Crazy and outdated van speed limits?
Discussion
We own a van through work (VW Transporter) and frequently wonder why smaller vans are subject to slower speed limits on A roads and dual carriageways than other similarly sized vehicles? When driving the van we are now limited to 50mph on single carriageway A roads, and 60mph on dual carriageways.
The van we drive is a Combi which means that it has an extra row of factory fitted seats behind the driver plus side and rear windows. The van is a T32 which means the maximum permitted weight of the van is 3200kg. When we bought it we had the van weighed on the local weigh-bridge. Empty, with no driver but with a full tank of fuel then it came out at 2240kg – roughly the same as the average 4x4.
Now even when heavily loaded the van handles better and stops better than many modern cars I’ve driven, and it handles and stops an awful lot better than a good proportion of 4x4 vehicles, particularly those proper off road non-sporty type 4x4's made a few years back. To put things into perspective, a bloated and wallowing Hummer has higher legal speed limits than our van. So why does the van have a reduced 50/60mph speed limit?
The law seems all over the place. For example the VW Shuttle (same as our van but with a third row of seats to carry 9 passengers rather than 5, same weight loading), is subject to the normal legal speed limits of 60/70mph. If we were to convert and re-register the current van to a camper van (adding extra fixed weight, a lot of that higher up, probably taking the unladen weight to somewhere between 2600-2800kg) then it’s speed limit would again be raised from 50/60 to the normal 60/70mph.
So why on earth are the limits 50/60mph? Where does this current government/DVLA craziness come from? Have they chosen to keep these archaic and out of date restrictions purely as a means to try and catch us out?
The van we drive is a Combi which means that it has an extra row of factory fitted seats behind the driver plus side and rear windows. The van is a T32 which means the maximum permitted weight of the van is 3200kg. When we bought it we had the van weighed on the local weigh-bridge. Empty, with no driver but with a full tank of fuel then it came out at 2240kg – roughly the same as the average 4x4.
Now even when heavily loaded the van handles better and stops better than many modern cars I’ve driven, and it handles and stops an awful lot better than a good proportion of 4x4 vehicles, particularly those proper off road non-sporty type 4x4's made a few years back. To put things into perspective, a bloated and wallowing Hummer has higher legal speed limits than our van. So why does the van have a reduced 50/60mph speed limit?
The law seems all over the place. For example the VW Shuttle (same as our van but with a third row of seats to carry 9 passengers rather than 5, same weight loading), is subject to the normal legal speed limits of 60/70mph. If we were to convert and re-register the current van to a camper van (adding extra fixed weight, a lot of that higher up, probably taking the unladen weight to somewhere between 2600-2800kg) then it’s speed limit would again be raised from 50/60 to the normal 60/70mph.
So why on earth are the limits 50/60mph? Where does this current government/DVLA craziness come from? Have they chosen to keep these archaic and out of date restrictions purely as a means to try and catch us out?
Surely the point is that you could be fully laden. It's not like they could set a different speed limit on trusting van drivers to obey it depending on their load.
Besides, I don't see the problem in commercial vehicles being limited to help emissions (or whatever) if it allows private motorists a bit of slack.
Besides, I don't see the problem in commercial vehicles being limited to help emissions (or whatever) if it allows private motorists a bit of slack.
Cabby van laden drives better than modern cars you have driven. God what 'modern' cars you been driving.
Artics have massive wheels and 10 axels normally to spread the load and braking.
I have driven a fully laden 3ton full size transit and citroen relay and fully laden the limits make sense.
Empty they don't, I drove 500 miles last year in a new relay and on the way back empty the 50mph long straights near newmarket @ 50 and the long dual track at 60mph where a bit boring but its safe. Our van was a tracker and had driver behavior monitoring, so I wasn't going to get a bad report.
You get much better fuel economy at 50 and 60 and these are vans, not hot hatches.
Plus if there sign written its only a matter of time before your companies all over youtube for some dodgy dashcam footage.
Artics have massive wheels and 10 axels normally to spread the load and braking.
I have driven a fully laden 3ton full size transit and citroen relay and fully laden the limits make sense.
Empty they don't, I drove 500 miles last year in a new relay and on the way back empty the 50mph long straights near newmarket @ 50 and the long dual track at 60mph where a bit boring but its safe. Our van was a tracker and had driver behavior monitoring, so I wasn't going to get a bad report.
You get much better fuel economy at 50 and 60 and these are vans, not hot hatches.
Plus if there sign written its only a matter of time before your companies all over youtube for some dodgy dashcam footage.
Edited by surveyor_101 on Friday 18th May 13:46
Sa Calobra said:
It's their for good reason. Height etc etc etc etc. Yet Muppets still ignore it
A Transporter is only 10cm taller than a Range Rover which has a limits of 60/70.surveyor_101 said:
Cabby van laden drives better than modern cars you have driven. God what 'modern' cars you been driving.
There's plenty of tall, city type cars that handle and stop worse than a fully laden transporter (or similar van) yet they have a higher speed limit.But that's not really the point is it - the points are:
A 20 year old Land Rover Discovery who's handling and stopping could, if you were being kind, be described as 'terrible' has a limit of 60/70 whereas a better handling/stopping modern van has a limit of 50/60 - why?
A Transporter van of max weight 3200kg has a slower legally permissible speed than an Transporter Shuttle of the same max permissible weight (it's exactly the same vehicle, just with 9 seats instead of 5) - why?
If I add a bed and a fixed cooker to our current van and re-classify it at a motorhome (basically add a lot of fixed and high up weight to it), then the speed limit increases - why?
Our converted 2001 VW T4, with a kitchen and high-up cupboards, one airbag and with the highest spec being power steering, can go 10mph faster (apart from motorways) than a 2018 empty Transporter van with all the modern safety equipment. Seems a little bonkers, doesn't it?
Edited by sim72 on Friday 18th May 18:58
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/car-der...
It goes on the dry weight as published my the manufacturer. Mine is a 2014 with a dry weight of less than 2,000 Kgs.
It goes on the dry weight as published my the manufacturer. Mine is a 2014 with a dry weight of less than 2,000 Kgs.
The real daft bit is I bought my T5 Transporter which obviously had van speed limits applied. I then had it professional converted to a camper-van, had the V5 changed and now back up to car speed limits. It has gone from a 3 seater, to a 5 seater and has a gas bottle, cooker, kitchen units, fridge, etc so it more load laden than an empty T5 van. Plus the M4 toll bridge is now cheaper too, win win.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/car-der...
It goes on the dry weight as published my the manufacturer. Mine is a 2014 with a dry weight of less than 2,000 Kgs.
It goes on the dry weight as published my the manufacturer. Mine is a 2014 with a dry weight of less than 2,000 Kgs.
I've driven a VW Transporter with just under the max weight load. It was a rainy day and I just about crapped myself when I tried to brake from 50mph. I'd say it was at least twice the stopping distance of my CRV. I would hate to drive one on a really slippy road at the speeds some drivers drive them. (I was overtaken ny one the other day - I (yep, I confess) was doing 80mph. I reckon he was near the ton, and looking at the spread of his rear tyres, he was pretty laden. I'd have hated to be the vehicle in front of him if he had to do an emergency stop.
grumpyscot said:
I've driven a VW Transporter with just under the max weight load. It was a rainy day and I just about crapped myself when I tried to brake from 50mph. I'd say it was at least twice the stopping distance of my CRV. I would hate to drive one on a really slippy road at the speeds some drivers drive them. (I was overtaken ny one the other day - I (yep, I confess) was doing 80mph. I reckon he was near the ton, and looking at the spread of his rear tyres, he was pretty laden. I'd have hated to be the vehicle in front of him if he had to do an emergency stop.
Are you saying he wouldn't be able to stop in the same distance as an HGV?Gassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff