Delta's Earl Grey Break 2014

[Paul D]

Originally Posted by Colin McKay

If it was, let me know. We have a robust disciplinary process for when drivers are identified sticking to the speed limit

The Tescos etc which are limited to 50/52 could be my topic for a Friday Rant but as it's only Thursday I'll stick to the facts.

99% of HGV's are limited to 56mph and the operators and manufacturers go to great lengths to ensure the gearing plops that needle right in the middle of the green sector at 56, so you can imagine how it feels when they're stuck behind one of these "fuel saving" supermarket lorries for mile after mile at 10% off the optimum speed and in a lower gear. Same effect as when you're on a dual carriageway in a car and stuck behind overtaking trucks with a 0.001mph speed differential. I'll never understand why they do that.

It's just about Friday, so I'll have a rant. Colin's post touches on something that really annoys me, which is the proliferation of HGVs that sit side by side for mile after mile taking up the the two left lanes on a motorway, with one crawling slowly past the other. This effectively reduces any motorway to a single lane road for any vehicle that wants to do more than 56 mph. What's the point of having three lanes when two of them are effectively restricted to 56? No wonder you can't get anywhere in this country!

The funny (?) thing is, when you speak to HGV drivers, they all claim that they don't do that - so who is it that's doing it then? Of course, some would argue that they don't see the problem - there's another lane you can overtake on, after all. Yes... just as long as you're not towing a trailer! Just about every time I go on a motorway, I'm towing, which means, of course, I can't use the outside lane. Legally, I can do 60 when towing, and in reality, I can do 65 before any official types would bat an eyelid, which means I'm potentially losing almost 10 mph from my speed while these muppets attempt to crawl past each other at a fraction of 1 mph.

My record for being stuck behind a truck in the middle lane crawling past another is around 15 miles. 15 miles! The differential in speed between the two was virtually non-existent, and, in fact, on inclines the 'lead' truck would begin to drop back, but not enough to drop back in behind, so he just sat there! If anyone can tell me how that's anything other than ludicrous, I wait to hear it.

[Mike Bell]

Paul, if a driver is bloody minded it doesn't matter if they are driving an HGV, BMW 3 series or Nissan Microbe- the results of their state of mind will be the same. Annoyance and inconvenience to others......

As only a part time trucker, I don't have to adopt the same attitude as a lot of full time drivers. If there is another truck alongside me struggling to get past (very rare, but we'd better not go into that ) I switch out the cruise control and drop back for him / her. Colin will know this more than most on here, but restricted driving hours do need a trucker to make the most of every available second during a journey. Never know when you are going to hit a jam or find M11 closed and have to make a 45 min detour! BTW I asked a local transport company if their trucks adhered to the 40mph single carriageway limit. You must be joking, was the reply, we'd never get any work done.....

I see the latest trucks are now fitted with a cruise control that uses sat nav and traffic info to set the speed at most economical possible!

Nick, fastest trucks seem to be from Andalucia and across the Irish Sea. Most from Northern and Eastern Europe seem to be fairly similar nowadays. Then there is the Delta Motorsport truck, of course......

[delta]

I totaly agree with you Paul. Must admit there were a lot of Spanish truck drivers waving and blasting their horns to me on the way to Jerez this year.

[Colin McKay]

Which side of the road were you driving on Iain?

I'll keep out of the truck overtaking debate, suffice to say I don't understand why one or other can't just knock the cruise contrlo back a click and give every one a better day. However, as Mike says, it's a measure of how much pressure some of these guys are under that they won't give an inch. 'Twas ever thus.

[GORDON STREETER]

It is a bit more complicated down here and most seem to take no notice until pulled http://ec.europa.eu/transport/road_s..._limits_en.htm

[grantp]

Originally Posted by midgetman

You'll like this one then Tim, and it's even "Historic". I don't think this is a closed FB group, you should be able to read it.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=312357135631524

Claire, we should get the 360's LM start a bit more exciting like this.

Excellent clip.

The chap on the stretcher, though very briefly seen, has a passing resemblance to Patrick Depailler.

[grantp]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

It is a bit more complicated down here and most seem to take no notice until pulled http://ec.europa.eu/transport/road_s..._limits_en.htm

That certainly does look more complicated.

Do I read it correctly that there are roads that have a nominal 100kph limit where cars are still restricted to 90? Only Motorcycles get the full 100?

Still, not much different here. Whatever the nominal setting for national limits the local authorities in the their "wisdom" always seem to find reasons for something less.

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by grantp

That certainly does look more complicated.

Do I read it correctly that there are roads that have a nominal 100kph limit where cars are still restricted to 90? Only Motorcycles get the full 100?

Correct, as long as you are not carrying a jerrycan of petrol on the handlebars (that I have seen) and some of the kids still use all the MC protection gear ie shorts/T shirts/flip flops

[Tim Falce]

Don't get me started on lorry drivers who like to elephant race, there's nothing more annoying than pulling along side another lorry only to get hammered by a bit of extra wind resistance and the person you are trying to overtake wont lift off even for a second or two.
On the other hand there are an equal amount of car drivers that will hog the central lane for mile after mile and they'll either speed up for a while and then you'll catch them up again a mile or so down the road or they'll gesticulate wildly for you to make an illegal overtake in the third lane. An arse is an arse no matter what type of vehicle they drive.
Why the government make four lane motorways is beyond me as don't think I've never seen anyone using lane one on any I've been on.

[grantp]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

Correct, as long as you are not carrying a jerrycan of petrol on the handlebars (that I have seen) and some of the kids still use all the MC protection gear ie shorts/T shirts/flip flops

Yes, I spotted the bit about 10kph lower if carrying dodgy chemicals.

So a spare 5ltr fuel container in the boot is an instant 10kph off the speed legally permitted?

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Tim Falce

Why the government make four lane motorways is beyond me as don't think I've never seen anyone using lane one on any I've been on.

All lanes are used when there's congestion. 4 lanes make the tailback measurement stats shorter. Especially useful after a road closing incident.

[Paul D]

Originally Posted by Colin McKay

Which side of the road were you driving on Iain?

I'll keep out of the truck overtaking debate, suffice to say I don't understand why one or other can't just knock the cruise contrlo back a click and give every one a better day. However, as Mike says, it's a measure of how much pressure some of these guys are under that they won't give an inch. 'Twas ever thus.

Colin - totally agree with you there, and Mike is correct about about the time pressures that some truck drivers are under. Although I don't have a HGV1 (or whatever it's called these days) licence, my partner works for a haulage/logistics company, so I understand there can be tight delivery schedules.

However, if we do the maths, I still maintain that there's just no excuse for a two-lane rolling roadblock that we all see on a daily basis on any given motorway in the UK. Let's say you're driving a truck that has a speed advantage over the one in front of, say, half a mile per hour (often the difference in speed is much less, but let's be generous and call it that). Now, bearing in mind anyone on a tacho has to take regular breaks - I think it's every two hours - and let's also say that you're stuck behind said slower truck for the whole two hours (unlikely, but again, we'll be generous). That means when you pull in for your break after two hours of travelling at 0.5mph below your maximum, you're precisely one mile further back than you would otherwise have been - which means, at 56mph, you arrive at the same point almost exactly one minute later than you might have done. Now, even if we assume this happens to you twice in one eight hour shift (i.e. for a full half of your entire day - again, unlikely I'd say), then you still only arrive at your final destination two minutes later than you could have done in ideal circumstances.

Now, come on guys - is anyone's schedule that tight that they really can't afford to arrive even two minutes late? I don't buy it myself, and I certainly can't see any reason why it would warrant clogging up two lanes of a motorway for mile after mile, tens of miles even, as I've personally witnessed.

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by grantp

Yes, I spotted the bit about 10kph lower if carrying dodgy chemicals.

So a spare 5ltr fuel container in the boot is an instant 10kph off the speed legally permitted?

I expect that the cops down here would find something wrong especially with an English plated car that has probably gone over it's 6 month quota, I usually have one with registered to the area plates as they tend to leave the locals alone.

[Moosehead]

Without going into a song and dance about it if one vehicle (not necessarily a truck) has caught another one up then generally it must be travelling faster. The problem is that the driver of the slower vehicle does not recognise that fact. Whether I'm in the truck, camper towing the race car or even my car if something has caught me up and is then struggling to overtake I will ease off to let them by. In the truck on the motorway I'll be on cruise and yes sometimes I'm going just a tad faster than another truck, if I'm going to overtake I'll try and do so when the road suits my load (ie fully freighted = downhill, empty = uphill), however, there are times when the road changes during an overtake and that can start the elephant race - thats when you need the vehicle being overtaken to ease off a bit.

I've been in the situation where I've not gone for an overtake because I'm only marginally faster than the other vehicle, then another vehicle has slowly overtaken me, I've backed off to help him pass and then along comes a train of vehicles all overtaking me - I started off at 56mph but by continually backing off have ended up at 45mph!!

By far the worst thing is the car that is doing 55 - 56mph. Why??

Tonights highlight was the car doing approx 50mph in lane 1, I'm closing on him pretty quickly as I'm on the limiter (btw we're talking 1am ish so pretty quiet roads). I move out into lane 2 and then just as I'm virtually alongside him he pulls out in front of me for no reason (there's nothing in front of him!). Obviously I hit the brakes he carries on his merry way in lane 2. About two miles further on I catch up again, pull into lane 2 whilst still a bit behind him so he can see me catching him, what does he do? Brakes!! I pull into lane 1 without slowing down, so does he! Wtf!! Thinking this is going to go on for a while I duck into the next services, sadly he didnt.

[terence]

[QUOTE=Moosehead;3486621

By far the worst thing is the car that is doing 55 - 56mph. Why??

)[/QUOTE]


Doris syndrome, just cant get it out of thier heads that they are no longer driving a Morris Minor.

[Al Weyman]

No I blame the manufactures mpg stats which give a consumption figure based on 56mph so they think to get the best consumption that's the speed they must do! Also isn't it the same on the track when being lapped? I tend to get out the throttle for a couple of seconds instead of making it awkward for the lapping car but how many others do,

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by Moosehead

Tonights highlight was the car doing approx 50mph in lane 1, I'm closing on him pretty quickly as I'm on the limiter (btw we're talking 1am ish so pretty quiet roads). I move out into lane 2 and then just as I'm virtually alongside him he pulls out in front of me for no reason (there's nothing in front of him!). Obviously I hit the brakes he carries on his merry way in lane 2. About two miles further on I catch up again, pull into lane 2 whilst still a bit behind him so he can see me catching him, what does he do? Brakes!! I pull into lane 1 without slowing down, so does he! Wtf!! Thinking this is going to go on for a while I duck into the next services, sadly he didnt.

There's a reason for that, they're ***** that should never have been given a licence. I followed a van down Southampton Row in London a few weeks ago, driver kept slowing then speeding up then moving from one lane to the other in front of me, bearing in mind the limit is 20 mph he was going from about 5 to 15mph. It's two lanes so when it was clear I started to overtake, as I was along side him he wandered across the lanes straight into the side of my truck.
As the speeds were so low we both actually stopped in the position it had happened with him straddling two lanes and me almost on a central island. Driver was a man of African origin and a complete arse, wouldn't give me any insurance details and he decided to phone the police. After half an hour they turned up and he still wasn't going to give me any details until they threatened him with arrest. Coppers words to me were "some people just shouldn't hold a licence should they"
When the van driver left he made an illegal right turn at the junction we were approaching, sadly the police had already left.

[Mike Bell]

Blimey, 'Rant Friday' is in danger of becoming a weekend!

Seeing the name of the rental company on that van reminded me that right in the middle of Spain, in a scruffy industrial area that borders the dual carriageway to Seville, is a Northgate sign. Never seen a van though.....

Received an early Xmas present today when my little buddy discovered a lonely bottle of Brune in the bottom of truck fridge! And I thought was completely out. Christmas Day will be all the better for it....

[Tim Falce]

Rants over now, I'm in Lowestoft at the mo but I could rant about all the ******s sitting at 40 on the single carriageway part of the A12

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by Tim Falce

Rants over now, I'm in Lowestoft at the mo but I could rant about all the ******s sitting at 40 on the single carriageway part of the A12

I feel sorry for you, at this moment I am having a drink on our balcony with Jerry K, he sends his regards !

[Eric Falce]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

I feel sorry for you, at this moment I am having a drink on our balcony with Jerry K, he sends his regards !

Very envious.

[GORDON STREETER]

I can at least get on the laptop now, Mrs S was watching Strictly "something or the other" up to about 5 minutes ago but the broadband in our area keeps clapping out trying to watch it in HD so she has gone off in search of a local bar with it on, probably come back a bit worse for wear !

[GORDON STREETER]

Well she came back annoyed because all the bars that were open had (surprise) football on the tele's, did she really expect the local bars in Spain to be watching an English dancing show on a Saturday night !!!

[Tim Falce]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

I feel sorry for you, at this moment I am having a drink on our balcony with Jerry K, he sends his regards !

Wotchit mate, I know where you live so I might come down and nick some drink off you.

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by Tim Falce

Wotchit mate, I know where you live so I might come down and nick some drink off you.

Best get on the next plane then !