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.
This nearly sounds like the French coppers David! We always had to stop for tea at 11.30, because they had to be fed (guess who had to pay the bill eh) and obviously when one has supper, wine has to be drunk as well, and not just one glass I assure you. After a “café calva” they got back on their bikes at around 2pm, and off we went again… unfortunately it’s all privitised nowadays…
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.
Your correct about the Bedfordshire law David I went out to to a truck broken down on the south bound not far north of the Fortes It had to be suspend towed so hooked up ready to go when I realised the on tow sign we hung on the back wasn’t with me still hanging on one the day shift had towed in, any how I took off and just crossed the border into Bedford and got pulled up by the Bedford constabulary and had the riot act read to me then they said your lucky we just received a call your to drop this unit at the Fortes road house then proceed to Stamford on the A 1 to a multiple truck accident heavy wreckers required, carry on.No ticket just a long night and day to look forward to.
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.
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.
