stagedriver:
Ok - So what am I supposed to do when driving a coach at 62 (Which in reality some coaches are actually doing 65) and I come across a Tesco lorry doing 50 on a two or three lane motorway (Neither makes a difference) when it is a normal day?
These trucks driving at this speed are nothing but dangerous.
What you save in fuel you loose in bloody wages. Simple.
I’m sorry Stagedriver I simply cannot subscribe to this way of thinking. I do understand that you are restricted to not using lane three, but surely coming up behind a lorry in lane two who’s doing 56 whilst overtaking a lorry in lane one who’s doing 50 is from your point of view much more preferable than catching two overtaking with 000.1 mph difference between them? (If I made that clear! )
I certainly don’t subscribe to the view of “suddenly” coming upon a slow moving vehicle travelling 5mph less than you! (Windowlene is your friend), don’t any of you people moaning about “suicidal” Tesco wagons never encounter pushbikes, tractors or heavy vehicles pulling out of laybys?
Staying alert and being aware of traffic conditions isn’t something you can opt in and out of you know!
I drive a Merc Sprinter up and down our lovely motorways at night, and I’m under instructions from the boss to do 56mph with the cruise control on to save fuel. Our company would rather spend more on wages and be able to say that they’ve saved X amount in emissions than us doing the job quick. If anything bigger than me starts to very slowly overtake then I slow it down a few notches to 53mph so that they can get past quicker rather than taking 5 minutes to overtake and clogging the middle lane up.
All that will happen is in the end we will get banned from the second lane on a two lane and banned from overtaking at busy times of the day on 3 or more lanes.
I would say anything below 53 is unsafe but not for running in the back of it as we can see up the road and see it coming up, but for the tail back u get from it, wonder how many cars have had lane 3 crashes because of a tail back coursed by a slow truck. U could say its the cars fault for not looking but some blame must lie with the slow truck (not driver but truck if u know what I mean) as if it had a high speed the risk would be removed its basic h&s.
I think every truck should be required to be fitted with adaptive cruise control and be limited to the same speed. This would stop them creeping up on each other and also maintain a safe separation distance.
Don’t see the problem with varied speeds, my lorry will do 55 but i run at 51 most of the time, more economical, no rushing required so why rush about, and don’t have to play the pushing and shoving game with the limiter crew.
There’s far too many vehicles on the road because they forced a quart of people into a pint pot country, ever worsening traffic is the future, get used to it and live with it, you voted for it.
Sprinter Si:
I drive a Merc Sprinter up and down our lovely motorways at night, and I’m under instructions from the boss to do 56mph with the cruise control on to save fuel. Our company would rather spend more on wages and be able to say that they’ve saved X amount in emissions than us doing the job quick. If anything bigger than me starts to very slowly overtake then I slow it down a few notches to 53mph so that they can get past quicker rather than taking 5 minutes to overtake and clogging the middle lane up.
Ahh but is that the most fuel efficient speed for a Merc sprinter? Try searching the internet for the answer & your boss may just give you a raise (yeah right…)
Many people including car drivers seem to believe wrongly that travelling at the same speed as trucks is the most fuel efficient speed for their car. Now if it’s a trade off between fuel efficiency & smooth traffic flow then yes, 90kph is a fine trade off as long as you don’t annoy any truckers!
Trucks are limited to 90kph by law, I’m sure partly because it’s fuel efficient for that type of vehicle but not wholly, I’d say manufactures have geared trucks to be most fuel efficient at 90kph after the legislation came in.
The other week my local police force was asking on twitter what public opinion was on prosecution for elephant racing as the way I read the tweet they witnessed one go on for 4 miles on a1. 4 miles c’mon guys just knock off the cc for few seconds.
Rhythm Thief:
I very rarely sit on the limiter nowadays when I’m being overtaken. If someone’s going faster than me, what’s the point in leaving them in the middle lane going four inches a week quicker? I back off and let them go, and only stick my cruise back on when I’m happy with my braking distance.
+2
My way of thinking is that they’re going to overtake me anyway so why hang it out? Come down to about 87/88 kph, let them past, give 'em a flash, and once they’re clear, back up to 90.
No harm done. No time lost. Everybody happy!
+3 yes I sit on the limiter most of the time but don’t have any issues with my manhood so happy to knock the speed off a couple of clicks to let another truck get past in the interests of safety, traffic flow and less hassle
stagedriver:
Ok - So what am I supposed to do when driving a coach at 62 (Which in reality some coaches are actually doing 65) and I come across a Tesco lorry doing 50 on a two or three lane motorway (Neither makes a difference) when it is a normal day?
These trucks driving at this speed are nothing but dangerous.
I would suggest it is actually you who is the dangerous one if you’re behind the wheel of a coach and have no more understanding of driving than that.
Silver_Surfer:
Trucks are limited to 90kph by law, I’m sure partly because it’s fuel efficient for that type of vehicle but not wholly, I’d say manufactures have geared trucks to be most fuel efficient at 90kph after the legislation came in.
That’s got to be another argument against the “50mph for lowering fuel consumption” idea; At 50, most trucks are dropping below the green band, so aren’t in the optimum engine revs, so could well be consuming more diesel?
lankyphil:
That’s got to be another argument against the “50mph for lowering fuel consumption” idea; At 50, most trucks are dropping below the green band, so aren’t in the optimum engine revs, so could well be consuming more diesel?
People are too stupid to understand that, my previous employer did that on their MANs & at top gear & speed it sat below the green band increasing gear changes & ultimately fuel consumption.
G6Bob:
My companys trucks are limited to 50-52, passing slower trucks is few and far between for me, but I do have a million and 2 trucks flying past me. Occasionally I do get people crawling past me at 0.25 mph faster than me, which I don’t mind as I’d do the same, the thrill of a overtake eh!!!
What really F’s me off, is these morons in cars sitting at 48, you finally get a overtaking chance, pull out and they speed up to 51 or 53, then pull back in and they slow back down to 45… repeatedly. Some diddy driving along, no idea whats going on around them causing frustration and risky behaviour, leading to accidents. Not fact, just my opinion
+1 the second bit gets my goat that does no need for it had an old biddy in a saxo do it on the m6 coming down to Stafford
If I’m on the limiter and someone catches me up and goes for the overtake I drop off and let them go. I don’t see the point in ■■■■■■■ everyone off behind us to try and prove my dicks bigger then there’s. I let them go drop to 52 until there’s a bigger enough gap and there gone then it’s back on the limiter. I’m paid hourly and it adds about a minute on to my destination time, there happy they’ve not been left hanging I’m happy I’ve earned an extra minutes wages it’s a win win situation .
The dual carriagway to and from Felixstowe seems bad for elephant racing.
Empty containers,fully loaded,skeletal only,all up for a Button versus Hamilton truck race.
The A42 Birmingham to and from East Midlands airport ,the same race track.
G6Bob:
My companys trucks are limited to 50-52, passing slower trucks is few and far between for me, but I do have a million and 2 trucks flying past me. Occasionally I do get people crawling past me at 0.25 mph faster than me, which I don’t mind as I’d do the same, the thrill of a overtake eh!!!
What really F’s me off, is these morons in cars sitting at 48, you finally get a overtaking chance, pull out and they speed up to 51 or 53, then pull back in and they slow back down to 45… repeatedly. Some diddy driving along, no idea whats going on around them causing frustration and risky behaviour, leading to accidents. Not fact, just my opinion
+1 the second bit gets my goat that does no need for it had an old biddy in a saxo do it on the m6 coming down to Stafford
I appreciate the frustration but what really winds me up is the knobs that bully these poor biddy’s/veterans by sitting an inch from their rear bumper.
What if it was your mother or father in the car? By all means a bit of a flash or a small toot may be in order & they may absorb the message & make themselves safer but there’s no need for bullying people who are weaker/less able than you.
Silver,i see that all the time,and mostly in motorway road works with the 40 or 50 mph average speed cameras.
A car is in lane two,lane one is empty,a truck will get behind and try and push the car over to lane one by being inches behind.
This is why the public hate trucks and set up Lorry Watch schemes in their back yard.
Sprinter Si:
I drive a Merc Sprinter up and down our lovely motorways at night, and I’m under instructions from the boss to do 56mph with the cruise control on to save fuel. Our company would rather spend more on wages and be able to say that they’ve saved X amount in emissions than us doing the job quick. If anything bigger than me starts to very slowly overtake then I slow it down a few notches to 53mph so that they can get past quicker rather than taking 5 minutes to overtake and clogging the middle lane up.
Ahh but is that the most fuel efficient speed for a Merc sprinter? Try searching the internet for the answer & your boss may just give you a raise (yeah right…)
Many people including car drivers seem to believe wrongly that travelling at the same speed as trucks is the most fuel efficient speed for their car. Now if it’s a trade off between fuel efficiency & smooth traffic flow then yes, 90kph is a fine trade off as long as you don’t annoy any truckers!
Trucks are limited to 90kph by law, I’m sure partly because it’s fuel efficient for that type of vehicle but not wholly, I’d say manufactures have geared trucks to be most fuel efficient at 90kph after the legislation came in.
I’d have actually thought that more than 56mph would have been the optimum speed, but actually the faster I go over 50mph the less the fuel economy is. If I sit at 50mph through the roadworks, the MPG’s on the trip start to go up and up, but then anything above that they go down slightly. So I daresay that I’d probably be better off going even slower than 56. But for me, 56 involves the least effort, don’t overtake much apart from the occasional Tesco/Asda/Argos wagon and I’m not getting in the way too much as few wagons have to overtake me.
Our trucks do 90 but I’ve started running round at 84 with the Eco Roll set to +5. This is the lowest setting at which it will knock it into neutral when necessary and gets the engine brake on at 90 to prevent overspeeds.
I breeze past the Tesco crowd and the limiter heroes breeze past me. If I creep up on someone it’s pedal to the metal and goodnight vienna.
G6Bob:
My companys trucks are limited to 50-52, passing slower trucks is few and far between for me, but I do have a million and 2 trucks flying past me. Occasionally I do get people crawling past me at 0.25 mph faster than me, which I don’t mind as I’d do the same, the thrill of a overtake eh!!!
What really F’s me off, is these morons in cars sitting at 48, you finally get a overtaking chance, pull out and they speed up to 51 or 53, then pull back in and they slow back down to 45… repeatedly. Some diddy driving along, no idea whats going on around them causing frustration and risky behaviour, leading to accidents. Not fact, just my opinion
+1 the second bit gets my goat that does no need for it had an old biddy in a saxo do it on the m6 coming down to Stafford
I appreciate the frustration but what really winds me up is the knobs that bully these poor biddy’s/veterans by sitting an inch from their rear bumper.
What if it was your mother or father in the car? By all means a bit of a flash or a small toot may be in order & they may absorb the message & make themselves safer but there’s no need for bullying people who are weaker/less able than you.
For the record, I don’t tail gait or bully as you mentioned, and I don’t flash or toot at them either, as I’ve seen other people do it and couple of the times the car driver started slowing down, and purposely speeding up as soon as the truck got half way through the over take. Also there is a few roads near me where it’s a 30mph limit, but if you sit at 30, like I do, you get some Fud in a truck inches off you rear bumper. Its not just old people, for me it seems as if these people are just out for the sake of being out, floating about carelessly, aimlessly with no direction and no place to be/go.
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