3.5 tonne vans to be limited?

[JumboBeef]

During my W124's MOT today (it passed!), the MOT tester was saying that from next year, all 3.5 tonne (and over) vans will be limited to 56mph.

Anyone know if this is true?

 

[nick mercedes]

During my W124's MOT today (it passed!), the MOT tester was saying that from next year, all 3.5 tonne (and over) vans will be limited to 52(?)mph.

Anyone know if this is true?

Transits speed limited to 56mph

They are already.

Although older ones pre 01 don't need to be retrofitted with a limiter.

For some reason the powers that be think things will be better if motorways are filled with large slow moving vehicles in lanes 1 & 2...

 

[LimitedSlip]

For some reason the powers that be think things will be better if motorways are filled with large slow moving vehicles in lanes 1 & 2...

You are right... and that reason is the continued assault on progress and personal productivity. It's the same as when the heavies were originally speed limited, net result was that seven trucks were needed to do what six used to in the long distance arena. Guess what this leads to? More jobs created, more truck sales, more fuel sales etc. etc.

The same thinking is behind the "safety" garb justifying the snail's pace for cars and all other vehicles also, including the nascent stealthing-in of the ludicrous 20 mph limits on urban roads. SAFETY MY ASS, it's market manipulation.

The twee little "what's two minutes on your journey?" platitude might cut it applied to one person with a 15 minute commute. On a national scale, these changes make an enormous difference. The results do not benefit the people at large.

Incidentally, there was a Belgian lady member of the EU campaiging a time back for the limit for all commercial vehicles to be lowered to 48 mph.

 

[crockers]

If I had to choose between transits being limited to 56 mph and seeing them on my tail at 70 mph and then whizzing by at 80+ ..I would choose the 56 mph limit..Just how quickly can they stop - fully laden when the car in front slams on their anchors in an emergency......perish the thought.

 

[219]

It will be particularly bad on two lane motorways if we end up with a vehicle limited to 56 mph trying to overtake another the limiter of which is set to 55.9

guaranteed to be a regular sight

 

[LimitedSlip]

If I had to choose between transits being limited to 56 mph and seeing them on my tail at 70 mph and then whizzing by at 80+ ..I would choose the 56 mph limit...

That's fair enough, but may I ask you this? Fifteen years back or more, before all this obsession with trying to scare the pants off everyone that uses the roads... did you ever, of your own volition, feel overly worried by the movement of commercial vehicles as well as other traffic, and think that "something must be done" ( ) to reduce traffic speed? I doubt it.

I know I never did, and I doubt many did, before driving was politicized. I know that now the sheer frustration at horrible overly slow driving, choked motorways, traffic lights on almost every urban junction et al, coupled with people losing interest and concentration at the lack of involvement... far outweighs any supposed benefits.

Just how quickly can they stop - fully laden when the car in front slams on their anchors in an emergency......perish the thought.

Quite quickly. They have to be able to, to attain certification to be sold at all. Certainly a lot more quickly than years ago... and that IMO represents an acceptable level of progress and risk reduction without silly speed limits. Regulation by enhancing safety "fears" is what it's all about.

 

[G.O'Rilla]

It will be particularly bad on two lane motorways if we end up with a vehicle limited to 56 mph trying to overtake another the limiter of which is set to 55.9

guaranteed to be a regular sight

It already is if you drive on the A12 and A14............

 

[stevesey]

Quite quickly. They have to be able to, to attain certification to be sold at all. Certainly a lot more quickly than years ago...

That's a good point - it this new restriction based on any hard evidence about accident rates and related stopping distances.

 

[flango]

It will be particularly bad on two lane motorways if we end up with a vehicle limited to 56 mph trying to overtake another the limiter of which is set to 55.9

guaranteed to be a regular sight

Thats an easy one ban anything including 3.5 tonners from lane 2. They are already practising this on stretches of the A1 and A42 and it has speeded up traffic flow no end. Also anything of 3.5t and above should not be allowed in lane 3 on a 3 lane motorway we then might see an end to some of the major conjestion and stupid overtakes that go on for miles.

 

[nick mercedes]

Thats an easy one ban anything including 3.5 tonners from lane 2. They are already practising this on stretches of the A1 and A42 and it has speeded up traffic flow no end. Also anything of 3.5t and above should not be allowed in lane 3 on a 3 lane motorway we then might see an end to some of the major conjestion and stupid overtakes that go on for miles.

The solution to that problem is to ban speed limiters.

Either that or ban all goods vehicles.

 

[G.O'Rilla]

They have an experimental section on the A14 but sadly a large amount of HGV drivers (a lot with yellow number plates) seem to ignore it and we still follow HGV A overtaking HGV B for 4 miles........

Let's not knock the HGV drivers because they've as much of a job to do and schedules to keep as anyone, but there must be a solution that will assist with traffic flow and compromise with everyone. I just can't think of it...

 

[flango]

The solution to that problem is to ban speed limiters.

Either that or ban all goods vehicles.

I like your second suggestion best

Get the freight on the rails instead particularly long haul trunk routes

 

[flango]

They have an experimental section on the A14 but sadly a large amount of HGV drivers (a lot with yellow number plates) seem to ignore it and we still follow HGV A overtaking HGV B for 4 miles........

Let's not knock the HGV drivers because they've as much of a job to do and schedules to keep as anyone, but there must be a solution that will assist with traffic flow and compromise with everyone. I just can't think of it...

Its called lane discipline and not being a T*sser, I drove HGV's for years and was always courteous and professional, no point even trying an overtake if it is going to inconvenience other road users. Unfortunately there are some out there that just shove two fingers up to this and only think of themselves thats the difference between a professional driver and a T*sser

 

[G.O'Rilla]

Got to agree with that. Shame that a minority (some not on UK plates) who don't. I'll still double flash an HGV and stay back if the driver wants an overtake, even if it sometimes results in the 4 mile 55.995 mph journey. On balance it doesn't and I hope puts people in a better mood doing their job. Now to find a way of getting people to be nice to me in my job (in the oil business so that'll never happen.....)

 

[ringway]

My daily drive is a lwb 3.5t Sprinter.

The reason people buy Sprinters is they are pretty quick - for a van - and if they imposed the limiters on the 3.5t I'd drop down to something slightly smaller that I could drive at my already sensible pace - roads and the prevailing conditions dictate the pace.

The problem with the 3.5 tonners is the nowadays they really are car-like to drive and not the slow, uncomfortable, tin box on wheels that they used to be.

Vans that are car-like to drive now handle and brake as well as ordinary cars. The problem is the people that drive them.

I was once going to buy the top (at the time) Sprinter 316. The dealer didn't have one to test drive but got in touch with one of their customers who had one for me to test. I had a test drive and it was very good, then they guy who owned the van asked me to pull over and "let me show you what I'm like in it". I all-but sh*t myself as he drove like a madman and I made him stop and I drove the van back.

People like this guy (top van, travelled Europe with his job in the van) become to familiar and over confident and they are a huge danger to all.

But the same guy driving a SL65 AMG would cause as much, if not more danger with that power and the driving mentality of a madman.

I must say that when I'm in the car and see white van man on my tail or hurtling past it is not my idea of fun.

It is down to the individual drivers in my opinion.

 

[219]

I also think that a lot of 'white van men' are likely to not give a stuff what inconvenience they cause to other road users ( in fact they probably think other road users ARE an inconvenience ) as opposed to the majority of HGV drivers who are professional drivers and usually show courtesy and consideration to other road users .

The HGV drivers have chosen a career as DRIVERS and have undergone additional training and passed a more advanced test than the van drivers who are mostly just people with a job to do which happens to involve a lot of driving .

Of course these are generalisations and there are exceptions to every rule , but my observations on the roads indicate a higher standard of driving from HGV's than vans .

 

[Number_Cruncher]

>>Just how quickly can they stop

Remarkably quickly.

The maximum braking force, just like for cars is limited by the co-efficient of friction between tyre and road.

To a first approximation, the extra mass of the truck does *not* mean longer stopping distances, because the extra mass that means a larger braking force is needed is also loading up the tyres, providing that necessary grip.

Trucks do tend to be running on tyres with harder compounds than cars to get better tyre life, and owing to the higher centres of gravity, the weight transfer can mean that the braking distribution isn't ideal - but, that still compares reasonably favourably when compared with a SUV fitted with poor quality tyres.

 

[lynall]

I have got to say brakes on modern vans and trucks are othing short of amazing.

They will stop you dead very very quickly.

Only a few years ago biggest problems with the annual mot on a truck was getting the brakes good enough to pass, whilst this still applies on some older trucks anything recent will stomp the mot.

Mainly this is the move from drum to disc brakes.

Nearly all truck brakes are like cars,either a single or twin piston sliding caliper just a lot bigger

This of course only applies to uk reg trucks which by law have to be safety inspected every 4/6 weeks, whereas the foreign plate motors!

I have seen a couple of foreign motors at work with no brakes left, when i say none they have worn away the friction material (20mm thick), the steel backing plate ( 6mm thick) and started on the caliper piston.




Lynall

 

[bennesspipers]

When i used to drive artics, Merc Powerliners were limited to 72, the limiter was on the same fuse as the interior light !

 

[JumboBeef]

I regularly drive a selection of Ford Transit 140ps and VW Crafter 163ps vans (as well as other types), and boy can these things fly. I drive for the emergency services and these things will sit at an indictated 100mph all day (although they would be limited to 56mph for normal use, as already said).