'Speeding' Lorries
Discussion
In my driving career of 14 years, i've only seen two lorries clearly going well above their speed limit. I either assumed this was pretty difficult to do because of a speed limiter, or that the consquences must be very serious for drivers if their tachograph revealed they were speeding whilst on the job...?
So the second time i witnessed it was night, travelling home on the A20. I edged past a big Scania lorry that was decorated with blazing led lights around it's skirting, with an even brighter LED Scania logo in the driver's cab. It was more of a surprise that i was only edging past it doing 75mph...
The A20 goes into a 50mph zone at Sidcup and i was even surprised to see the lorry catching up with me as i slowed (i was still doing about 60 leptons...) and - as the road opened up to 3 lanes - he was even using the outside overtaking lane (another thing i thought they couldn't do).
So am i being naive here - was he not being a very naughty boy? The only thing i could think of was - because of all the LED lights - it was some sort of 'show' truck and not commercial, therefore he wouldn't give a **** about what his tachograph says.
So the second time i witnessed it was night, travelling home on the A20. I edged past a big Scania lorry that was decorated with blazing led lights around it's skirting, with an even brighter LED Scania logo in the driver's cab. It was more of a surprise that i was only edging past it doing 75mph...
The A20 goes into a 50mph zone at Sidcup and i was even surprised to see the lorry catching up with me as i slowed (i was still doing about 60 leptons...) and - as the road opened up to 3 lanes - he was even using the outside overtaking lane (another thing i thought they couldn't do).
So am i being naive here - was he not being a very naughty boy? The only thing i could think of was - because of all the LED lights - it was some sort of 'show' truck and not commercial, therefore he wouldn't give a **** about what his tachograph says.
Living in Devon there are lots of long, steep hills, so I regularly see speeding lorries. I can only assume they stick it in neutral and let gravity do the work.
My van is limited to 64mph and the speed some of them come flying past me is ridiculous. Must have seen some doing at least 80mph, which in something that size is extremely dangerous. Often takes me a few miles to catch back up.
Don't often get passed on the flat by artics, but it does happen.
My van is limited to 64mph and the speed some of them come flying past me is ridiculous. Must have seen some doing at least 80mph, which in something that size is extremely dangerous. Often takes me a few miles to catch back up.
Don't often get passed on the flat by artics, but it does happen.
hondansx said:
Nope. Is that a prelude to asking why do i care what others are doing?
Because if it is, i'm simply curious that 9.9999% of lorry drivers - in my experience - are incredibly disciplined, and yet this guy didn't seem to care.
I think most care, but sadly far too many don't for various reasons I suppose, stupidity, their own gain, being put under pressure by dodgy bosses to name a few. As pointed out a loaded truck going down a decent hill will easily overrun the speed limiter, some let it, others choose to hold it on the max speed limit. Like most things, good and bad out there.Because if it is, i'm simply curious that 9.9999% of lorry drivers - in my experience - are incredibly disciplined, and yet this guy didn't seem to care.
There always seems to be a way around modern limiters. I was filling up at a truck stop years ago in a brand new truck my boss had just given me. An Irish lad, (shocker) next to me asked if I'd by passed the limiter yet? I told him I hadn't and he then went onto explain that if I removed the casing from the speedo I would find a bank of switches behind it that could be set left or right. He then gave me the exact settings required to make the truck then get to 62 mph whilst still only showing 55 mph on the tacho.
I didn't bother, not worth the hassle as the French, German and Austrian police know most of the tricks and how to catch out the more dodgy so called professional drivers.
Thumbing of the speedo on old Scania's was always another favorite back in the day.
I always thought if I was working for someone that expected me to tamper with equipment, speed and run bent, I was working for the wrong boss. Big shiny wagons with alloy wheels, stacks and lots of L.E.D lights don't come cheap, and some, (not all) will pay for it in various different ways.
I have video (VHS) footage of me and a mate following a Pete' 379 Extended Hood at a steady 85mph on the flat driving through Utah. My best was 90ish into the Marius Valley in a 377 pulling an oversized load. I'd been ticked off the previous year by a colleague for not going fast enough over the brow of the hill, so let her have it the following year.
No idea where the inclination came from but since my late teens always wanted to haul grain across the prairies in a Kenworth , box ticked .
Back then it was literally old skool trucking , now the industry is so over regulated the dream of the open road is a faded memory , it can't be done . Saying that , driving out here is a breeze compared to Europe (weather can be a factor though) , distances are generally measured in time rather than miles because there just isn't any traffic on the highways to cause congestion .Got a brand spanking new Volvo on Dec 23rd and she's in for her first 20.000 service now , not bad as I only work 4 on 4 off .
No complaints from me , if ever you fancy working out here CT let me know , not so easy as it once was but it can still be done .
Back then it was literally old skool trucking , now the industry is so over regulated the dream of the open road is a faded memory , it can't be done . Saying that , driving out here is a breeze compared to Europe (weather can be a factor though) , distances are generally measured in time rather than miles because there just isn't any traffic on the highways to cause congestion .Got a brand spanking new Volvo on Dec 23rd and she's in for her first 20.000 service now , not bad as I only work 4 on 4 off .
No complaints from me , if ever you fancy working out here CT let me know , not so easy as it once was but it can still be done .
chilistrucker said:
I always, always fancied having a go at trucking in the USA, maybe not long term, just fancied trying it.
I worked on a farm for a year and drove a Mack from time to time then went back and did 2 seasons on the wheat harvest run driving new 377's with 60 Series Detroits with Allison autos. It was quite easy and the CDL was a doddle. Our trucks were limited to 70 and we'd sit on the limiter on dirt roads. Even pulling the combines (12ft wide, 14fet high, 75ft long from memory) was pretty easy. Couldn't move the combines after dark. 700 miles in a day was doable. Just before I went there there was a crash on the interstate near where we were based. It involved a ruck that had been driven by a team of 2 drivers. One driving, one sleeping. It had averaged 1,000 miles per day since the day it was built.
Thanks for the info guys, much appreciated. I'm led to believe that the States is virtually impossible to get into these days, bar getting married etc. I know a while back Canada was a pretty decent option, getting sponsored, proving your worth and then possibly getting taken on full time.
I followed an interesting topic on 1 of the truck forums here, of a guy that went down the Canada route. A nice guy, did everything the right way and is more than happy with how it all turned out for him. H e is settled there now, full time local type job and met a lady and says he won't return to the UK,don't blame him.
He said it is getting harder though there now in all aspects, getting in via the Canada route, the whole driver 'e-logs' I think he called them, and various other ways in which the industry is tightening up in general.
Maybe as in most things, I just missed the boat, but, never say never
I did enjoy following the other guys story he seemed to go about it the right way. Worked first off for the sort of firm that just wanted a cheap bum on seat, but as he said it was a great way to gain the relevant experience he needed whilst having a sort of payed holiday travelling Canada and the States. He was happy being away non stop as it was only himself, he said he did 6 days in the lorry and treated himself on his rest day to a motel. He told some great stories and posted some great pics. Glad it all turned good for him, as he really went about it the right way.
I remember his stories about the more relaxed speed limits, and the old style log books
and the distances that could be covered in a day 
Any pics of your new wagon fttm?
I followed an interesting topic on 1 of the truck forums here, of a guy that went down the Canada route. A nice guy, did everything the right way and is more than happy with how it all turned out for him. H e is settled there now, full time local type job and met a lady and says he won't return to the UK,don't blame him.
He said it is getting harder though there now in all aspects, getting in via the Canada route, the whole driver 'e-logs' I think he called them, and various other ways in which the industry is tightening up in general.
Maybe as in most things, I just missed the boat, but, never say never
I did enjoy following the other guys story he seemed to go about it the right way. Worked first off for the sort of firm that just wanted a cheap bum on seat, but as he said it was a great way to gain the relevant experience he needed whilst having a sort of payed holiday travelling Canada and the States. He was happy being away non stop as it was only himself, he said he did 6 days in the lorry and treated himself on his rest day to a motel. He told some great stories and posted some great pics. Glad it all turned good for him, as he really went about it the right way.
I remember his stories about the more relaxed speed limits, and the old style log books
and the distances that could be covered in a day Any pics of your new wagon fttm?
Edited by chilistrucker on Friday 27th January 21:43
De-railing the topic somewhat, but I'd love to drive the so called grueling Ice-roads (ice road truckers thingy...) with a brand new Volvo FH. Comfy and very powerful truck, I think that you would be able to haul alot more stuff alot faster than the guys in their rigs from the 60's by the look of them. But then again, I can't tell if a big Pete is brand new of 50 years old
PowerslideSWE said:
De-railing the topic somewhat, but I'd love to drive the so called grueling Ice-roads (ice road truckers thingy...) with a brand new Volvo FH. Comfy and very powerful truck, I think that you would be able to haul alot more stuff alot faster than the guys in their rigs from the 60's by the look of them. But then again, I can't tell if a big Pete is brand new of 50 years old
Volvo FH is a road truck, It's the Volvo FMX/VNX you want for ice roads. Raised clearance, and an off-road optimised gearbox would be two things you would need. Personally my money would go on a DAF CF Construction. Based on the Paccar MX drivetrain which is sold in NA as well as Europe so far better global parts support (Volvo split there EU/NA brands so a VNL shares very little with a FH), also DAF have a pretty good reputation of being simpler and far easier to fix than anything the Scandi's have been offering in recent years.That being said in that kind of environment I would be looking at a 90s rig, would offer the best combination of modern power/equipment and simplicity, anything euro6 or American California Smog standard is going to be a nightmare to fix out in the boonies.
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