Why can a coach do 70 mph? I get its legal, but why?! An 18 T ridged with pallets - no, no, no, 60 mph and a limiter. 56 humans and normally much bigger vehicle - crack on, 70 is fine, it’s safe with a human load but not with goods?
I just don’t get the logic… Is there any, or just EU rules being weird, and inconsistent?
I too am curious about this?? 
F-reds
Simple, it’s about times.
When the limits were brought in, there was a lot of coaches taking old biddies on their annual trip to Bridlington, if you put 1/2hr on that journey, you’re going to have issues.
They can also legally do 60 on a dual and 50 on a single carriageway.
I’m not bothered about an 18t with no pallets being limited to 56 - nobody knows what it’s carrying unless it’s a flat bed - but when a unit drops its trailer and is bobtail, they should be able to fly 
I think limiters restrict PCVs to 62 mph and LGVs to 56 mph
The reason they go faster is because humans complain if too slow but a non human load does not … that’s my ‘legal’ viewpoint 
Are they limited though? I commonly am alongside them doing 68-70 on the flat etc? I just find it weird that LGV is limited on safety grounds, and PCV with a much more valuable load is not.
Race Trucker:
Are they limited though? I commonly am alongside them doing 68-70 on the flat etc? I just find it weird that LGV is limited on safety grounds, and PCV with a much more valuable load is not.
Is that on your speedo?? Maybe your speedo is out??
I’ve drove coaches with and without limiters, some were even limited to around 58mph which was a real pain - basically bunched up with HGV’s.
Pre 1988 do not require speed limiters and if less than 12metres in length 70 mph max.
Post 1988 less than 12 metres require speed limiter set to 62 mph but legal limit 70.
Greater than 12 metres legal limit 60 mph, however likely to find that speed limiter is set to 62 mph.
It is much more difficult to tell the age of a coach than it first seems.
I got told a long time ago that the limits were higher so the private coach companies could still be competitive with the railways.
Now in the days of speedlimiters and high speed trains that argument no longer holds steady.
waynedl:
When the limits were brought in, there was a lot of coaches taking old biddies on their annual trip to Bridlington, if you put 1/2hr on that journey, you’re going to have issues.
Yeah…they’d whinge to their MP come voting time. Politicians always run scared of the blue rinse brigade… 
funnily enough, I’ll be on a coach on Monday
Just saying…
More to the point, whose brilliant idea was it to give coaches a higher limit than trucks, but still limit both types of vehicles to lanes 1 and 2 on the motorway?
Rhythm Thief:
More to the point, whose brilliant idea was it to give coaches a higher limit than trucks, but still limit both types of vehicles to lanes 1 and 2 on the motorway?
I have observed many coaches tailgating LGVs through this frustration
The reason that coaches have a higher limited speed is in the interest of safety. (according to the EU that is).
When an agreement regarding speed limiters between the member states was being hammered out, They decided that coaches and HGVs shouldn’t be mixed up together on the motorways.
It’s as simple as that.
62mph limited for PSV (coaches, buses etc)
Took one to Southampton full of the older generation, the boss said just keep it on the limiter all the way.
No probs, easy ride.
Paul
sonflowerinwales:
62mph limited for PSV (coaches, buses etc)
Took one to Southampton full of the older generation, the boss said just keep it on the limiter all the way.
No probs, easy ride.
Paul
You’d have been ■■■■■■ in my old Leyland coach mate, it’d top 80mph easy - it had 80 on the clock and cruised off it a few times 
If that was Tiger then yes, many of them were capable of that with a tailwind…
Not the only Leyland PSV product that would comfortably exceed 70 either. Where I was for a while they had some Tigers as buses with full autos which were good for 75mph. Olympian double-deckers with ■■■■■■■ L10s in them could do similar.
Olog Hai:
If that was Tiger then yes, many of them were capable of that with a tailwind…Not the only Leyland PSV product that would comfortably exceed 70 either. Where I was for a while they had some Tigers as buses with full autos which were good for 75mph. Olympian double-deckers with ■■■■■■■ L10s in them could do similar.
When I was still at school I’d often get a Bristol VR into the city on a weekend. Running at full chat, the vibration and shrieking from the engine was something else, especially if sitting on the back seat.
I once took a load of holiday makers to Butlins in Pwllheli from Liverpool in an old Olympian about 1989, 42 miles an hour fully loaded to the gills, most of the back downstairs full of suit cases 
We where asked to help out and supposed to have duped a National Express, the git was swinging behind our two buses 
Took about 4 hours to get there before the A55 was finished 
An Olympian at my old depot
Olog Hai:
If that was Tiger then yes, many of them were capable of that with a tailwind…Not the only Leyland PSV product that would comfortably exceed 70 either. Where I was for a while they had some Tigers as buses with full autos which were good for 75mph. Olympian double-deckers with ■■■■■■■ L10s in them could do similar.
We had a Leopard with a ‘crash box’, a Tiger and a Lynx which both had the semi-auto box (little joystick to the right), we also had an old F reg Scania double deck bus that would beat a Transit from the line and was also capable of a bit over 70, but would only be showing 50 at the time 
Race Trucker:
Are they limited though? I commonly am alongside them doing 68-70 on the flat etc? I just find it weird that LGV is limited on safety grounds, and PCV with a much more valuable load is not.
What about a Coach Load of ‘Romanian ‘Roma’ Pickpockets’ heading for Marble Arch, would that be more valuable than a load of Sewage heading for a farmers Field ?