HGV's and Europe
Discussion
Hello all.
I've just returned from another service call in Europe, having driven from calais to Zandaam, and obviously back again.
The system of keeping lorry drivers in lane one of two laned dual carrageways/motorways is fantastic, no elephant racing, traffic flow is great.
I arrived back last night, and only had to wait for the hill as you leave Dover to find my first HGV muppet, a british redg lorry alongside another, and a line of cars behind him.
Never mind raising the speed limit on motorways, just keep the hgv's in lane one from 06.00 to 19.00, even on three laned roads !
I've just returned from another service call in Europe, having driven from calais to Zandaam, and obviously back again.
The system of keeping lorry drivers in lane one of two laned dual carrageways/motorways is fantastic, no elephant racing, traffic flow is great.
I arrived back last night, and only had to wait for the hill as you leave Dover to find my first HGV muppet, a british redg lorry alongside another, and a line of cars behind him.
Never mind raising the speed limit on motorways, just keep the hgv's in lane one from 06.00 to 19.00, even on three laned roads !
Benbay001 said:
Nigel Worc's said:
The system of keeping lorry drivers in lane one of two laned dual carrageways/motorways is fantastic
What've i missed? I thought that was what happens?It has been trialled here, on the A14 & M11 that I know of, but didn't seem to work due to the lack of compliance by HGV drivers. I don't know whether this was because it was a trial that it may not have been enforceable, perhaps someone who knows better could confirm?
I work abroad for several months of the year & the flow of traffic is so much better because of this system, the only negative thing from ny perspective is that the vehicles to which it is applied varies from location to location. Some places it is just vehicles over 7.5T, others it is applied to anything with a trailer including cars & some places it is when it is raining (Belgium I think)
I have a van & regularly tow either a trailer or caravan in the course of my business, which is OK until you are stuck behind an HGV that slows to 30mph on a hill & you are unable to overtake for sometimes 40km!
I work abroad for several months of the year & the flow of traffic is so much better because of this system, the only negative thing from ny perspective is that the vehicles to which it is applied varies from location to location. Some places it is just vehicles over 7.5T, others it is applied to anything with a trailer including cars & some places it is when it is raining (Belgium I think)
I have a van & regularly tow either a trailer or caravan in the course of my business, which is OK until you are stuck behind an HGV that slows to 30mph on a hill & you are unable to overtake for sometimes 40km!
R0G said:
Lets take a senario such as a 3 mile uphill section with a truck in lane 1 doing 25/30 and another approaching from behind which can manage 56
What do you suggest?
That you don't impose a road block on those who are capable of speeds far in excess of the speed limit ...... for mile after mile after mile after mile etc What do you suggest?
Like they do in Europe !
How would you cope in Europe ? (I'd suggest you would do the same here)
Nigel Worc's said:
R0G said:
Lets take a senario such as a 3 mile uphill section with a truck in lane 1 doing 25/30 and another approaching from behind which can manage 56
What do you suggest?
That you don't impose a road block on those who are capable of speeds far in excess of the speed limit ...... for mile after mile after mile after mile etc What do you suggest?
Like they do in Europe !
How would you cope in Europe ? (I'd suggest you would do the same here)
Nigel Worc's said:
Hello all.
The system of keeping lorry drivers in lane one of two laned dual carrageways/motorways is fantastic, no elephant racing, traffic flow is great.
What system is that, is it law? I've only seen it on a handful of roads, one on part of the road out of Calais, pretty much the same as they have on the M11 and A14, I think the rest is just more considerate driving.The system of keeping lorry drivers in lane one of two laned dual carrageways/motorways is fantastic, no elephant racing, traffic flow is great.
R0G said:
Lets take a senario such as a 3 mile uphill section with a truck in lane 1 doing 25/30 and another approaching from behind which can manage 56
What do you suggest?
Exactly. What do you suggest?
Do all trucks sit in a line doing 25 mph?
I drove trucks for 9 years and the main problem is drivers not easing off to let another faster truck overtake.
You only need to lift a litle to let the other truck overtake.
The other truck draws alongside just ease off.
Must say I am glad I no longer have to drive for a living. Drivers are so selfish now, give no one an inch.
Nigel Worc's said:
How would you cope in Europe ? (I'd suggest you would do the same here)
Whilst it's not very PH to suggest, I thought I was in Europe 
I guess you mean all the rest beyond the sea? Things must have changed then in 'Europe' because I have plenty of memories of sitting in long queues behind snail racing lorries. Think I even covered most of Belgium behind the same two lorries on one particularly tedious journey.
Well I just went from Calais to Amsterdam, and there appeared to be signs indicating they (lorry types) must stay in lane one, for the entire route, I think I saw a few suggesting it was a trial, I certainly never saw a lorry in lane two.
Lots and lots and lots of scameras in Holland, and without all the warning we get, although my sat nav seemed 100% accurate on where they were.
I saw lots of "radar" signs in Belgium, and although my sat nav warned of scameras, I didn't see anything I recognised.
It was nice to be "exempt" them to be honest, as I think I broke the limit a few times, the motorway limit is 80 in France, with 75 in Belgium & Holland, but they seem to have the odd few signs indicating as low as 60 in places, just one sign, nothing else until you saw the nsl again, so no repeaters, but my sat nav didn't respond to those, although it did to everything else.
Lots and lots and lots of scameras in Holland, and without all the warning we get, although my sat nav seemed 100% accurate on where they were.
I saw lots of "radar" signs in Belgium, and although my sat nav warned of scameras, I didn't see anything I recognised.
It was nice to be "exempt" them to be honest, as I think I broke the limit a few times, the motorway limit is 80 in France, with 75 in Belgium & Holland, but they seem to have the odd few signs indicating as low as 60 in places, just one sign, nothing else until you saw the nsl again, so no repeaters, but my sat nav didn't respond to those, although it did to everything else.
Yes, in that situation the trucks would get held up. But then hundreds of car drivers wouldn't be.
We don't have many long stretches of DC in this area so this isn't something I've come across much. But at the arse end of the A303 it's a bloody nightmare getting caught in the only section of DC for 30 miles and there's a sodding elephant race.
We don't have many long stretches of DC in this area so this isn't something I've come across much. But at the arse end of the A303 it's a bloody nightmare getting caught in the only section of DC for 30 miles and there's a sodding elephant race.
jagracer said:
Nigel Worc's said:
Hello all.
The system of keeping lorry drivers in lane one of two laned dual carrageways/motorways is fantastic, no elephant racing, traffic flow is great.
What system is that, is it law? I've only seen it on a handful of roads, one on part of the road out of Calais, pretty much the same as they have on the M11 and A14, I think the rest is just more considerate driving.The system of keeping lorry drivers in lane one of two laned dual carrageways/motorways is fantastic, no elephant racing, traffic flow is great.
Enforcement of the no-overtaking is quite strict, but more on a "day of action" basis where they're set up to watch for it, and then lead the lorries off to a parking area. €130 kerching!
Cars/vans towing caravans/trailers with a total weight of more than 3.5 tonnes also fall under this rule (as I found to my disappointment).
sunbeam alpine said:
It's been introduced this year in Belgium on most 2-lane motorways. A ban on lorries overtaking in the rain was introduced a few years ago, but was never really enforced as there were no boards warning of the fact.
{b]Cars/vans towing caravans/trailers with a total weight of more than 3.5 tonnes also fall under this rule (as I found to my disappointment).{/b]
I wasn't aware of this and spent plenty of time overtaking on my trips through France and Belgium this year.{b]Cars/vans towing caravans/trailers with a total weight of more than 3.5 tonnes also fall under this rule (as I found to my disappointment).{/b]
jagracer said:
sunbeam alpine said:
It's been introduced this year in Belgium on most 2-lane motorways. A ban on lorries overtaking in the rain was introduced a few years ago, but was never really enforced as there were no boards warning of the fact.
{b]Cars/vans towing caravans/trailers with a total weight of more than 3.5 tonnes also fall under this rule (as I found to my disappointment).{/b]
I wasn't aware of this and spent plenty of time overtaking on my trips through France and Belgium this year.{b]Cars/vans towing caravans/trailers with a total weight of more than 3.5 tonnes also fall under this rule (as I found to my disappointment).{/b]
jagracer said:
I wasn't aware of this and spent plenty of time overtaking on my trips through France and Belgium this year.
It is quite clearly signed (once you know what the signs are) but the only issue being as I mentioned before different weight/category of vehicles are restricted in different places.shovelheadrob said:
It is quite clearly signed (once you know what the signs are) but the only issue being as I mentioned before different weight/category of vehicles are restricted in different places.
I've only ever seen the signs on the E40 Calais to Dunkirk, sure they said 7.5 tons and near Liege where it is 3.5 tons on certain lanes http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Li%C3%A8ge,+Belgiu...Calais to Zandaam is Europe? Stap me. I had no idea that a nip up the coast of the low countries was in any way representative of Europe.
When I was a trucker I was not in the slightest bothered about restrictions on trucks because it only meant that there'd be more work for truckers.
As a car driver I definitely don't want to see it in the UK, because it won't work.
I was trucking from back in 1980 and was doing Europe too - as in Athens via Yugoslavia, Algarve, all over Germany, bottom of Italy - y'know, proper Europe, 3 week trips never mind 3 hours.
The congestion in the UK was the same then, then like now in the UK trucks are always overtaking each other and overtaking cars all the time too. You could go a whole day in Germany and not have to overtake a single car, yet in the UK passing cars was something you always had to do, just like they do today some 30 years later.
There are, effectively speaking, no British car drivers in Europe. That is the number one and biggest difference.
Oh btw, back in the early eighties the slowest trucks would drive on the hard shoulder so as to not impede the quicker trucks. That won't be allowed nowadays I don't think.
The people who supported speed limiters have caused the elephant racing problems and those who support lorry bans will cause more congestion. At least I can be smug and say i never needed any of it.
When I was a trucker I was not in the slightest bothered about restrictions on trucks because it only meant that there'd be more work for truckers.
As a car driver I definitely don't want to see it in the UK, because it won't work.
I was trucking from back in 1980 and was doing Europe too - as in Athens via Yugoslavia, Algarve, all over Germany, bottom of Italy - y'know, proper Europe, 3 week trips never mind 3 hours.
The congestion in the UK was the same then, then like now in the UK trucks are always overtaking each other and overtaking cars all the time too. You could go a whole day in Germany and not have to overtake a single car, yet in the UK passing cars was something you always had to do, just like they do today some 30 years later.
There are, effectively speaking, no British car drivers in Europe. That is the number one and biggest difference.
Oh btw, back in the early eighties the slowest trucks would drive on the hard shoulder so as to not impede the quicker trucks. That won't be allowed nowadays I don't think.
The people who supported speed limiters have caused the elephant racing problems and those who support lorry bans will cause more congestion. At least I can be smug and say i never needed any of it.
Gassing Station | Advanced Driving | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff