropriate (when the queue gets a bit long), or if there is a convenient roundabout and the queue is relatively short, I go all the way around once or twice; this allows the following traffic to “overtake”, and means that I don’t lose much more momentum than I would have done anyway.
And I agree with Coffeeholic, not all drivers say thanks, but some do.
As for why the limit is 50 on dual carriageways, don’t forget that not all dual carriageways are near-motorway grade. They don’t usually have a hard shoulder (and therefore broken-down vehicles potentially have to stop in the traffic lane), most of them allow pedestrians, cyclists, tractors, etc., and they don’t have to have proper slip-roads; in some cases, traffic has to cross one carriageway to turn right.
Also, the motorway speed limit is actually 60 mph, not 56 mph. Therefore, there is actually a full 10mph drop, so the safety “benefit” is not just from a 6 mph reduction, but from a 10 mph reduction. (of course, this is ignoring the effects of speed limiters).
xlthunter:
Rules state that this applies within the 2 years from pasting your car test -
I believe it’s 2 years from becoming a “qualified driver”, so for most people it would be after passing the car test although if you pass your bike test first I’m sure the period would start from then.
I get paid by the hour, so why should I put my license at risk just so that I can get paid less?
Thereby lies the rub. Not all of us are on hours or even salary…You can imagine the attitude amongst the drivers at our place to speed. At 27ppm the difference between 56mph and 50mph is £15.12 per hour against £13.50 per hour. That’s a £1.62 an hour pay cut. Go down to 40mph and the rate becomes just £10.80 an hour. Not bad at all at face value…until you consider that we’re not paid demurrage until the firm is - so after 3hrs on a 40ft or 45ft box/taut/whatever or 2 on a 20ft, at which point we get a tenner an hour for complete half hours only. So you can sit for 3 hours 25 minutes and get nowt - or 3 hours 55 and get a fiver. You get £7 extra for a reload, and there’s a local rate for the seriously local jobs, but to all intents and purposes your running time is when you earn. Full stop.
Slowing down can make a massive difference to the bottom line for some of us, which is why I firmly believe that the loophole that makes the pay scheme legal needs closing, and sharpish.
The majority of the vehicles closest behind me would give me a quick beep or a wave in appreciation
I stand corrected, however if I can maintain 40mph consistantly on a good A road then there should be opportunities for car drivers to pass. The roads are a bit flatter and less windy down in this neck of the woods, maybe I’d pull over if fully loaded and not able to maintain my max speed.
Last year on the A12 (2 lane) I pulled out to let a rival company rigid into lane 1 from the sliproad, he then matched my speed and left me stuck in lane 2 oing about 0.02 mph faster. Rather than spend the next mile overtaking I eased off and tucked in behind so as not to delays the car drivers behind. What thanks did I get? Gareth Hunt type coffee bean gestures and a load of abuse!
daneinter:
Incidently, does anyone know if the 6 points and you retake your test again rule applies to HGV? I must admit to not knowing.
Rules state that this applies within the 2 years from pasting your car test - so, if you done you car in march, class 2 in april and class 1 in may - and if you get 6 points in the following 18 months - you will have to resit the test for the car.
Interesting question though - if you lose your license and forced to resit the car test again - do you have to do class 2 and class 1 again?
Not it effects me, but intereting to know
The Road Traffic ( New Drivers) Act 1995
This Act will affect you if you passed your first GB driving test after 1 June 1997 when it came into force. If the number of valid penalty points shown on your driving licence total 6 or more during the two year probationary period immediately following your first driving test, your full driving licence will be revoked by DVLA until such time as you pass a further driving test.
Such drivers should apply for a provisional driving licence if they wish to continue driving and are subject to “learner” conditions until they pass both theory and practical parts of the driving test.
Valid penalty points incurred prior to passing the first test are taken into account if the driver commits a penalty point offence during the probationary period. Points incurred after the probationary period has expired will also count if the offence was committed during the probationary period.
Full entitlement to all categories of vehicle previously held will only be reinstated upon passing a test in any one of the driver’s previously held entitlements. A successful test for entitlement to a category of vehicle not previously held will result in a full licence for that category only.
There is no right of appeal against revocation under the provisions of the Act. A driver may only appeal against the conviction, which led to the revocation.
kitkat:
I would say yes to the above,at the end of the day you lost your licence through your own fault,so you need to resit your lgv/hgv as well.Thats my opinion,could be wrong,but if you know theirs a chance that u would need to resit class1/2 again ask yourself is it really worth it,and most of all can i really affoard it again.2 years ain’t that long is it,surely you can stick to the rules/laws
nah, not me I am asafe - Have passed that 2 year barrier some 4 years ago and still clean!
Still I still stick to the rules/laws - I will not break them to make the offices bobs happy (■■■■■■■ Its my bit of paper, my career and my secure option of paying off the mortgage in 10 years + to live the life
( i was running with freight on) and him being light and still struggling to pass me enough to pull in( well he made the choice to pass me)and i could see a bmw behind him flashing him,and that made me more determined that the hovis driver was staying out there as much as i could,just to wind the bmw driver up more. 
I stayed beside the hovis driver for another mile or so and then i let him in by slowing down and flashed him in,he said thanks and although he must have thought i was being un-professional at 1st after being flashed by the bmw driver i think the hovis driver new wot i was doing.But wot made it even more worth while, when the ■■■■ passed me as he looked up at my cab he had a rangers football top on ( heading to the game 
). I get paid by the hour, so why should I put my license at risk just so that I can get paid less?
