Latest big Lorries

[Dryce]

And how exactly is a 60 tonne lorry "road wear neutral" ?

Depends how it spreads its load.

In principle I don't see a problem with larger truicks if

(a) the axel loading is reduced and they are well policed/regulated

(b) the routes on which they may operate are restricted.

If the country thought a bit differently about truck operations things might actually be better for everyone. So restricting trucks by 'gauge' on certain routes and on heavily used routes building truck lanes on which the high load vehicles are allowed to operate at a fixed speed at a fixed (or minimum separation).

 

[Stratman]

The problem here lays in the inequality in hydrocarbon taxes and vehicle taxation. Address the source of the problem by providing exemptions for the haulage industry and actually allow them to compete equally.

The germ of a thought is nagging away at the back of what passes for my mind.

The EU is supposed to be agressively against unfair subsidies or aid in any form. However, by not taxing aviation fuel to the same extent as road fuel there is a de facto subsidy in favour of air freight firms (I'm thinking parcel and postal deliveries) over a road haulage firm competing for any given contract. Have a word with your MEP and see if he can set the cat among the pigeons.

 

[glojo]

If these trucks are used solely on suitable trunk routes then what is the harm?

Regarding costing
I wonder how much the road fund licence will be for these monsters if they ever get the required authority.

Regards
John

 

[mark.t]

with a load like that being left at a lorry park a curtain sider that you can stanley open with little effort...... while the driver makes there first delivery ...well you can guess what will happen ...there will be no second delivery as the trailer will be

1 empty......

2 missing .....

as the first delivery may be miles away .... better do what we used to do with the scottish papers ...the forton change over ... one lorry full from manchester to forton services ... one lorry from scotland empty ...meet at forton ...have brew ... walk across bridge exchange keys and spy in cab..... then set off ...do the same the next night ....

 

[glojo]

with a load like that being left at a lorry park a curtain sider that you can stanley open with little effort...... while the driver makes there first delivery ...well you can guess what will happen ...there will be no second delivery as the trailer will be

1 empty......

2 missing ..

What's the difference between this and worrying about a car radio being stolen from our cars?

I would envisage something like these lorries off loading their large trailers at designated depots.

John

 

[Mudster]

The germ of a thought is nagging away at the back of what passes for my mind.

The EU is supposed to be agressively against unfair subsidies or aid in any form. However, by not taxing aviation fuel to the same extent as road fuel there is a de facto subsidy in favour of air freight firms (I'm thinking parcel and postal deliveries) over a road haulage firm competing for any given contract. Have a word with your MEP and see if he can set the cat among the pigeons.

Hydrocarbon taxes and to a lesser extent Alcohol and Tobacco are expressly exempt from any fair trade rulings under EEC control, always have been always will be. Your MP won't be able or even be the slightest bit interested in taking the point up.

Sadly we were hoodwinked about the whole EU thing from day one (back in the 70's - when we agreed to enter to start with). Now we're stuck with it.

The problem is, it creates it's own problems as discussed in this thread. What was meant to create a level, free, open and fair trading community (which is how it was originally sold to us) has become a little more fair to some as it is to others.

It's kind of like a capitalist version of Communism, in a perfect utopia it works, but we're human and if I can get something cheaper from Portugal than I can from England, for the same (if not better) service, then guess where I'm going to buy it?

 

[Mudster]

with a load like that being left at a lorry park a curtain sider that you can stanley open with little effort...... while the driver makes there first delivery ...well you can guess what will happen ...there will be no second delivery as the trailer will be

1 empty......

2 missing .....

as the first delivery may be miles away .... better do what we used to do with the scottish papers ...the forton change over ... one lorry full from manchester to forton services ... one lorry from scotland empty ...meet at forton ...have brew ... walk across bridge exchange keys and spy in cab..... then set off ...do the same the next night ....

Trucks of this size won't be used for deliveries as you suggest. They will more commonly be used for hub to hub deliveries or taking huge full loads to one destination, they simply don't earn enough operating in any other manner. Groupage orders aren't viable on trucks of this size.

They would probably be useful for businesses like mine, as I hit weight limits before I ever hit volume limits, a trailer gives a substantial load increase in weight and I could effectively import the equivalent of one and half 20' containers on one truck load, making it more efficient and quicker than container ship transport. Or at least comparable in price, but a week faster.

 

[grober]

Road Traffic Report!

If these arrive on our roads it will make a big difference to our road reports.

Instead of "traffic was held up for 2 hours on the bypass today by a lorry jacknifing"

It will be "traffic was held up today on the bypass for 10 hours when a lorry performed a reverse somersault 1/2 pike reverse twist"

a police traffic car spokesman said " with that degree of difficulty I reckon thats a ---5.5, 5.4, 5.6, 5.7, 5.9 no problem "

 

[glojo]

It's kind of like a capitalist version of Communism, in a perfect utopia it works, but we're human and if I can get something cheaper from Portugal than I can from England, for the same (if not better) service, then guess where I'm going to buy it?

The more I think about the haulage business, the more I'm convinced it is weighted against the British companies. Can European hauliers tender for UK business?

Regards
John

 

[GRAV888]

I see no problem using these on roads in the UK, as it is only 16 tonne more than we have now, but there is no way I can see France etc upping their limits by 20 tonne.
You would have thought by now, they would be 44 tonne too, instead of being stuck at 40 tonne.

When you say you have lorries deliver like this now anyway, they are smaller than this. These have a 45 ft trailer on the back and the ones that deliver to you would not be allowed this big.
I have a wagon and drag and had some work done on the trailer.
For some reason, the fitters decided to move my coupling eye back 6" on the unit, so am now over length.

 

[GRAV888]

The more I think about the haulage business, the more I'm convinced it is weighted against the British companies. Can European hauliers tender for UK business?

Regards
John

There are guidelines for this, but they never stick to them anyway.
There is a word for it, but I can't remember what it is ATM.

 

[DieselE]

I seen quite a few double trailer wagons in Oz, There's a programme on MotorsTV on Wed 9pm about Australian Road Trains, I think I may seen this before and the wagons/road trains featured are much longer than 2 trailers!!

In 1998, I saw the Road Trains that operated between Sydney and Perth. They had five trailer units behind a single tractor. They didn't come into the town fully formed but started and finished the journey at a parking area outside. The tractor then made a series of journeys delivering individual trailers to their final destination.

Whilst this might make sense in Oz, I don't see it being viable over here.

 

[GRAV888]

There are guidelines for this, but they never stick to them anyway.
There is a word for it, but I can't remember what it is ATM.

CABOTAGE