Like many companies, our lot use Microlise to keep tabs on the manner of our driving. Last week I was honoured to be allowed to drive an artic for the day and took full advantage of the extra weight to maximise my “over-run” times and cruise control usage. The day consisted of two runs from Northampton to Thetford and return. I was a bit miffed to be told that I had been flagged with two “excessive speeding” incidents - although I was aware that on a couple of occasions I had allowed the speed to creep up around the 60mph mark rather than using the brakes. Hey, ho…
However, it was niggling me a little as I thought I had not actually exceeded 60mph at any point and had hauled the speed back down in plenty of time. Our “driver trainer” assured me that Microlise doesn’t use the tacho for “excessive speeding” but uses GPS to track the limit on the actual road used. So I asked him to check where these alleged speeding incidents had taken place. There were two of them on the same road, one outbound and one inbound. The speeds recorded were just under 60mph, on the A11 passing through Elveden Forest - a road which became dual carriageway nearly two years ago…
Worth bearing in mind if your employer bases any bonuses etc on Microlise “infringements”!
Apparently our microlise records an overspeed once you go over 92kph!! Not sure how you are meant to make the most of any downhill momentum without getting infringements with this set up.
We just tend to do our own thing.
Sure…we got the ■■■■■■■■ installed, but he’s behind on pay,so nobody gives a ■■■■.
Management won’t rock the boat,for fear of losing drivers.
Eeeezy life
Our lot don’t bother with anything up to 60mph. There was talk of them checking where you were at the time of the “speeding” infringement but I’ve not heard nowt, that being said I’ve never left it hit 60 on a single carriage road anyway. We had one before they started cracking down on it bragging that he got 87mph down the steep side of Windy Hill, stunts like that may of been why they starting taking an interest.
The whole system is a load of bolloxs,was one of the reasons I left my last firm,
I didn’t mind it at first and was always getting top scores,but when I had to anchor on as a child ran out and I got a harsh braking “incident” recorded driver trainer took me to office showed me the road on google maps where it happened and said I should of “pre planned” the situation
I knew then that firm and me were parting company very soon.
Depending how the software is set up if you let it creep up to around 58mph for about half a mile you’ll trigger an overspeed, remember its got nothing at all to do with the legal English speed limits (which makes a bloody mockery of our parliament, who once upon a time made our laws), and only takes notice of how much over the limit the lorry is actually set at.
I’ve gone into the lorry menu and set the red warning light to come on at 90 or 91k’s, i can go slightly over that for not too long but the sooner it lights up the sooner i notice its on.
Great safety all this cobblers, you spend half your time looking at the bloody speedo instead of where you should be, and its ironic there you are locked in 10th with the exhaust brake working overtime keeping it to 90ks when 3 artic bulkers come past near enough blowing you onto the hard shoulder at warp factor 6 without a care in the world.
Juddian:
Yes its all ■■■■■■■■ but their gaff their rules.
Depending how the software is set up if you let it creep up to around 58mph for about half a mile you’ll trigger an overspeed, remember its got nothing at all to do with the legal English speed limits (which makes a bloody mockery of our parliament, who once upon a time made our laws), and only takes notice of how much over the limit the lorry is actually set at.
I’ve gone into the lorry menu and set the red warning light to come on at 90 or 91k’s, i can go slightly over that for not too long but the sooner it lights up the sooner i notice its on.
Great safety all this cobblers, you spend half your time looking at the bloody speedo instead of where you should be, and its ironic there you are locked in 10th with the exhaust brake working overtime keeping it to 90ks when 3 artic bulkers come past near enough blowing you onto the hard shoulder at warp factor 6 without a care in the world.
Funny you mention the last part, on the night shift last night now I was trying to hold it steady at 60 down the M62 heading back towards Hull when this Lowmass bulk tanker flies past me, easilely pushing 70+. Keep in mind it was ■■■■■■■ down with rain and quite windy too and I thought I was overdoing it at 60!
Not reading all the waffle and guff but yes you have been caught speeding. Although the speed limit where posted is 60 the nature of the construction and use of the vehicle prevents you to power faster than 5? So effectively your speeding, I think the other offence is freewheeling driving a vehicle whilst not in full control by use of the power transmission or something along those lines.
nick2008:
Not reading all the waffle and guff but yes you have been caught speeding. Although the speed limit where posted is 60 the nature of the construction and use of the vehicle prevents you to power faster than 5? So effectively your speeding, I think the other offence is freewheeling driving a vehicle whilst not in full control by use of the power transmission or something along those lines.
There is no such offence. Nor is exceeding the speed at which the limiter is set an offence.
Juddian:
Depending how the software is set up if you let it creep up to around 58mph for about half a mile you’ll trigger an overspeed, remember its got nothing at all to do with the legal English speed limits (which makes a bloody mockery of our parliament, who once upon a time made our laws), and only takes notice of how much over the limit the lorry is actually set at.
I think you are talking about something completely different - i.e. the “overspeed” that pops up on the tacho if you exceed the preset limit for too long. The Microlise thing has nothing to do with the tacho and is entirely GPS driven. It will report an “Excess speed” event if you exceed 30mph in a 30 limit (or 40 in a 40, 50 in a 50 etc).
My god I’m glad I don’t have it anymore…
I love flooring my truck and hearing the engine working.
These days though you are a bad driver if you don’t drive to the “rules”
We’ve got Microlise. Stopped taking any notice of the overspeed quite some time ago but apparently at our spot you can do I think its 10 a run and still get an A score. They’ve tweaked quite a few things, especially running above the green when they realised it was the auto boxes changing down on descent speed control.
Juddian:
and its ironic there you are locked in 10th with the exhaust brake working overtime keeping it to 90ks
For us it’s 84kph (85 and it’s an overspeed), and we can’t even use the exhaust brake otherwise the telematics register it as being outside of “green band driving”, and we lose our fuel bonus for that shift. So when we’re fully loaded and going down long hills, it’s footbrake on for about 50% of the way, and a speedo-obsessed eye. Keeping it at 84 and under is actually tiring and frustrating. And to think that as little as 3 or 4 years ago I never gave any of this crap a second thought, and I considered overspeeds an irritating distraction when the tacho display flashed.
Strange that yours is’nt set up to allow the exhaust brake to work…Luckily ours is…So just have to give the brakes a dab now and again…It’s all a load of bollox at the end of the day…Surely a new set of pads & discs won’t be saving them much money if your having to use them constantly…
daftvader:
Strange that yours is’nt set up to allow the exhaust brake to work…Luckily ours is…So just have to give the brakes a dab now and again…It’s all a load of bollox at the end of the day…Surely a new set of pads & discs won’t be saving them much money if your having to use them constantly…
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I know mate. During my first few weeks I couldn’t achieve the A grades on my fuel saving. Ever since I stopped using the exhaust brake I’ve managed to up my score. There’s some laminated poster in the canteen about green band driving, and it says using the exhaust brake goes against us. Bloody shame really, as I was always using it to save brake pad wear. The strange thing is, by my understanding, exhaust brakes cut the fuel supply, so though it’s revving higher, it’s not using fuel. Even had this confirmed by the driver trainer. Ah well.
Snap…I am going back to driving soon, I will be one of those boys doing 70 down hill 
