Own Account Driver:
It makes it pretty clear here that the police bear responsibility for approving routes. Most abnormal loads are too wide, long or heavy for the roads they are taking that’s why they have to notify the police of their intended route and it’s up to their abnormal loads officer to yay or nay it.
Cool hope that’s the case. Never came across this situation before and thought they would’ve re-routed us automatically as we submit the route and then “they’d know” we was too wide and tell us accordingly please change route or go via here etc.
Like I said before wanted clarification and if anyone else had had this situation before and had a likely outcome based on their experience…didn’t wanna a ■■■■ up and have the load get held up and be late on to site ■■■■■■■ off the customer yet again, when we might be able to solve the problem today.
Just wanted to have some answers to help the office, if they asked me stuff then I’d have the information to hand to say and help them out if I could, as they’re fully stretched just the two of them in there as it is without more administrative ■■■■■■■■ to ■■■■ all of our days up!
Thanks for all of your help and replies gents, you’ve reaffirmed this side of the industry is properly helpful to us novices anytime!
Do you have any instructions that an ■■■■■■ is required in certain sections of the route, back in the day we just used to wait for the old bill to turn up followed by a few instructions on how they would like you to follow them and occasionally was asked ‘how fast we could go’ .
Seen a few recently with their own company ■■■■■■’s / pilots or whatever the cool kids are calling em these days.
Think its been mentioned already but don’t deviate from the route without written permission.
nick2008:
Just remember you need that piece of paper with your route in your hand before moving
I got my movement order by email thanks nick and printed it out already, usual procedure don’t leave home without it, like my keys, wallets, kitchen sink, brain (debateable)…condoms
Dipper_Dave:
Do you have any instructions that an ■■■■■■ is required in certain sections of the route, back in the day we just used to wait for the old bill to turn up followed by a few instructions on how they would like you to follow them and occasionally was asked ‘how fast we could go’ .
That’s all I ever remember from Dad being asked when I used to be attendant with him on flatbeds when they carried wide loads.
Unfortunately them days are well gone. Otherwise this would be easy, hand problem over to police officer and carry on when told
No instructions for any escorts to be used en route at all. Not entirely warranted only an attendant needed, which I know could be an ■■■■■■ vehicle but we don’t tend to do that we cart the excavator driver along with us as its our gear and requirement is ticked off again.
Onus is all on us as a company then, isn’t it, so when it goes wrong only one party to blame, company NOT the police.
They are wide load escorts NOT pilots as we ain’t out at sea or in the air in my honest opinion
chaversdad:
Just do like the Kings driver did on the Tv and knock all the cones over, job done
Yeah because we are already so well liked by the driving public including a lot of HGV drivers for existing as it is!!! Excellent PR that’d be for our sector as whole wouldn’t it
Bit like asking to use the Extra Wide/Long load bays at motorway services when you pull in for a tacho break and its occupied by container, fridge and curtainsider lorries when the lorry park is completely empty. Sometimes their faces look like you’ve just asked to ■■■■ their wives and then ■■■■ on their face Won’t say some of the comments that’s been said to me because I’M inconviencing them good job I’m not a sensitive or excitable soul!
Talk about add fuel to the fire rearranging a section of roadworks on a really busy A road, the box jockeys will go ape if I slow down their day as it is, without screwing the road up as whole for them!!!
Going back to when I did Ab loads the copper would always say "I’m not here to escorts you I’m here to protect the fools that don’t see you "
20ft wide going out of Bedminster Bristol to Torquay on a Saturday morning… You’ll be surprised how right he was
I know bud, I like it when I’m 4 to 4.5m wide and they go for the challenge of head to head jousting or the side squeeze after passing the ■■■■■■. See it so often daily when I’m loaded or someone else
Makes me smile inside, you have to pity them, but ultimately I ain’t here to intimidate them so try to help them out of the situation they’ve created themselves if I can The always get so disappointed when I have to ask them to reverse back up etc
Best ones are when we have the 21t excvator’s on the back some have between 4m and upto a 5m overhang and they overtake the ■■■■■■ get stuck behind me, get lost in the mirrors/ramps/tracks so they’re really close, I always think they must be literally a foot away from the arm of the machine minimum
God have mercy on their souls if it ever goes wrong for them, because I won’t be able to protect them any further than I have tried to before they done the dumb manoeuvre
Have found you definitely can apply for dispensations…not sure what the rules are. Hopefully I will get the dispensation paperwork out the office this year then!
It says on the bottom of three forces emails the following in their conditions stipulations:
Unless dispensation has been successfully applied for and is still current movements within the notice period are not authorised and the haulier and driver leave themselves open to prosecution.
General and Agricultural Dispensations are valid from 1st January (or date of issue) to 31st December each year, and applications will be dealt with by this office on an individual basis, and responded to at that time.
I don’t suppose that was your good self on the A12 near Chelmsford on Tuesday morning ? I was driving one of the four wide loads with an ■■■■■■ vehicle behind .
A Rampling cf I think with a 360 on , you overtook us if it was you ?
That was me (only lowie owned by Rampling very observant)!!! [emoji4]
Got stitched and sent out late on, when promised they wouldn’t and be confined to yard all day and could leave late morning. As I had a root canal appointment that I was racing too get too when i ran past hard.
It was the fun bit, the second part to rip the temporary filling out and put my goldie looking chain
Dentist weren’t impressed I left it sat outside surgery.
But the Demi-God of South Essex low loader driving was with me as a cover driver so took over after I left surgery and chauffered me back to the yard to sit in the office for rest of day.
That was ■■■■ poor driving on my part to overtake a wide load ■■■■■■ on A12 and to race past you boys when I could, but wasn’t going to miss that appointment a second time around for noone!!!
I did get a stern bollocking in the cab for that manoeuvre but your ■■■■■■ looked cool with what I was doing so went for it…if you saw hat I was wearing you’d guess my nickname!
You’ll be pleased i don’t drive like that when wide.
Where was you heading there was a lot of you for one ■■■■■■ or was you teeming up with more further on journey.
Yep its clearly printed on all movement order emails.
Amazing how many of us still run in hours of darkness…so many its amazing none of us get pulled. Completely ignored by everyone including the police its weird, had so many traffic cars pass with even waves, nods if they overtake slowly in hours of darkness early morning/late night and don’t want to speak to you.
Only the M25 and M11 are you allowed to run in hours of darkness…the irony as you can’t get anywhere in Essex using them too well bar M11 services I suppose.
But we are lit up like Christmas trees day and night its embarrassing.
Still not sure why hours of darkness ban is not enforced.
Glad its not some nights or mornings though.
Bit like in Essex there are different daytime restrictions when they don’t like you on the road compared to Norfolk and Suffolk and Herts.
Ha a reply at last
I think I would of sat behind and gladly missed a dentist appointment if it was me ,
We were hauling student accommodation pods (basically pre finished rooms) going to Colchester from Oswestry or telford where they are built . King Edward quay i think is the name of the site .
Cheers Mike
Not been funny but there ain’t half some rubbish spouted on here ffs get job done its a small move. Have s**t bigger. Police don’t give a toss unless your causing mayhem.
Example look how many. Still use m11 even though now 44t weight limit on it. Which used to be main route in for heavy loads still use it now never had any issues
Yea with the wide ones , those were 4.3 m . We have to use m40 /m25 / A12 / A113/ over the funny roundabouts and down past tescos to site .
Standard or slightly wide we go M6 / A14/M11/stanstead Past Braintree , thru marks tey onto A12 then thru town for the views
It’s not a bad run really we can usually get there and back in a day
Must get to the dentist myself soon , had a couple of fillings fall out a couple of years ago
Cheers Mike
psv8:
Not been funny but there ain’t half some rubbish spouted on here ffs get job done its a small move. Have s**t bigger. Police don’t give a toss unless your causing mayhem.
Example look how many. Still use m11 even though now 44t weight limit on it. Which used to be main route in for heavy loads still use it now never had any issues
Yeah cheers psv8 your input has been incredibly invaluable… as I’m not entirely sure what you’re on about or who you’re after…you must have been one of the “bigger and harder” boy’s at school?
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Won’t say some of the comments that’s been said to me because I’M inconviencing them good job I’m not a sensitive or excitable soul! 
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