Can trucks overtake without limitations on british motorways ?

Rogerde

Guest
Greetings from Belgium

I ask this question as I have an old van and drive somtimes slower than 90 km/h.

In Belgium and France (and other countries) trucks are sometimes not allowed to overtake between fi 06.00 and 19.00.
And when you have one of these pissed-off trucks behind you, they will sometimes try to push you off the roas when they finally overtake ...
 
There is no overall ban on trucks overtaking on British motorways, but on a few motorways and major roads there may be a ban, at busy times, on some uphill sections. They will always be signed.

AndyC
 
Could there be a link to lane discipline here?

In France, Belgium and Luxembourg this summer I was impressed by drivers returning to the nearside after overtaking. On return we were back to two lane motorways with a hard shoulder plus no go area next to it! Many large vehicles are restricted from the outside lane so drivers could be frustrated by slow cruisers in the middle lane. Am not a truck driver but have been held back at legitimate speeds when towing my eriba puck caravan.
 
speed limit

if you are happy at 90kph then do it it's not your problem.
just ignore the lorry trying to push you,he will probably overtake anyway.

on sections of the n10 in france it's no overtaking for lorries, but it don't stop them.

my inpression of driving in belgium is that they are all nutters.

on several ocasions on the RO i have been scared sheatless:king::cool1:
 
these days trucks are governed to 90kmh in uk. =56mph . if a truck is trying to overtake why not just ease up a little and let him/her get past. they cant make time up .its no trouble for you to just ease for a few seconds .
as a truck driver many other types of vehicles are going slow then as you level with them they creep up to a speed its not possible to get past . i,m sure most do it deliberately. if i,m not working i let them go .they are only trying to get there on time and earn a living. if they have to ease up because of you it can loose all momentum and really slow them down. i think everybody should go on a hgv course if only to learn traffic sense. .cheers alan.
 
When traffic gets congested, or just busy, I always try to get behind a truck driver because they know how to maintain momentum, hardly ever brake hard or change direction in a hurry, they seem to be the steadiest of drivers in these situations.
 
Sorry to throw my ten-penneth into this thread Guys - but I do this for a living.

As Alan quite rightly said - UK registered HGV's are governed (by Law) to a maximum speed of 90kph/56mph. Almost ALL modern HGV's have Cruise Control fitted as standard and the maximum speed is checked (and set) on the 'Rolling Road' at the HGV Testing Station. To the uninitiated... that means that when the ECU in the Engine Electronics detects that the Vehicle Road Speed has reached 56mph then the throttle is electronically closed down and varied - to maintain (and not exceed) that maximum speed. You can stand on the throttle all you want to but, on a flat road, the vehicle will not go any faster than that. Downhill is a slightly different matter - AND - there is a slight anomaly in UK Law - in that the MAXIMUM legally-permitted speed on UK Motorways for a Class C+E (Articulated Vehicle) is 100kph/60mph. That said (and before you all have a little smirk), be aware that we (UK hgv drivers) can be prosecuted for speeding, AFTER the event, from tachograph/digicard evidence.

That said; Anything with an Irish or EU number plate will probably pass you at about 70mph and seems to be immune from prosecution! (Why pick on Foreigners when we have enough of our own to browbeat into submission?)

So ... (with a slight adaptation from) the initial post...

... Fully-freighted, most articulated HGV's weigh almost 44 tonnes. There is a reason why we have (up to) 12 gears - and it has a lot to do with momentum. Getting it all moving takes a lot of 'tap-dancing' up through the gears and, having achieved our beloved 56mph we hit the Cruise Control, sit back and watch the rest of the Motorway World get on with its' chaotic Life.

There are just a couple or ten things that p*** HGV drivers off.

Numero Uno; That great big gap between Lorries that you slide into?

That 'great big gap' actually happens to be our 44 tonne braking zone! If you want to be the 'filling' in a steel sandwich (should anyone in front have to brake suddenly), then ... just remember - YOU could be the load-absorbing cushion... between the back of him and the front of me... and - dare I say it? - that 'momentum' word again?

The ONE thing that is guaranteed to get flashing lights in your rear-view mirror is for you to be tootling along at 54mph and then to 'blip' your throttle to 57mph just as I pull out to overtake (leaving me in the middle lane and holding up other traffic), only to pull back in behind you and you drop your speed to 54 again! Grrrrrrr !!!

As per the OP - I wonder if THAT was the reason that he had an impatient HGV up his a***? You might be on a leisurely drive but please bear in mind that the truck behind is on a tight schedule? Pull over and let him pass. Simples ????
 
Thks for all replies.
Let one thing be clear : I will never speed up when a truck is overtaking ... because I want to get rid of him !

On the contrary I will slow down in order to get rid of him faster.

But if you slow down when they are still behind you they will start hornblowing and light flashing even more.

Now, when they overtake, I can understand that they want to get back to the right lane asap as they are not allowed to be on another lane and I will slow down to allow them to do that. I also flash my light as soon as they can safely re-enter.

BUT After having passed you threateningly at maybe 25 cm, some will move back right when they are still beside you, so that I sometimes hade to brake violently and swing to the right.
This happened, my last trip when I came back from paragliding in the Alps, maybe every 100 kms to me !

And, I do not have cruise control on my old van, but I also would like to drive relaxed ... as if I had cruise control.

In Belgium the minimum speed on the motorway is 70 km/h - so I am OK and I want to keep my beloved van as long as possible ... and I'm not in a hurry.
I understand the truck drivers but, if they get aggressive, I think about filming them with my mobile and I am investigating if I can complain at the police. But it is illegal to use your mobile when you drive and in my case also dangerous as you have to remain vigilant !

This problem is keeping me from visiting countries like Poland, Romania etc ...

But anyway if I understand it correctly it is rare that trucks are restricted to the left lane in the UK. (please reconfirm).

So when I can no overcome my aversion for the ferries (why for heaven's sake didn't Francois and Maggy go for an underwater motorway ??), the expensive fuel and campings, I may finally be able to fly ... the Penny Ghent or so.

Because one thing is sure : nowhere is the landscape so beautiful as in the UK.

Thks once more
Roger
 
cant get the problem .a good trucker can reverse a 12mtr trailer within less than 25mm and be in control using his mirrors. . 25cm is plenty of room. seems to me like your panicking and not in contol of the vehicle. maybe you should have a few days on a large vehicle course and then you may build your confidence up. having driven all over europe and north africa the worst drivers are usually in small cars and have no idea how to control them. the next are m,home drivers that have never driven anything big but buy a vehicle that their licence allows and again cant drive it properly. again large vehicle cours should be compulsary.
cheers alan.
 
truckers

roger.
the answer is no truckers are not restricted to the left hand lane in the uk.

as you will find out when your'e on a 2 lane motorway and truckers take 5 miles of motorway to overtake another trucker, with the resultant que of traffic behind.

in my experiance the only truckers to stick to 56mph are sainsburys drivers.

i thought cruise control was banned on a lot of belgian motorways.:cool1::lol-053::lol-053:
 
Thks for both replies.
pleased to hear that trucks can overtake freely.

in Belgium cruise control is not allowed on critical stretches f.i. close to the Kennedy tunnel at the entry to Antwerp.


When I speak about 25 cms, I mean abnormally close. I did not measure the distance. But they come much closer as usual and clearly with a threat.

greetings
Roger
 
If so many truck drivers are treating you badly could it just possibly be that YOUR driving is at fault:wave:
 
As in all walks of life there are good and bad.

Generally I find truckers to be considerate, but I can understand the frustration caused by the "bad" element of other motorists - cars, bikes, Motorhomes, caravans etc.

I often tow a trailer, so am limited to 60 mph on motor/dual carriage ways.

We often experience the speeding up of slow vehicles as of all things a MOTORHOME & TRAILER dare to overtake them!!

Unless we need to get to a gig quickly, I usually go at the same pace as the wagons.

When I used to work in London, when travelling home to North Wales, I invariably kept to the inside lane with the wagons, it was a lot less stressful than the 80mph down to 20 back to 80 again brigade in the outside lane. At least I did this upto Luton or so when the traffic thinned out and I could get on my way.

Many of the Europeans are much better than we are at lane use, it's someting that the British could learn.
 
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