Urban Myths

[coffeeholic]

So what about a six week trip then?

There is a very obvious problem with the “it’s illegal to spend more than 2 weekends away from your home base” myth. You don’t actually have to take your weekly rest period at the weekend. You could go for months, or years, and never take a weekly rest period on a weekend.

[simon]

Wheel Nut:
Brian Yeardleys Transport manager told me it was illegal to spend more than 2 weekends away from your home base

etc etc.

Coffeeholic, WE all know its complete rubbish, but the original story was about 3 weeks away, which is what I was replying to

[thebear]

I was talking to a guy on the boat this week. Was saying how I had done the trip with just a photo copy of my licence as I had just had another 5 year medical and licence was at Swansea. He told me that from Jan 1st. next year ‘when you renew in future, you have to take a 30 hour refresher course’. New EU rules it would seem. I never reply to these remarks anymore cos I just end up getting the ■■■ with the bloke.

As a footnote to the licence thing. The first time I gone away with a photocopy of my licence and what happened? A bloody Spaniard Plod asked me for it!!
An amusing situation actually. I went over the weighbridge at Portsmouth at 42,320 ooooooooooops!!! Never mind, I thought. So what happened? I got bloody pulled on the old mountain road from Irun to Pamplona at 830pm last Friday night by the Police in the pretty red berets (think they’re the equivalent to our VOSA). I go on the weighbridge and look in the mirror and see the guy beckoning to me I walked the walk of death back to the Office wondering how much it was gonna cost me. After all, it was down to me and no one else. He pointed at the scale and said in future, please be more careful when loading!!! The scale read 40,800 I had lost a ton and a half somewhere PMSL. Then he asked to see my licence When I showed him the photocopy and gave my explanation, he informed me it was best I leave quickly and not get caught again lol

and to cap it all, I have had the application back this morning cos the lousy Doctor forgot to tick two boxes!!!

[gav]

I went over the weighbridge at Portsmouth at 42,320

The scale read 40,800 I had lost a ton and a half somewhere PMSL

You must have had a big ■■■ somewhere along the line bear

[harry]

Police

In the Basque Country there are several police forces which perform complementary activities. Basque Autonomous Police or Ertzaintza. Red and blue uniform, with red beret. Public order, traffic and muni-cipal services. National Police. Blue uniform. Public order. Civil Guard. Green uniform. Guard services. Ports and airports. Municipal Police. Blue uniform. Local municipal services

[coffeeholic]

About an hour ago I was in the office handing in my run sheet and getting the tacho photocopied when I overheard someone telling a couple of other drivers all about the new digital tacho’s. It went something like this.

They’ve been using them on the continent for 5 years you know?

<Driver 2> Really?

Oh yes, and I’ll tell you something else you probably don’t know.Do you know why they have a printer in them?

<Driver 2> No, why?

<Driver 3> I’ve often wondered why they have a printer.

Well what happens is when you get stopped by VOSA, they put their card in and if you have driven too much or not taken a long enough break it will print out the fine. You have to pay it there and then or you won’t be moving until you do.

<Driver 3> [zb] hell!

<Driver 2> Really?

Yes, that’s what they have been doing on the continent for the last 5 years and now they’ll do it here, gonna hit a lot of drivers in the pocket.

<Me, butting in to conversation> I used to do a lot of continental work, I think I recognise you. Maybe I used to see you on the ferry? (Note: I’ve never seen the bloke before in my life but I wanted to check where he had acquired his knowledge of the digi tacho use over the water)

Not me mate, I’ve never done continental.

Sorry, my mistake. At which point I made a swift departure and left him passing on more valuable digi tacho advice.

[krankee]

Coffeeholic:

airhorn982:
40mph is the maximum a hgv can drive on a single carriageway.

Not strictly true, they can go faster than that, 16 mph faster in most cases - they just aren’t allowed to.

Well actually. They are. If the single carriageway in question happens to be a Motorway where no other speed limits are signed.

There aren’t many, i’ll agree, but there are a few.

[krankee]

I went over the weighbridge at Portsmouth at 42,320

The scale read 40,800 I had lost a ton and a half somewhere PMSL

Simple really. It’s all to do with the altitude. Portsmouth is at sea level, or rather slightly above or your feet would get wet where the air is at it’s most densest, whereas, where you were stopped, in the mountains, the air is less dense. That, combined with the fact that at such an altitude, you would be further away from the ‘core’ of the Earth and, as such, the gravitational pull would be less, and hence the vehicle would be lighter.

And if anyone believes that…

Then it’s not just the Air that is ‘dense’.

[oddsodz]

Krankee:

I went over the weighbridge at Portsmouth at 42,320

The scale read 40,800 I had lost a ton and a half somewhere PMSL

Simple really. It’s all to do with the altitude. Portsmouth is at sea level, or rather slightly above or your feet would get wet where the air is at it’s most densest, whereas, where you were stopped, in the mountains, the air is less dense. That, combined with the fact that at such an altitude, you would be further away from the ‘core’ of the Earth and, as such, the gravitational pull would be less, and hence the vehicle would be lighter.

And if anyone believes that…

Then it’s not just the Air that is ‘dense’.

it worked for the spanish

[coffeeholic]

Krankee:

Coffeeholic:

airhorn982:
40mph is the maximum a hgv can drive on a single carriageway.

Not strictly true, they can go faster than that, 16 mph faster in most cases - they just aren’t allowed to.

Well actually. They are. If the single carriageway in question happens to be a Motorway where no other speed limits are signed.

There aren’t many, i’ll agree, but there are a few.

But surely a motorway will have more than one carriageway, it might only have one lane on one, or both, of the carriageways but it isn’t just going to have one carriageway. A single carriageway is a road where the two directions of flow are not physically separated by a central reservation, and with no central reservation a road would not be of motorway standard. Unless there is a motorway somewhere that only has traffic flow in one direction of course?

[dafmad]

gav:

I went over the weighbridge at Portsmouth at 42,320

The scale read 40,800 I had lost a ton and a half somewhere PMSL

You must have had a big ■■■ somewhere along the line bear

More like someone pinched the diesel.

[mike-c]

Well here’s another urban myth shattered and it’s contrary to everything i’ve read on the net, in magazines and in most traffic offices i’ve been into but i only just found out now…you do NOT need to take a 30minute break after 6 hours work

Just wish i hadn’t supported the myth by telling everyone you do!

[rob_k]

Coffeeholic:

Krankee:

Coffeeholic:

airhorn982:
40mph is the maximum a hgv can drive on a single carriageway.

Not strictly true, they can go faster than that, 16 mph faster in most cases - they just aren’t allowed to.

Well actually. They are. If the single carriageway in question happens to be a Motorway where no other speed limits are signed.

There aren’t many, i’ll agree, but there are a few.

But surely a motorway will have more than one carriageway, it might only have one lane on one, or both, of the carriageways but it isn’t just going to have one carriageway. A single carriageway is a road where the two directions of flow are not physically separated by a central reservation, and with no central reservation a road would not be of motorway standard. Unless there is a motorway somewhere that only has traffic flow in one direction of course?

It’s been declassified now, but the Carrington by-pass in Manchester was a single carriageway motorway - the A6123M. Just one lane each way with no separation between the lanes.

[coffeeholic]

Rob K:

Coffeeholic:

Krankee:

Coffeeholic:

airhorn982:
40mph is the maximum a hgv can drive on a single carriageway.

Not strictly true, they can go faster than that, 16 mph faster in most cases - they just aren’t allowed to.

Well actually. They are. If the single carriageway in question happens to be a Motorway where no other speed limits are signed.

There aren’t many, i’ll agree, but there are a few.

But surely a motorway will have more than one carriageway, it might only have one lane on one, or both, of the carriageways but it isn’t just going to have one carriageway. A single carriageway is a road where the two directions of flow are not physically separated by a central reservation, and with no central reservation a road would not be of motorway standard. Unless there is a motorway somewhere that only has traffic flow in one direction of course?

It’s been declassified now, but the Carrington by-pass in Manchester was a single carriageway motorway - the A6123M. Just one lane each way with no separation between the lanes.

You learn something every day, cheers Rob I didn’t know of that road.

[willy_gofar]

Rob K:

Coffeeholic:

Krankee:

Coffeeholic:

airhorn982:
40mph is the maximum a hgv can drive on a single carriageway.

Not strictly true, they can go faster than that, 16 mph faster in most cases - they just aren’t allowed to.

Well actually. They are. If the single carriageway in question happens to be a Motorway where no other speed limits are signed.

There aren’t many, i’ll agree, but there are a few.

But surely a motorway will have more than one carriageway, it might only have one lane on one, or both, of the carriageways but it isn’t just going to have one carriageway. A single carriageway is a road where the two directions of flow are not physically separated by a central reservation, and with no central reservation a road would not be of motorway standard. Unless there is a motorway somewhere that only has traffic flow in one direction of course?

It’s been declassified now, but the Carrington by-pass in Manchester was a single carriageway motorway - the A6123M. Just one lane each way with no separation between the lanes.

What’s the word I’m looking for ?
Big fleshy oblongy egg sort of shaped things hang between a blokes legs. Oh yeah BULLOCKS or thereabouts.

[rob_k]

Willy Gofar:

Rob K:

Coffeeholic:

Krankee:

Coffeeholic:

airhorn982:
40mph is the maximum a hgv can drive on a single carriageway.

Not strictly true, they can go faster than that, 16 mph faster in most cases - they just aren’t allowed to.

Well actually. They are. If the single carriageway in question happens to be a Motorway where no other speed limits are signed.

There aren’t many, i’ll agree, but there are a few.

But surely a motorway will have more than one carriageway, it might only have one lane on one, or both, of the carriageways but it isn’t just going to have one carriageway. A single carriageway is a road where the two directions of flow are not physically separated by a central reservation, and with no central reservation a road would not be of motorway standard. Unless there is a motorway somewhere that only has traffic flow in one direction of course?

It’s been declassified now, but the Carrington by-pass in Manchester was a single carriageway motorway - the A6123M. Just one lane each way with no separation between the lanes.

What’s the word I’m looking for ?
Big fleshy oblongy egg sort of shaped things hang between a blokes legs. Oh yeah BULLOCKS or thereabouts.

Willy, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - when you don’t know what you’re talking about, Willy not Gofar, Willy Gonowhere.

Here’s a pic of the Carrington By-pass, the A6144M (not the A6123M as previously stated).

Perhaps you’d like to eat your words and also the big fleshy oblongy egg shaped thing too or even better say Rob you’re were right [as usual] and I was wrong .

[dennisw1]

Big fleshy oblongy egg sort of shaped things hang between a blokes legs

Matbe you should see a doctor if they’re that shape

[krankee]

And, unless it’s changed, the Eastern End of the M58, where it leads onto the M6 South, has a spur that goes North off the roundabout, that is a two lane (undivided) carriageway but is classed a ‘Motorway’, not that it is anywhere near long enough to gain any sort of speed.

[bobthedog]

And isn’t the road going into Orpington from theM25 J4 single carriageway but still part of the motorway?

RobK, I wouldn’t say you are usually right, but I think you may be, just this once!!

[hitch]

inventing hours rules
Argos Magna pk do not do more than 12 hrs a day
do not take reduced break at home

fine by me