What is the stopping distance for a 44 Tonne artic travelling at
56 mph on straight, level ground in dry weather ?
How would the above differ when travelling at 40 mph ?
What are the stopping distances for an empty artic of
18 Tonnes when travelling at 56 mph and 40 mph ?
The above questions were asked by a Magistrate in a recent Court case.
The Driver didn’t have a clue.
This link might help
Harry Kyng:
This link might helpUK Speedtrap Guide. Radar, GPS and Laser radar detector guide.
Thankyou !
Th Highway Code still uses car stopping distances based on tests carried out in the 1960’s using a drum-braked Ford Anglia for some reason.
Harry Monk:
The Highway Code still uses car stopping distances based on tests carried out in the 1960’s using a drum-braked Ford Anglia for some reason.
Better safe than sorry, I guess !
Trouble is, you leave a decent gap and some *rick thinks you’ve left it for them.
Dieseldoforme:
What is the stopping distance for a 44 Tonne artic travelling at
56 mph on straight, level ground in dry weather ?How would the above differ when travelling at 40 mph ?
What are the stopping distances for an empty artic of
18 Tonnes when travelling at 56 mph and 40 mph ?The above questions were asked by a Magistrate in a recent Court case.
The Driver didn’t have a clue.
The stopping distances will vary a great deal, it will depend on what load you’re carrying, what type of trailer and what configuration. “4x2. 6x2. 6x4 etc”.
but pound for pound, they’re much better than a car.
At 56mph, fully laden you should leave at least a 5 second gap, obviously you would be looking a lot further ahead than the arse end of the wagon on front.
You see far too many Numpty’s & so called Professional HGV drivers sitting less than a second behind lorry’s.
No wonder the magistrate asked the accused about stopping distances. He must see it for himself on a daily basis.
Harry Monk:
Th Highway Code still uses car stopping distances based on tests carried out in the 1960’s using a drum-braked Ford Anglia for some reason.
Not much point in changing it to the braking data for a Bugatti veyron!
Dieseldoforme:
Trouble is, you leave a decent gap and some *rick thinks you’ve left it for them.
Not all the time so in the odd times that happens just ease off or brake if way too close
You wouldnt think it takes more than a few feet sometimes 
I watched some track tests on this years ago, just after the launch of the Actros (with disc brakes).
We had an Actros testing against a drum-braked SK…and the Actros was far better.
Not only were the Acros’ disc brakes far more powerful and fade-resistant the the SK’s drums,they also actuated far quicker - especially when coupled to a disc-braked trailer.
This was because the Actros brakes were actuated electronically (a solenoid opened the valve on the brake itself) whereas the old drums had to wait for the air to arrive at the end of the pipe.
Those first generations Merc discs were not without their problems, but they were better at stopping a truck from speed.
And the Highway Code figures are, as previously said, rubbish. Or have the many millions of £ that have been spent on developing radial tyres with high-grip compounds, disc brakes, ABS etc been wasted?
GasGas:
I watched some track tests on this years ago, just after the launch of the Actros (with disc brakes).We had an Actros testing against a drum-braked SK…and the Actros was far better.
Not only were the Acros’ disc brakes far more powerful and fade-resistant the the SK’s drums,they also actuated far quicker - especially when coupled to a disc-braked trailer.
This was because the Actros brakes were actuated electronically (a solenoid opened the valve on the brake itself) whereas the old drums had to wait for the air to arrive at the end of the pipe.
Those first generations Merc discs were not without their problems, but they were better at stopping a truck from speed.
And the Highway Code figures are, as previously said, rubbish. Or have the many millions of £ that have been spent on developing radial tyres with high-grip compounds, disc brakes, ABS etc been wasted?
It’s always better to quote worse case scenario, not all cars stop in the same distance.
And it doesn’t really matter how good a trucks brakes are, mr numpty truck driver will still kill him self, due to the fact that he is thick!!
Dieseldoforme:
What is the stopping distance for a 44 Tonne artic travelling at
56 mph on straight, level ground in dry weather ?How would the above differ when travelling at 40 mph ?
What are the stopping distances for an empty artic of
18 Tonnes when travelling at 56 mph and 40 mph ?The above questions were asked by a Magistrate in a recent Court case.
The Driver didn’t have a clue.
What court case was it? Do you have a link?
A vehicle travelling at 56 mph will travel at 78 feet per sec.
Work it out its not rocket science.
out of interest, what was the case about and what was the outcome?
This must be a subject well researched by tyre manufacturers.
The heavier the load, the greater the grip (friction) of the tyres thus shortening the stopping distance.
But, the heavier the load, the greater the inertia to overcome, therby lengthening the stopping distance
Euro:
out of interest, what was the case about and what was the outcome?
This must be a subject well researched by tyre manufacturers.
The heavier the load, the greater the grip (friction) of the tyres thus shortening the stopping distance.
But, the heavier the load, the greater the inertia to overcome, therby lengthening the stopping distance
At a guess, he was either pulled for tailgating or he rear ended some one!
Euro:
out of interest, what was the case about and what was the outcome?
This must be a subject well researched by tyre manufacturers.
The heavier the load, the greater the grip (friction) of the tyres thus shortening the stopping distance.
But, the heavier the load, the greater the inertia to overcome, therby lengthening the stopping distance
The heavier the vehicle, the longer the stopping distance. Any benefit from increased grip on the road is far outweighed by the increased momentum of the heavier vehicle. Other factors (road surface, tyre compound, tyre condition) have far more bearing on grip than the weight on the tyre.
limeyphil:
What court case was it?Do you have a link?
It was a case in Chesterfield Magistrates a few weeks ago.
There is no link - I was in the public gallery giving moral support
to a friend on a separate matter.
Basically, the HGV Driver had gone through a pelican crossing on red.
There was no collision but he was caught on camera.
His defence was that he had braked but, fearing a jacknife, he eased off
the brakes when he established that there was no danger in doing so.
He was then asked various questions about HGV stopping distances but was
unable to give any clear answer.
The hearing was then adjourned and I don’t know the outcome.
Dieseldoforme:
limeyphil:
What court case was it?Do you have a link?
It was a case in Chesterfield Magistrates a few weeks ago.
There is no link - I was in the public gallery giving moral support
to a friend on a separate matter.Basically, the HGV Driver had gone through a pelican crossing on red.
There was no collision but he was caught on camera.His defence was that he had braked but, fearing a jacknife, he eased off
the brakes when he established that there was no danger in doing so.He was then asked various questions about HGV stopping distances but was
unable to give any clear answer.The hearing was then adjourned and I don’t know the outcome.
I would have told the Magistrate confidently that my stopping distance would have been 28 feet and 2 inches. I have no idea how true this is but crucially neither would he!
I haven’t tested an unladen truck or at 56mph lately, but if it helps, these were the most recent figures I have, a Volvo FM450 at 44 tonnes.
20mph 7.4m
30mph 15.8m
40mph 26.3m