What's the braking distance on a fully loaded artic? I'd much rather they stick to a safe speed that they can stop in than hurtle along roads with blind bends and junctions with little hope of stopping if someone else makes an error of judgement.

Speed limits are just that, limits, no the recommended speed.

 

It could be due to so many "pro" drivers loosing their licence and/or getting points.....

 

While on this subject there are now over 15 mway and A road sites (many more to come) where the intelligent cameras check speed and weight from road sensors refer to DVLA record for the vehicle in 3 secs and alert a control point 6 or so miles along the road. One such checking point found 75% of vehicles over weight.

I'm not sure whether to be saddened at Big Brother or impressed! Intriguing, in any case. Do you have any web references?

Dave

 

hi not sure how this would work as unit's have at least two combinations of axles's and trailers even more. So I would think the only thing they could check would be for an overloaded axle.

And that would be the maximum allowed by law, (each axle is only allowed to put so much weight on the ground, thats why you see 3,4 and 5 axles's on trailers) not the actual manufactuers max. weight.

Olley

 

this seems unlikely:

ANPR cameras and speed cameras are not the same and weight can't be measured dynamically at driving speeds and I can find no reference to ANPR and speed cameras being linked.

You do however see the occasional mobile ANPR trap looking for various offenders using the highly accurate DVLA and home office databases (40% inaccurate at last researched reading), which is maybe where the confusion lies.

here is one link:-

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/03/24/anpr_national_system/

It might come but not yet as described

 

In the roadworks at the Holmesdale tunnel on the northern stretch of the M25,

http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/projects/4057.aspx

they have "average speed limit" signs - the cameras clock you into the roadworks section (using ANPR), clock you out, and calculate your speed between the two points. Presumably, this is to stop the 'slowing down for the cameras then speeding up again' trick.

At least, that's what I'm presuming it does :?

Gerald

 

SPECS - yes they do do that and yes they use ANPR but they are speed cameras not ANPR cameras, as far as I know there's no link to do anything other than measure your average speed between two points.

http://www.speedcamerasuk.com/SPECS.htm

 

What you are looking for is here,

http://www.tdcsystems.co.uk/filestore/VOSA%20Magazine%20Iss.13%20-%20Nov-05%20ANPR%20Article.pdf#search='wims%20sensors%20vosa'

They are WIM sensors (Weight In Motion) and are very accurate, I attended a seminar on these things and they are really accurate and very impressive to see working.

Previous posting here as well.

http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopic-12735.html&highlight=

Big brother is watching, or is it VOSA!!!

Paul

 

I sit corrected! Blimey! Never heard of WIMS before. Time to get the van on a weighbridge again.....

 

Thanks for that. 57 years since the publication of 1984, George Orwell would have a smug grin on his face reading about this I reckon.

Regarding that VOSA newsletter, anyone know the difference between overweight and prohibited, btw?

I don't recall that other MHF thread. If it were more recent I'd dive in just to wind Jim up!

Dave

 

Hi very clever, but how does it know how many axles are on the trailer?

My brother-in-law once drove to Southampton and picked up two 20' weighing 20 tonnes each. his boss paid him for two journeys, and he got a bottle of whisky from regional tyre for the most burst tyres that month, 2 on that trip alone.

Olley

 

Thanks for that Paul - a very interesting and informative briefing. Makes the point that any limit today is broken at your peril. As an example, an acquaintance of ours who lives in Florida got 5 speeding tickets here in Germany in ONE day, two from the same camera going and returning. I'm not sure whether he will be chased for payment or even if extraction of the money is achievable but it does make the point. Also makes my own two "3 pointers/£120 in total" seem like pin pricks especially as they're now time expired.

Big brother is not just watching but also active!!

 

Dont take this as gospel but prohibited will generally be 10% and above on axle or gross weight, coupled with a substantial fine for driver (£750 has been banded about before) and even more substantial for the operator. They will place a prohibition on your vehicle from moving outwith the weighbridge area until the weight is removed and another cert is issued to confirm you are legal.
Below 10% you will normally get a slap on the wrist and a warning.

Not just about the fines there are of course safety issues with overloaded vehicles.

It is scary how close some vans come to axle weights without realising it, on route to Dover a few weeks ago I run over the local weigh bridge to be on the safe side - the van was not massivley loaded and I only had 100kg spare on the back axle - but 200kg spare on the front, with nowhere to store anything at this end!!!. Now I understand why swift moved the the kitchen area to the front on the new version of my van!!!!!!!

Paul

 

If you are overwheight by an amount concidered reasonable you will be allowed to proceed, albiet with the possible threat of prosecution,
If you are prohibited you will be forced to stop and off load the excess before continuing and prosecuted
Geo

Regarding that VOSA newsletter, anyone know the difference between overweight and prohibited, btw?

PS you will also get a free MOT and tacho check worth about £70.00 :lol:

 

I also suspect we are seeing the effects of the new electronic tachograph, and also the use of more PC based routing software, that will tie in journey time to the opening and booked acceptance slots at Supermarkets and Regional Distribution Centres.

 

I also suspect we are seeing the effects of the new electronic tachograph, and also the use of more PC based routing software, that will tie in journey time to the opening and booked acceptance slots at Supermarkets and Regional Distribution Centres.

I think it is a case of the above and also, a lot of employers are fitting trackers to vehicles with automated monitoring systems (like our company) which not only monitor speed and location (and speed limits) but what gear you are in excessive accelerating and braking and engine rpm and stop time. They tell us the results will be used for "Training" leading to disciplinary action against miss use of company equipment.

For me it takes away fro the fact that when you drive for a living once out of the yard you were your own boss, now the boss sits in the cab with you the whole time. Got to admit it is not what I became a driver for! :roll: 8O :roll: 8O

Cheers for now.

 

Having just travelled about 35 miles in heavy down pours on the A74 and A75 followed so closely by a huge lorry that I was tempted to invite him in for a chat, I am pleased Big Brother or whoever is watching us - in fact I wanted him to watch even closer! I pulled in to a layby and immediately pulled out after him for a less stressful journey. Even the fact that he was carrying dead farm carcasses with accompanying smell did not make me regret letting him overtake me! If the threat of Big Brother can improve such inconsiderate and potentially dangerous driving I'm all in favour.

 

I'm afraid this new technology however good will only ever penalise the 'legal' driver .. the speed camera has never caught a car thief or the boy racers doing doughnuts at 1am, it will never replace the police patrol car, best deterrent ever.

 

will only ever penalise the 'legal' driver

Speeding legal now Jim 8O

 

will only ever penalise the 'legal' driver

Speeding legal now Jim 8O

:lol: :lol:

I meant legal as in, taxed, MOT'd and Insured ... hence the ' ' around legal :wink:

 

hi passionwagon,

the reason heavy goods vehicles stick to 40mph on single carriageway roads :- 40mph is the legal speed limit for hgv vehicles on single carriageway roads. I am a hgv driver, driving a 44ton artic, I also get frustrated behind supermarket trucks traveling at 40mph.
Saturday morning at 4.30 am, I was once again frustrated at being stuck behind a Tesco truck traveling at 40mph on the A5 south of Hinckley, this being a stretch of single carriageway and cars allowed to travel at 60mph, I decided to overtake mr Tesco much to my demise, I looked in my mirror just in time to see the "gatso" give me the biggest flash of my life.
so now I will be £60 lighter in my pocket & 3 points heavier on my licence,Alot of cameras are set to catch hgv"s exceeding 40mph. this is one hgv driver they won"t catch again, I will be joining the Tesco Culina brigade sticking to 40.

 

Speeding is get all to mad, it is very common on the dual carriage way by us to have cars passing you doing 100 to 115mph

I would put those average speed cameras up everywhere if I had my way.

I first seen them on roadworks on the M11, I didn't realise it at first but all the traffic was going at the same speed, even on the otherside of the carriage way, it felt relaxed, no one trying to push past, almost surreal, and then about half way down the road I noticed camera over each lane and some cameras at the end of the roadworks, it was brilliant.

 

Patrol Cars

I'm afraid this new technology however good will only ever penalise the 'legal' driver .. the speed camera has never caught a car thief or the boy racers doing doughnuts at 1am, it will never replace the police patrol car, best deterrent ever.

Could not agree with Jim more,

Are there cameras that can catch the middle and outside lane hoggers, texting whilst driving with full beam headlights on doing 65mph, drunk, drugged, with an illegal immigrant on board, bald tyres, no licience and a bad haircut.

Either give those traffic officers more enforcement power or get the Bill back on the case. Human nature is what it is and if a any driver be it car or wagon gets stuck behind these idiots, who these days seem to increase 10 fold daily all hell lets loose.

Lets face it if they never get pulled some dum feckers would not even know they were doing wrong.

Trev

 

Re: Patrol Cars

with an illegal immigrant on board

Didn't know that was a traffic offence :?:

Gerald

 

A few points

1. Why do most of youl applaud those who drive at excessive speeds and moan those who drive safely?

2. It will soon be possible to fit control boxes in vehicles that use sat nav to determine the position and hence speed limit and control the maximum speed. I shudder at the thought of how those of you who are hooked on excessive speed will react then.

3. Its always the same, You hear almost every motorist talking about how radar type devices used to spot speed cameras are a "safety device". This is absolute rubbish they reduce safety and increase danger by allowing drivers to drive a grossly excessive speeds, well over the legal limits and then slow don when in the vicinity of a camera. All they do is to save speed fanatics from getting their just deserts. banned from the roads.

4. I cannot see why having hidden cameras is wrong. If you are speeding then you deserve to be fined and banned. A policeman trying to catch most other types of lawbreaker doesn't have to have notices around in large letters on yellow backgrounds saying "watch out I waiting for you". I do have one major problem with speed cameras and that is the fact that they are used to top up the funds of police forces. The fines should be used to go into the non existent road repair fund.