My god you just get sucked into these furrows on the road. And they really pull you, you cant go anywhere but in them
I suppose it can be a testament to our skill, being able to drive withing a few inches of all the other trucks that have gone before.
But why is it all tarmac that has only been down a few years at most. All the concrete roads have been down donkies years and if they were maintained would be down years more. But tarmac that has been down a fair few years has also stood up well also.
What is different with the stuff they are putting down now?
I mean surely the people laying it arent making it softer so they can get more money afterwards for ripping it up & replacing it?
The ruts are there for a purpose you stick it in the ruts whack it on cruise then get your head down for a couple of hours but remember to get off at the right junction
we can put men on the moon,we can clone living creatures but nobody has yet come up with a road surface that will last more that three or four years of wagons running on it! trouble with concrete it becomes porus after a while which means in a really cold snap the moisture in it freezes and the slab expands until it climbs over the next one ala a1south of newark. if someone invented a substance that could be produced cheaply and outlast everything else he’d become a very rich man.
One of the worst patches of road I come across every working day is the A34 north from the Milton interchange up to Abbingdon. I know its there BUT it still puts the breeze up everytime I hit them.
And another thing, when they have put down new tarmac, there seems to be a tendency to put signs up declaring a slippery surface
Whats all that about then
with the wheels of my trailer being wider than my van when i hit em i start dancin an a swayin down the road as the wheels fight to get in em
that soon wakes you up
With the ban on overtaking on th m42 if they sank these ruts about another half inch we could all run on rails all around the country so we couldnt overtake.
there are some pretty nast ones on the a1 north near the m62
paul b:
trouble with concrete it becomes porus after a while which means in a really cold snap the moisture in it freezes and the slab expands until it climbs over the next one ala a1south of newark. if someone invented a substance that could be produced cheaply and outlast everything else he’d become a very rich man.
slipformed concrete - they can slipform upto 16m width and 0.5m depth now and no joins to worry about
jj72:
slipformed concrete - they can slipform upto 16m width and 0.5m depth now and no joins to worry about
So it buckles when it gets hot in the summer…
Dratsabasti:
And another thing, when they have put down new tarmac, there seems to be a tendency to put signs up declaring a slippery surface
Whats all that about then
At a guess…
When it’s initially laid, the small chunks of stone are covered in tar, which is quite slippery. In the first few days/weeks/months of use, that layer of tar wears off, so the rubber tyres are then mostly rubbing against stone, rather than tar, thus improving the grip.
I drive at night and usually dont know when they are coming its even more scarey when you cant see them, i wonder how many accidents these ruts haver actually caused?.
Hitch i think most people move to the hard shoulder side to stop paddy from removing their mirrors when he passes at 70!!.
jammymutt:
Hitch i think most people move to the hard shoulder side to stop paddy from removing their mirrors when he passes at 70!!.
Agreed on that one, it could also be the french, the pols, the spanish, who knows what loon… of course forgot the most inevitable at swiping, willy betz
I’ll sit in the rut but if a wagons passing i’ll move to the hard shoulder just as long as i don’t see anyone ahead on the hard shoulder.
Alot of the roads are bad, it stll amuses me the signs on the M1 - Road liable to subsidence
I mean we are paying alot of money for these roads, you would think they would at least have the decency of putting down tarmac that can stand the pressure of the tri axil trailer surely
Do the roads in france/germany/spain go the same way after a few years of being down?
I’ve noticed that it affects some trucks more than others. The Daf 85 CF I used to drive wasn’t affected badly at all. The Merc Actros was affected badly and would swerve from side to side. The Iveco Stralis I’ve got now is some where between the two but nearer the Daf. This was while towing the same double decked Trailer. The only time the Daf was bad was once when I forgot to lower the axle now that was frightening, mostly cause it took the numpty driving a while to realise his mistake.
Does anyone remember the rollercoster hill on the M6 between junction 3 and 4 where the road had subsided in about 3 places, now they were fun if you didnt know they were there.
I worked on the M6 toll road while that was being constructed and the amount of potholes and subsidance after just 12 months was unreal.
I personaly put it all down to the gaffers of these companys who are making the roads, wanting it all rushed through before the deadline so they get there big fat completion bonus, Ive seen blacktop being laid on top of huge puddles of water so theres bound to be soft patches underneath causing these ruts and potholes
ralliesport:
Do the roads in france/germany/spain go the same way after a few years of being down?
I have only ever driven on the continent in a 7.5 tonner and a car and i remember going through Belgium and thinking the ruts in the uk arent all that bad, it was like one big long puddle that went on for ages.
You ain’t seen nothing yet, try driving on Gozo near Malta. You’d be pleased to find a rut as it’d go in a straight line and you wouldn’t fall off a cliff . Car or truck. They have a standing joke their: The romans made these roads and they havn’t repaired them since .
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