HGVs taking 3 weeks to overtake another one

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Thu 5 Dec 2013 19:46
HGVs taking 3 weeks to overtake another one - Trilogy

Happened to speak to a policeman about HGVs taking two miles to pass each other. He said that he and his colleagues are starting to clamp down on this.

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Thu 5 Dec 2013 19:50
HGVs taking 3 weeks to overtake another one - RichT54

It would be a good idea, but I can't remember the last time I saw a police car on the motorway.

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Thu 5 Dec 2013 19:59
HGVs taking 3 weeks to overtake another one - Trilogy

They can be spotted on the A14.

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Thu 5 Dec 2013 20:13
HGVs taking 3 weeks to overtake another one - gordonbennet

Overtaking when you have only around 5mph to play with isn't ever going to be swift, the alternative is all lorries to stay in the inside lane following the supermarket lorry doing 45.

Lorry drivers will be wrong then because they're running in convoy making it almost impossible to enter and exit slip roads.

At the end of the day our road network wan't designed for, nor expanded to cope with, the population it now serves, especially as the country now exists on imports, hence where previously a large percentage of lorry movements were localish with many smaller lorries, they are now to and from container docks etc, so concentrated on roads like the A14, A12, A34, which couldn't cope before.

Lorry drivers didn't want or ask for speed limiters, but EU regulation meant they are here, we never had bunching like this before the limiters.

I look forward to the day our leaders decide that cars must be electronically restricted to the limit of the road, and they will, then all those presently frustrated car drivers can find out for themselves what we've had to cope with for years, see how you get on with overtaking someone who does 10 mph less than you till you overtake them and then they speed up to the same limited max as you, enjoy.

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Thu 5 Dec 2013 21:07
HGVs taking 3 weeks to overtake another one - bathtub tom

>>Overtaking when you have only around 5mph to play with isn't ever going to be swift, the alternative is all lorries to stay in the inside lane following the supermarket lorry doing 45.

I rarely disagree with you GB, but if there's a 10MPH difference between lorries (45-55MPH) then there's not going to be a case of elephant racing.

I had a Maestro diesel clubman for a few years (non-turbo, 60+ MPG). I learnt to drive at down to 45MPH, because I couldn't overtake anything going faster. Less then that and I could change up to pass.

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Thu 5 Dec 2013 21:26
HGVs taking 3 weeks to overtake another one - gordonbennet

I rarely disagree with you GB, but if there's a 10MPH difference between lorries (45-55MPH) then there's not going to be a case of elephant racing.

I had a Maestro diesel clubman for a few years

Problem there BT is that if its a dual carriageway the lorry is legally restricted to 50 mph anyway, as commented here often enough.

I've driven lorries for over 37 years now, and lorry drivers have always been despised by many car drivers, but not all thankfully.

I do understand frustrations with the elephant racing syndrome, but often the apparent wrong doer was overtaking quite normally and the one being overtaken has sped up and is keeping him out there, from experience if you slow down again and tuck in behind they'll slow down to their previous speed too, by which time several other lorries have joined the fray and several dozen cars mixed in.

Too many lorries serving too many people on a too small to cope island with an inadequate road network, its only going to get worse as we only tinker with the roads whilst the population increases day by day.

I haven't touched on the effects foreign lorry drivers with their different attitudes and practices have had now they are such a huge addition to the mix.

Ah, the pleasures of the NA Diesel car, i had a Cavalier and Golf, both 1.6 NA Diesels but worse for sluggish was the Granada with the 2.5 Pug 504/505 NA Diesel, whilst all would cruise comfortably at 80 all day you certainly had to plan overtakes far ahead...lovely simple old Diesels though, i rebuilt both the Golf and the Granada engines.

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Thu 5 Dec 2013 22:16
HGVs taking 3 weeks to overtake another one - RT

Problem there BT is that if its a dual carriageway the lorry is legally restricted to 50 mph anyway, as commented here often enough.

The 50mph limit for HGVs on dual-carriageways is rarely adhered to, especially as the 56mph limiter is still within ACPO guidelines for 50mph, 10% +1mph.

Figures recently released show that the AVERAGE speed for HGVs on the A9 single-carriageway between Perth and Inverness with 40mph limit, was 51mph.

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Thu 5 Dec 2013 20:00
HGVs taking 3 weeks to overtake another one - Collos25

It will take a long time for him and his mate to solve this problem,

In mainland Europe there are designated places and times when it is allowed for HGVs to overtake plus time cameras even when they are allowed to overtake.I drove across Europe from the Polish border this week first time a wagon held me up was on the A63 out of Hull.

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Thu 5 Dec 2013 20:20
HGVs taking 3 weeks to overtake another one - Simon

He said that he and his colleagues are starting to clamp down on this.

I wasn't aware that HGV's overtaking each other was now an offence...???

Edited by Simon on 05/12/2013 at 20:20

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Thu 5 Dec 2013 20:27
HGVs taking 3 weeks to overtake another one - Brit_in_Germany

I guess the catch all of driving without due care and consideration could cover it. Another regulation in Germany is the minimum separation between vehicles, with tail-gating being a specific offence. It is not widely applied though and even more rarely against truck drivers.

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Thu 5 Dec 2013 20:30
HGVs taking 3 weeks to overtake another one - Galaxy

Sometimes the HGVs don't actually overtake, they just drive side-by-side for miles and miles, so preventing anyone else getting past. I've seen this behaviour on quite a few occasions.

It's deliberate, apparently.

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Thu 5 Dec 2013 20:50
HGVs taking 3 weeks to overtake another one - Simon

What about the HGV's struggling to overtake the idiots in cars doing 55mph on a 70mph road? Will they prosecute the car drivers for being m****s???

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Thu 5 Dec 2013 21:06
HGVs taking 3 weeks to overtake another one - Wackyracer

As a HGV driver, I also at times find other HGV drivers to be a pain. I remember when there was some work going on just off the M3 and there was alot of 8 leg tippers using the M3 around the badgers farm area. They'd go flying past at 70mph on the downhill and then you'd have to overtake them on the up hill as they were down to about 25mph.

Like GB said, You're stuck between a rock and a hard place. Often as soon as you start to overtake a car or a truck, They suddenly remember where the throttle is and stick their foot down holding you out in the overtaking lane.

As a reasonably considerate driver of a truck I just drop my speed by about 3mph if a truck is trying to overtake, They get past and back in lane 1 faster and I can just ramp the speed back up.

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Fri 6 Dec 2013 16:26
HGVs taking 3 weeks to overtake another one - dan86

I remember when there was some work going on just off the M3 and there was alot of 8 leg tippers using the M3 around the badgers farm area. They'd go flying past at 70mph on the downhill and then you'd have to overtake them on the up hill as they were down to about 25mph.

Thats because tippers are driven by doughnuts who want to get as many jobs done in a day as they can.

I had one who was blasting his horn for me to move my dust cart out of his way even tho I couldnt go anywhere because there was a car in front of me waiting ay temporary traffic lights and vehicle's coming up the other way.

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Sat 7 Dec 2013 11:04
HGVs taking 3 weeks to overtake another one - Dutchie

I find the majority of Truck Drivers considerate on the M/Ways and driving in Towns.Dropping the speed by about 3mph when another truck is overtaking you makes sense to me.

Why the speed limiter restriction? If this rule came from the E.U.Could it be reversed and why was it done?

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Thu 5 Dec 2013 21:15
HGVs taking 3 weeks to overtake another one - Trilogy

He said that he and his colleagues are starting to clamp down on this.

I wasn't aware that HGV's overtaking each other was now an offence...???

Indeed, nor did he say it is.

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Fri 6 Dec 2013 17:00
HGVs taking 3 weeks to overtake another one - RT

Happened to speak to a policeman about HGVs taking two miles to pass each other. He said that he and his colleagues are starting to clamp down on this.

Just how are the police to clamp down - overtaking isn't an offence and the reason it takes so long is the imposition of EU limiters - perhaps the police should clamp down on Eurocrats for causing congestion.

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Fri 6 Dec 2013 19:31
HGVs taking 3 weeks to overtake another one - Trilogy

Well, the one being overtaken just has to be more considerate. As per a previous post.

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Fri 6 Dec 2013 19:53
HGVs taking 3 weeks to overtake another one - RT

So HGV drivers struggling to maintain their 56mph are now obliged without legislation to ease off so that any other HGV can complete their overtaking manoeuvre swiftly - will the same change in "rules" apply to car drivers who don't pull over instantly as soon as they've overtaken a vehicle.

I find this unofficial "interpretation" of law abhorrent - parliament writes laws, courts interpret them having listened to reasoned arguments from all sides - the police do not make or change UK law.

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Fri 6 Dec 2013 22:33
HGVs taking 3 weeks to overtake another one - Smileyman

introduce and sign post and enforce minimum speed limits - especially for lane 2 on motorways and 2 lane dual carriageways - I find the biggest danger is a slow moving vehicle in lane 2 causing bunching and frustration in vehicles behind.

60mph day or night on the flat in dry clear calm conditions is a an appropriate minimum speed - and 50mph in lane 1, if the vehicle cannot cruise at 50mph in such conditions then it should display a 'slow vehicle' sign and be banned from use of the road in busy peirods

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