slimjim:
It was a empty trailer i know its still not legal **we wanted to see who was driving these things.**i passed them in the( middle lane) (second lane)as they moved in to the left lane.(first lane)
I do think I should be a police trafic man some times as the amount of illegal stuff I see being done on the road baffles me.
They were full size lgv’s with the extra high trailers with the small wheels on the trailers. black trailers and trucks.
Who would you imagine is driving them? Some bug-eyed alien with three heads? 
I’ll tell you who was driving them - a man or a woman probably aged between 21 and 65 and probably foreign. 
I’ve seen too many trailers and ‘sheds-on-wheels’ overturned because people don’t respect speed limits or good driving practice when pulling them.
As dieseldave has already correctly said; if a ‘police trafic man’ had been about he would almost certainly have done ALL of you. I don’t see how you can complain when you have already admitted that you are just as illegal as they are!
The Lyonator:
Well on the subject of Speed Limiters, can anyone explain this. I currently work as a PCV (PSV for old skoolers) Driver for a Bus/Coach company and all of our vehicles are speed limited…to 62mph (officially denoted as 100km/h).
Now I’ve always been baffled as to why the EU says that LGVs (HGVs) can only do 56mph (90km/h), yet Buses and Coaches can do 62 (100)!? Someone said it was down to Maths, regarding the best possible speed for the best possible fuel consumption, but again that can’t be true, Buses and Coaches can go 6mph faster than Trucks and ALL Buses feature Fully Automatic gearboxes that have torque converters…so you use more fuel even if you don’t want to! Coaches are slightly better for MPG these days as the newer ones now have the option of being fitted with an Automated Manual (AMT) like the Volvo i-Shift and the ZF ASTronic.
The AMTs will no doubt save fuel as it’s a computer-controlled manual gearbox, but I’ve never had to chance to drive 1 so I can’t compare.
Richard
Passenger carrying vehicles should be given priority which is why their speed limits are on A roads and dual carriageways are also higher than HGVs over 7.5 tons. It is only because of EU legislation that the limit and 3rd lane ban came in reducing them from 70 mph to 62 mph. Good job really as coaches have been getting heavier and longer. Automated manual vehicles do have better fuel consumption than fully automatic ones but are very slow moving off and can change gears in strange places, like in the middle of roundabouts. I think the EU is looking at reducing the speed limit for HGVs further to 80 kph or 50 mph for safety and enviromental reasons.
Isn’t 56mph or 90kph slow enough .
Boring as it is at 56 mph on a long run , never mind doing it at 50 mph .
why does my daf only do a max of 52 mph
Last time I was in Tesco the cruise on their DAF’s would only go up to 52, although foot on the floor would do 56 … … … or more downhill 
… … … don’t know if that is a DAF thing or a Tesco thing !!!
G
dieseldave:
Lovlyperson:
Smee:
According to my copy of the Highway code the maximum speed for a LGV on a Motorway is 60mph, please explain to me how this 56mph maximum comes about, I am confused… 
Lovlyperson:
56mph doesnt exist in UK.
Isn’t that a conversion of the 90kmh that you mentioned 
Lovlyperson:
Its just a UK directive
The UK does NOT issue “directives.”
Lovlyperson:
we have to do comply with EU by fitting a Speedlimiter which is set by EU directive to cut the Powered Speed at 90km/h
That’s true Lovlyperson, but the maximum speed limit for an LGV is in the highway code and is 60mph.
Don’t believe me Smee’s right, have a look at the highway code for yourself. OR ask a police person.
Smee Your LGV is limited to 56mph by the limiter as Lovlyperson said, but you wouldn’t normally be prosecuted for speeding on a motorway (in an LGV) until your speed exceeds 60mph. (Imagine it as a small tolerance for going downhill, before you react by braking/slowing.)
Doesn’t it stand to sense that if you get caught for “speeding” that you could also be prosecuted for having a defective limiter? It’s done this way so that there’s no room for excuses 
I just said that the Maximumspeed for HGV’s on British Motorway’s is 60mph,but,you must have fitted a Speedlimiter who cuts the Powered Speed,at present at 56mph.
It’s also possible that shortly gets in Bruxeles desided to set the cut of Maximumspeed on Your Speedlimter at 50mph.
In that Case,how shoked you are ever,the Max Speed,set on Your Speedlimiter isn’t,or mustn’t,the same as the Maximumspeed for HGV’s on British Motorways.
In Southampton I notice on the rear of Maritime Transport’s trailers all have stickers saying “Max 52mph”.
When a “trailer” states a maximum speed, does that mean that any tractor unit that hitches upto it will automatically have its on-board Speed Limiter temporarily altered by the trailer electronics from 56 to 52, or will the tractor units used by the company (Maritime Transport) already have their on-board Speed Limiters calibrated to 52?
Richard
Lovlyperson:
I just said that the Maximumspeed for HGV’s on British Motorway’s is 60mph,
Please help me Lovlyperson, I can’t find where you wrote that…
Lovlyperson:
but,you must have fitted a Speedlimiter who cuts the Powered Speed,at present at 56mph.
I saw that, and I agree it’s true.
Lovlyperson:
It’s also possible that shortly gets in Bruxeles desided to set the cut of Maximumspeed on Your Speedlimter at 50mph.
I’ve heard that they are discussing it. Maybe they are just discussing it, maybe they won’t change it. Who knows?
Lovlyperson:
In that Case,how shoked you are ever,the Max Speed,set on Your Speedlimiter isn’t,or mustn’t,the same as the Maximumspeed for HGV’s on British Motorways.
That’s true. Bruxelles can’t change the speed limit in the UK. It’s a question of Rechtsgeschwindigkeit you see, and Bruxelles doesn’t have the Recht to change our Geschwindigkeiten. (Note to Mods: this is just a play on words.)
The Lyonator:
In Southampton I notice on the rear of Maritime Transport’s trailers all have stickers saying “Max 52mph”.
When a “trailer” states a maximum speed, does that mean that any tractor unit that hitches upto it will automatically have its on-board Speed Limiter temporarily altered by the trailer electronics from 56 to 52
Definately not. There is nothing on the trailer that could do this.
or will the tractor units used by the company (Maritime Transport) already have their on-board Speed Limiters calibrated to 52? Richard
Yes.
Regarding the 60 mph speed limit issue - whilst it is at the moment legal to coast downhill at 60 mph and therefore 70 mph for coaches, with the advent of digital tachos an infringement is recorded if you exceed either 90 kph or 100 kph for more than a minute. So therefore is any excess over the limiter speeding?
daveb0789:
Regarding the 60 mph speed limit issue - whilst it is at the moment legal to coast downhill at 60 mph and therefore 70 mph for coaches, with the advent of digital tachos an infringement is recorded if you exceed either 90 kph or 100 kph for more than a minute. So therefore is any excess over the limiter speeding?
I feel that this is a question of definitions.
The digi-tach might record an “infringement” if you attain a speed in excees of 56mph, but the reality in the UK is that the LGV speed limit is currently 60 mph.
There are many possible infringements of all kinds of laws, but then there’s the separate question of whether the authorities decide to prosecute for it, or whether the police even report it. E.g. a person parking their car on a road outside their house is probably guilty of causing an obstruction, so most of us could “theoretically” be issued with a ticket every day. The reality is that common sense or discretion is often used, then only the worst offenders are actually ticketed.
I assume that ALL the digital tachos are calibrated to show an infringement over 56mph as the European “norm”.
If checked in the UK,I would have thought that if an infringement of over 56mph was recorded,as long as the max af 60 was not exceeded,I don’t see a problem.When driving in Europe though,I would not trust the authorities over there not to do you for doing a “legal” 60mph in the UK!It’s happened before with the analogue tacho!
Digi tacho’s seem to give an overspeed if you remain over the limit for a period of time. I do a couple of days a week for a company who have a fleet of the same truck and all of them record differently for overspeed. Some seem to be more sensitive than others.
On the subject of 52 mph, if you look at the limiter sticker in the window a growing number seem to say 85kmh as the limited speed and I believe this to be 52 mph ?
Perhaps Disco Pete can tell us how all this limiter thing works as I believe that a limiter has to have a margin ? This could explain the 52 mph thing ?
dieseldave:
daveb0789:
Regarding the 60 mph speed limit issue - whilst it is at the moment legal to coast downhill at 60 mph and therefore 70 mph for coaches, with the advent of digital tachos an infringement is recorded if you exceed either 90 kph or 100 kph for more than a minute. So therefore is any excess over the limiter speeding?
I feel that this is a question of definitions.
The digi-tach might record an “infringement” if you attain a speed in excees of 56mph, but the reality in the UK is that the LGV speed limit is currently 60 mph.
There are many possible infringements of all kinds of laws, but then there’s the separate question of whether the authorities decide to prosecute for it, or whether the police even report it. E.g. a person parking their car on a road outside their house is probably guilty of causing an obstruction, so most of us could “theoretically” be issued with a ticket every day. The reality is that common sense or discretion is often used, then only the worst offenders are actually ticketed.
I’m not so sure about that. What happens if you fail to take your full 45 minute rest? If you took 44 mins the tacho would not record a proper rest in driving and 4.5 hours had been exceeded etc etc and for that I am pretty sure you could find yourself in sticky ■■■ if you were stopped.
daveb0789:
dieseldave:
daveb0789:
Regarding the 60 mph speed limit issue - whilst it is at the moment legal to coast downhill at 60 mph and therefore 70 mph for coaches, with the advent of digital tachos an infringement is recorded if you exceed either 90 kph or 100 kph for more than a minute. So therefore is any excess over the limiter speeding?
I feel that this is a question of definitions.
The digi-tach might record an “infringement” if you attain a speed in excees of 56mph, but the reality in the UK is that the LGV speed limit is currently 60 mph.
There are many possible infringements of all kinds of laws, but then there’s the separate question of whether the authorities decide to prosecute for it, or whether the police even report it. E.g. a person parking their car on a road outside their house is probably guilty of causing an obstruction, so most of us could “theoretically” be issued with a ticket every day. The reality is that common sense or discretion is often used, then only the worst offenders are actually ticketed.
I’m not so sure about that. What happens if you fail to take your full 45 minute rest? If you took 44 mins the tacho would not record a proper rest in driving and 4.5 hours had been exceeded etc etc and for that I am pretty sure you could find yourself in sticky ■■■ if you were stopped.
I saw the advice given by the resident legal bod in one of the trucking mags a couple of months ago.It advised drivers to use a stop watch to take their breaks so as not to fall foul of the law and only have 44 minutes.
WHAT OTHER SECTION OF INDUSTRY WOULD PUT UP WITH THIS■■?
Another angle on tachos.Being as everything is electronic these days,no such thing as speedo cables,when a speed limiter is calibrated,the tacho is calibrated at the same time.In other words,some speed limiters are calibrated “true”,eg 56 mph,whereas some others,although they read 56 mph,are in fact considerably faster.The speedometer AND the tacho read 56 mph but the truck may well be able to do 60 mph or more,as can be seen any night on the motorway,when it’s not just the pre speed limited trucks that come past blowing your windows out.
On my company,several of our Merc Axors,with analogue tachos, although ostensibly calibrated at 56 mph,can pass others significantly faster,although showing on the speedo and tacho 56 mph.But,if one checks the rev counter,the “slower” trucks,doing 56 mph,run at 1,400 rpm,whereas the “faster” trucks,although showing 56 mph,are running at 1,450 or more revs.
Therefore,can the same scenario occur with a digital tacho.If the truck was calibrated to run faster than true,the tacho may only record 56 mph,but the truck could be doing 60 or more.In this situation,one could be doing 60 mph but not showing up as an overspeed.
daveb0789:
I’m not so sure about that. What happens if you fail to take your full 45 minute rest? If you took 44 mins the tacho would not record a proper rest in driving and 4.5 hours had been exceeded etc etc and for that I am pretty sure you could find yourself in sticky ■■■ if you were stopped.
Yes, you could for sure. That would be an offence, but there’s a question of whether it gets reported, then there’s the separate question of whether a prosecution follows. If we fail to obey legal limits, we leave ourselves open to be prosecuted. In my own experience, prosecution isn’t always automatic.
The danger of prosecution is heightened, if we start making assumptions about what “they” will or won’t do. When I was on a TNT contract, we were told to take a 50 minute break as company policy- that was with an analogue tacho. There is said to be some “delay” when switching modes with the newer digital tachos, so I’d be tempted to take 50mins just to make sure.