5thwheel:
Buzzer:
BuzzerNever realized that Eric Morecambe drove for Teddy Beck’s!!
David
Yes, he did, and he could get all the gears too, but not necessarily in the right order. 
Spardo:
5thwheel:
Buzzer:
BuzzerNever realized that Eric Morecambe drove for Teddy Beck’s!!
David
Yes, he did, and he could get all the gears too, but not necessarily in the right order.
There’s an order? 
Spardo:
5thwheel:
Buzzer:
BuzzerNever realized that Eric Morecambe drove for Teddy Beck’s!!
David
Yes, he did, and he could get all the gears too, but not necessarily in the right order.
David
Punchy Dan:
0
Are the police expert enough to tell at a glance whether or not an abnormal load is suspicious or are these stops made in conjunction with the Ministry? On the other hand does this mean that such loads are often stopped but allowed to continue meaning we don’t learn about them?
Perhaps Mike would care to comment. 
In my own experience with Econofreight many years ago I have to say that I was never once checked, perhaps things have changed over the years, but I suspect that this load would not have been permissable then as not being indivisible.
Spardo:
Are the police expert enough to tell at a glance whether or not an abnormal load is suspicious or are these stops made in conjunction with the Ministry? On the other hand does this mean that such loads are often stopped but allowed to continue meaning we don’t learn about them?.
Can’t speak for the current crop (Traffic Cops are as rare as rocking horse droppings these days) but during my time in a blue uniform (1981-2006) some of the Traffic boys were very much experts in the field of abnormal loads. I worked in our Force Control Room for two years, and several times a day there would be a call on the radio that one or other of them was “just off to the weighbridge” (and so unavailable for a while) or requesting us to check if XYZ Haulage had filed a notification with us. These occurrences were totally separate from the pre-planned joint operations with the Ministry.
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Roymondo:
Spardo:
Are the police expert enough to tell at a glance whether or not an abnormal load is suspicious or are these stops made in conjunction with the Ministry? On the other hand does this mean that such loads are often stopped but allowed to continue meaning we don’t learn about them?.
Can’t speak for the current crop (Traffic Cops are as rare as rocking horse droppings these days) but during my time in a blue uniform (1981-2006) some of the Traffic boys were very much experts in the field of abnormal loads. I worked in our Force Control Room for two years, and several times a day there would be a call on the radio that one or other of them was “just off to the weighbridge” (and so unavailable for a while) or requesting us to check if XYZ Haulage had filed a notification with us. These occurrences were totally separate from the pre-planned joint operations with the Ministry.
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Thank you Roymondo, I just wondered with so many such loads on the road today, if many were stopped and why. I suppose the first action of a patrol would be as you say to request the existance of a notification as lack of that would be a stop irrespective of any weight offence.
I’d guess that compared to 20 years ago, far fewer get stopped simply because there are a lot fewer dedicated Traffic Patrol officers on the roads these days.
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Roymondo:
I’d guess that compared to 20 years ago, far fewer get stopped simply because there are a lot fewer dedicated Traffic Patrol officers on the roads these days.Sent from my VOG-L09 using Tapatalk
I reckon the law would know what a load weighed before it was escorted to a weighbridge.
Static scales are discreetly placed under the road surface, saving valuable police time on legally loaded trucks.
Decades since I sat at a desk, and had to send off telex messages about abnormal moves. Correct me if my memories are a bit skewed
It was in the rules that one had to inform the relevant police forces about your move at least 3 days ahead, and then, if no reply, just carry on.
The Met and Surrey did run things a bit differently though, and whether or not it was strictly legal, if you went through there, you followed their rules.
The Met always gave a written permission, and they would often ask for a night move into their area, whereas everyone else wanted a daytime move. Made for fun.
Surrey had a lady, not actually a police officer in charge of movements, called “Alice” although I don`t know whether or not that was her real name. They said “no reply > no move”. We did have an argument about that, following a stop, but it was easier to do it their way.
How permissions work to-day, Ive no idea, cant see telex machines being relevant any more!
While the rules on what had to be notified were the same across all forces, different forces had their own rules as regards escorts (which were provided by Police). So you’d have the farcical situation where a load travelling on the M1 would have to stop before the County boundary, wait for police to arrive to ■■■■■■ them through, only to then be waved on at the next County, even though the Motorway was exactly the same one.
Ours (Northants) used to be administered by a couple of coppers as part of their regular shifts in the Control Room, but the post was “civilianised” and for several years the admin work was done by a chap called Bob Eales, who had previously had his own haulage business in the County. His knowledge of the road network (especially the bridges!) was truly phenomenal.
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Roymondo:
While the rules on what had to be notified were the same across all forces, different forces had their own rules as regards escorts (which were provided by Police). So you’d have the farcical situation where a load travelling on the M1 would have to stop before the County boundary, wait for police to arrive to ■■■■■■ them through, only to then be waved on at the next County, even though the Motorway was exactly the same one.
Yes, if I remember rightly Befordshire required police escorts to be used but not either side of it, or at least part of it. On one occasion I had a heavy lump, a backload on a low loader we called a trolly because it had lots of little wheels all the way under the back end, from E. London to Ellesmere Port. I was instructed to stop and wait with others at Toddington and the jam sandwich eventually turned up. The copper said ‘how fast can you go?’, a trick question which really meant ‘I want you to go very fast because I am overdue my break’ He wasn’t pleased with my reply of 40 mph but I told him that that was what it said on those little tyres and I am not going any faster because I’m damned if I’m crawling under all that lot to change one. Off we went at a steady 40 and round about the county boundary he suddenly put his foot down and disappeared into the distance, I assumed I must be in Northants. 
Not another was required all the way to destination. 
On another occasion I had a 70 foot gantry crane on a 60 foot trailer bound from Loughborough to Pwllheli in N. Wales. No ■■■■■■ at all even through the town centre of Bangor where I was faced with a sharp left turn at a T-junction. As I expected the tail outswing removed the bollards in the centre of the road but a local copper waved me on saying ‘don’t worry about that lad it happens all the time just tell them at the council yard on the edge of town’. Which is what I did and was handy because that was where I was supposed to meet the only ■■■■■■ on the journey. You can guess the 1st question ‘how fast can you go?’ Didn’t matter what I said and I can’t remember but he set off at a helluva lick and I had trouble keeping up. Then we found a long straight stretch but I heaved a sigh of relief as just in front of us appeared an old coal lorry plodding along at about 20. My relief was short lived though as, with blues and twos, he pulled the other driver off the road and we raced on by. 
100 yards from the delivery site he was suddenly gone, no goodbye not even a wave or a blown kiss. All I can say is police canteen tea must be really good.
Spardo:
Punchy Dan:
0Are the police expert enough to tell at a glance whether or not an abnormal load is suspicious or are these stops made in conjunction with the Ministry? On the other hand does this mean that such loads are often stopped but allowed to continue meaning we don’t learn about them?
Perhaps Mike would care to comment.
In my own experience with Econofreight many years ago I have to say that I was never once checked, perhaps things have changed over the years, but I suspect that this load would not have been permissable then as not being indivisible.
Rumour has it that if the main load puts the vehicle under STGO rules, one is allowed to load more than one item, but only if all items have got the same destination. Makes sense if you’re going from one construction site to another for example.
However, I was on the ferry from Immingham to Gothenburg in 2020 with Sarah King and her spouse Jerry Williams and they said that it was utter ■■■■■■■■. And the main reason why they didn’t bother with doing some jobs anymore, because they couldn’t compete with someone that bought a stepframe trailer and just moved plant machinery for rates that low.
So, I’m not sure, but I’ve seen enough loads that looked pretty dodgy to me…