National speed limits for heavy goods vehicles: Baroness Kra

[Dibble]

You obviously have reason for saying this, Axle but I would almost put money on it that what I have said is accurate. I have had the benefit of following trucks in marked Police cars with calibrated speedometers, I am told accurate to within a wheel turn, at 56mph and that is what they were doing. Additionally, I also owned and operated trucks, 4 wheel, six wheel and artics. Have been caught for speeding on the A96 at Inverurie with an unmarked Omega Police car using VASCAR - which calculates the average speed - at 54.3mph. I have also had discussions with VOSA and Scania and Volvo dealers on tachographs and there use and if what you say is true lots of people have been telling me fibs. And an awful lot of truck drivers have been wrongly charged with speeding resulting in them being fined and receiving penalty points.
There was also the occasion when I was driving my Artic on the dual carriageway section of the A1079 just south of York, at the maximum speed, i.e. 56mph and being followed by a marked patrol car. I was chancing my arm, but he pulled in in front of me, reduced his speed to 50mph letting me know that was the speed I should have been travelling at then pulled me in to the next lay by and had a word with me to emphasise the point.
I am sure there will be some guys on here who will enlighten us.

[Dibble]

[QUOTE=Dibble;1796158]You obviously have reason for saying this, Axle but I would almost put money on it that what I have said is accurate. I have had the benefit of following trucks in marked Police cars with calibrated speedometers, I am told accurate to within a wheel turn, at 56mph and that is what they were doing. Additionally, I also owned and operated trucks, 4 wheel, six wheel and artics. Have been caught for speeding on the A96 at Inverurie with an unmarked Omega Police car using VASCAR - which calculates the average speed - at 54.3mph. I have also had discussions with VOSA and Scania and Volvo dealers on tachographs and there use and if what you say is true lots of people have been telling me fibs. And an awful lot of truck drivers have been wrongly charged with speeding resulting in them being fined and receiving penalty points.
There was also the occasion when I was driving my Artic on the dual carriageway section of the A1079 just south of York, at the maximum speed, i.e. 56mph and being followed by a marked patrol car. I was chancing my arm, but he pulled in in front of me, reduced his speed to 50mph letting me know that was the speed I should have been travelling at then pulled me in to the next lay by and had a word with me to emphasise the point.
I am sure there will be some guys on here who will enlighten us.
It is good to see that England and Wales are getting this increase. Long overdue.

[rogerthechorister]

Two satnavvy points.

Presumably satnavs and speed camera detectors are accurate as to actual speed.

More interestingly to me. it will mean that I can buy one of the cheap trucknav systems on ebay - about £50 to £100 - in stead of the specialist caravan ones at about £300 to £500, set the size of my caravan, and get told the right speed limits whereas at present most only give the truck speed limits.

[DaveNP]

Truck tachographs are calibrated every couple of years but in the nature of setting real life mechanical things there is an allowable margin of error, over the past year I have driven nearly 80 different trucks from our company fleet and the error in the speed declared varies from pretty much spot on to over reporting by about 3.75% (says 56 actually 54ish), if memory serves they have to be within 1.5% on a new vehicle and within 7% on a vehicle once in use. Changing the tyres can introduce an error of a few percent as the effective radius of the wheel is changed by the tread depth, some companies keep some barely legal tyres to put on for calibration so the truck will go faster when they put new tyres on.

[john h]

I think there must be a small margin of error on a truck speed limiters to account for tyre wear changing the gearing slightly. Having said that, I do think the limiters are more accurate than a typical car speedometer. I have often followed trucks where my satnav says 56mph.

I agree that the 40mph limit on single carriageways was unnecessarily low, and could cause danger due to frustration. A sensible move to raise it to 50.

John

[Beavis]

I think this increase will be good.
I drive on the A16 from to Boston from Peterborough regularly to visit parents. When the trucks stick at 40mph every car was itching to get past (including myself). On other occasions when the trucks I came across were doing 50mph it feels like its a good enough speed to wait behind them - it feels quick enough to make progress but not slow enough to risk an overtake.

[Dibble]

Originally Posted by StuT4

I think this increase will be good.
I drive on the A16 from to Boston from Peterborough regularly to visit parents. When the trucks stick at 40mph every car was itching to get past (including myself). On other occasions when the trucks I came across were doing 50mph it feels like its a good enough speed to wait behind them - it feels quick enough to make progress but not slow enough to risk an overtake.

It reduces the frustration Stu.

[Marty Dolomite]

Originally Posted by rogerthechorister

Two satnavvy points.

Presumably satnavs and speed camera detectors are accurate as to actual speed.

More interestingly to me. it will mean that I can buy one of the cheap trucknav systems on ebay - about £50 to £100 - in stead of the specialist caravan ones at about £300 to £500, set the size of my caravan, and get told the right speed limits whereas at present most only give the truck speed limits.

Size of the caravan has nothing to do with the speed limit. the speed limit is for the type of vehicle and weights not size.

[rogerthechorister]

No, I was not seeking to imply that size of van affects legal speed limits, only that
(1) with a trucknav system (as well as a specialist caravan nav system) one can input the size of rig and not be sent down roads that are too tight to be useful; and
(2) with the revised truck speed limits the speed limits in a trucknav system will be correct for caravans as well - which pre-change they were not).

[axle4]

Originally Posted by Dibble

You obviously have reason for saying this, Axle but I would almost put money on it that what I have said is accurate. I have had the benefit of following trucks in marked Police cars with calibrated speedometers, I am told accurate to within a wheel turn, at 56mph and that is what they were doing. Additionally, I also owned and operated trucks, 4 wheel, six wheel and artics. Have been caught for speeding on the A96 at Inverurie with an unmarked Omega Police car using VASCAR - which calculates the average speed - at 54.3mph. I have also had discussions with VOSA and Scania and Volvo dealers on tachographs and there use and if what you say is true lots of people have been telling me fibs. And an awful lot of truck drivers have been wrongly charged with speeding resulting in them being fined and receiving penalty points.
There was also the occasion when I was driving my Artic on the dual carriageway section of the A1079 just south of York, at the maximum speed, i.e. 56mph and being followed by a marked patrol car. I was chancing my arm, but he pulled in in front of me, reduced his speed to 50mph letting me know that was the speed I should have been travelling at then pulled me in to the next lay by and had a word with me to emphasise the point.
I am sure there will be some guys on here who will enlighten us.

Sorry for delay in reply, not been on for awhile.
with almost 30 years of driving experience with artic's i have yet to see one that is actually doing the speed the speedo says, it's always set higher so the manufacturer does not get sued for a speeding ticket, most if not all speed limiters run off the speedo so are also reading higher, if you check with a sat nav, on a level road and steady speed you will see how far out they are.