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Updated: 04/02/2013 08:15 | By motoringresearch.com
Government to raise lorry speed limit?
Consultation period for government's plan to raise speed limit for HGVs is almost over
The government’s plan to increase the speed limit for heavy goods vehicles (HGV) reaches the end of its three-month consultation period this Friday.
Should the plans go ahead, the speed limit on a single carriageway for lorries over 7.5 tonnes could be raised from 40mph to 45mph or even 50mph.
This would bring larger trucks in line with smaller, 3.5t to 7.5t vehicles, which are already subject to a 50mph limit. Supporters argue that it will improve the economy, whilst critics point to potential safety and environmental issues.
Those supporting the change suggest that the existing lower limit causes congestion for hauliers and other motorists, and puts lives at risk through unnecessary overtaking incidents. Quicker lorries would aid economic growth and reduce frustration for drivers.
It’s a move welcomed by the Advanced Institute of Motorists and the AA, with the AA’s president, Edmund King telling the BBC last year that he sees it as ”a common sense move”, adding ”freer-flowing traffic will benefit road safety”.
Those against the change argue that faster lorries will lead to more accidents and have a negative impact on the environment. A lorry travelling at 50mph will inevitably burn more fuel than a lorry travelling at 40mph.
There’s also concern amongst cyclists, with Jason Torrance, policy director at Sustrans concerned that “faster moving lorries will take longer to stop and reduce reaction times for drivers”.
It’s a view shared by Julie Townsend of road safety charity Brake. “These vehicles take longer to stop and if they do crash, it’s more likely to be on a catastrophic scale”.
Other limits for HGVs over 7.5t will remain unchanged; therefore staying at 30mph in urban areas, 50mph on dual carriageways and 60mph on motorways.
The government will draw on the findings of the consultation shortly and make an announcement in the near future.
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46Comments
31/01/2013 01:19
where do we start on this as it seems most critics have never
drove a lorry and think it is only a dam nuisance to ther life,the idiot that said lorries would burn less fuel at 40 mph on A roads it quite wrong as at that speed and less you are changing gear nearly all the time to keep it moving and burning more fuel to maintain 40 mph so the driver is changing gear one minute and braking the next to keep with in the speed limits if that's not wear and tear on a vehicle I don't know what is. We would all like to see less lorries on our roads but the only thing to stop that is not fly down to your super market and exspect everything to but there form all over the world leave your car on the drive as there is no fuel at the filling station and no milk on your door step no news papers and even your flippin posh car was delivered on a lorry and one more thing dont exspect your parcel you ordered on the internet to be at you door next day then stop al that and then we can have less lorries on the road
31/01/2013 21:02
As a retired HGV driver i feel i am qualified to make a comment on this subject.Yes i would like to see the speed limit raised for all vehicle on appropriate roads but there are numerous drivers both HGV and Car that no matter what the speed limit was would want to drive faster,i recently drove up the A9 and on the parts of the road that were 60 mph there were numerous times when there was vehicles up my tail pipe both HGV and cars,so before we can raise speed limits we have to educate the idiots who tailgate responsible drivers
31/01/2013 20:29
As always, those passing the comments, are rarely qualified to drive the vehicles concerned. IT IS NOT THE SPEED, It is the inapropriate speed and the accompanying poor attiude, coupled with little or no training that causes the issues on our roads.
31/01/2013 18:33
Think its a great move to increase the speed limit of trucks. These trucks are so advanced now compared to 10 years ago. The argument of "faster moving lorries will take longer to stop and reduce reaction times for drivers” isnt relative to modern lorries. Compare the statisitics of performance, in particular stopping distances, between a lorry of 10 years and a new lorry then at a guess as ive not checked, the new lorry by far out performs the old by some margine.
Most Trucks on todays roads are a lot less than 10 yrs of age due to EU emission, companies have to keep their fleets up to date to allow them to travel into cities like london due to emission zones.
As to acidents being catastrophic, a vehicle weighing 40 tonnes in an accident is catastrophic at any speed.
I think 65mph on a motorway is a good enough speed in my opinion, especially as there have been goverment talkes in raising the motorway speed limit for cars to 80mph. Thats long overdue!
01/02/2013 17:18
NOT BEFOR **** TIME WHEN YOU GET STUCK BEHIND ONE AND NO CHANCE TO GET PAST THEM THE JOURNEY YOU ARE DOING SEEMS TO TAKE FOREVER AT 40MPH
01/02/2013 16:48
most drivers do 45 -50 mph anyway when they know they can get away with it so they might as well increase it.
31/01/2013 15:30
About time and 50 we would use less fuel as there would be fewer gear change's and belive me lorry and stop very very quickly
31/01/2013 23:54
I`ve noticed a pic of a 55` Artic is used. Yet, the print is for 3.5 to 7.5 ton trucks. Really quite small. So, what`s all the fuss ?
31/01/2013 18:49
Proving my point below i think, look for this video on you tube "Test Drive 2012 Mercedes ACTROS Active Brake Assist"
:-)
31/01/2013 22:16
What a load of **** most artic's do 60 mph now and they decog going down hills like WINDY HILL i drive a 7.5 ton truck and its resticted to 55 mph coaches do 100 kph but having said that i was following a coach the other day and it was doing well over 80 mph on the M1 i was in my car how in gods name can they increase the spead limit on HGV'S AND NOT ON 7.5 TONS
01/02/2013 19:47
they are limited to 56mph not 60!
01/02/2013 19:20
Oh F*ck me here we go again, these lorries will be like torpedoes once launched wont stop untill someone is crushed to death in a car or van, i've driven lorries for a living once but sometimes it did frighten the sh1t out of me, just a stupid car driver doing some stupid manoeuvres, i dont think i would like to drive a lorry for a living now though i cant see why they dont put the most of the heavyest loads on the rial trains and have depots where they can pick up smaller loads so the roads a much safer, but oh no thats too much like hard work and not a good idea, WHY? because the powers that be think its too simple, they would rather clog up the roads with bigger trucks to f*ck up the poor motorists who just want to get to work and back home again safely.
01/02/2013 12:59
It's to compensate for Britains third world road infastructure...
01/02/2013 18:04
70 mph for lorries on the motorways and 90mph for Cars and Vans.Modern Lorries and Cars can cope with this its time to change the speed limits.As the present ones were set years ago when Lorries an Cars didnt have the brakes and power steering they do now.
01/02/2013 19:47
How many artics actually stick to 40mph anyway??
31/01/2013 20:05
Will that help normal motorists on a dual carriageway who have to drive milesat snails pace because one thicko yorkie-bar is overtaking another at 1/4 mph more?. Restrict ALL hgv's to the inside lane then traffic will really move without the need for expensive road widening schemes.
11/02/2013 20:33
Lorry drivers should be forced to take social and psychiatric evaluation tests.Most of them are just arrogant bastards who think every other road user is in their way.Two lorry drivers ride the motorway lanes 1 and 2...until they see a police car.
01/02/2013 19:39
If HGV's are supposed to be able to do 60 MPH on Motorways, why are they limited to between 56 to 59 MPH on their Governors, does not make sense.
03/02/2013 14:26
i agree with most pro comments on here,i have just retired my "hgv 1 licence" i was at the time the youngest hgv3 driver in the r.a.f. and spent a total of 38 years "on the road" trucks have evolved just like cars, but where the uk trucker comes unstuck is when idiot car drivers who because of the safety levels and improvements in cars, treat the car as a a tank thinking they are impervious to accidents.they feel safe,and protected and this encourages moves that a few years ago they would never had considered..the uk trucker in his articulated truck or twin rig/ridged..is constantly being tested by the events around them..be they male or female.the skills of the uk trucker are always under scrutiny,if involved in accident,the truck is tested to the hilt,wether or not its the truckers fault,to acertain if any mech fault caused it. it may be a fault the driver is unable to diagnose,or may have developed just prior to the accident,there are very few "rouge truck firms" left in the uk,and those that remain are going fast. costs are being undercut but foreign truckers undercutting the price and instead of dropping thier load and picking up a ligit backload to return to europe,spent a week trawling the uk shifting loads that should be done by the uk trucker honestly..if accidents increase due to limit rises then they can always be put down again
02/02/2013 19:19
A lorry travelling at 40mph is going to use more fuel than if it were travelling at 50mph as it will be down one or two gears and unable to use top gear. At 50mph top gear will be used.
On the safety issue, when the 40mph limit was introduced all trucks had drum brakes and relatively low air pressure braking systems. Modern trucks have disc brakes operated by much higher air pressure and are many times more efficent than the old drum brakes. My husband can stop his current 2006 truck at 44tons in less than half the distance he used to be able to stop a new truck on drum brakes at 38 tons.
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