Police horses, Police cars, Police Vans... but Police HGVs?

[CraigyMc]

6289steve said:

CraigyMc said:

normalbloke said:

CraigyMc said:

Southerner said:

I'd have thought a lone, unbranded tractor unit prowling the motorways would be fairly easy to spot really, once there's a bit of awareness. Cabs running minus a trailer aren't overly common, particularly up and down m-ways, especially newish models in plain white.

They sometimes run about with trailers on.

Never,ever seen or heard of that. Happy to be proved wrong though.

I read it in one of the articles about this. It stuck in the mind as I was wondering how they'd qualify a trailer for 70mph..

No trailers. 3 tractor units supplied by National Highways as part of their commitment to road safety. Loaned to police forces across England, driven by police officers with police officer recording offences.

I read the same story. And also another that related the trailer.

[Vintagejock]

They are limited like other emergency vehicles. Only when the blue lights are activated is it overridden. V-max won't be much higher than the national speed. The tyres wouldn't take it .

[blueST]

6289steve said:

No trailers. 3 tractor units supplied by National Highways as part of their commitment to road safety. Loaned to police forces across England, driven by police officers with police officer recording offences.

This is all correct. The overarching project name is Tramline. It began from a trial with one force in the SE a few years ago and is now business as usual across England. The usual 56mph limiter is raised to 70mph. Three is the base number of cabs, north, central, south. More are sometimes rented during planned operations. All the officers that drive it have passed their HGV test. Enforcement with these cabs is focused on the Strategic Road Network, but can happen elsewhere. They have magnetic police style livery for use at events, PR etc. This all applies to the National Highways run cabs.

Some forces occasionally sort their own cabs separately for their own purposes E.g. hunting diesel thieves in services. I believe Police Scotland have also started a running a “Tramline” cab, but it is organised separately to the ones in England.

[littleredrooster]

Vintagejock said:

They are limited like other emergency vehicles. Only when the blue lights are activated is it overridden. V-max won't be much higher than the national speed. The tyres wouldn't take it .

They need to ask the Irish lads what they use, then. Doesn't seem to a limiting factor for them when chasing a Stranraer ferry!

[donkmeister]

Wonder if they ever race against fire engines?

[s p a c e m a n]

You've got to be paying absolutely no attention to your surroundings to be caught out by one whilst driving another lorry, which I guess are the types of drivers they're after anyway.

Two blokes in high Viz flying up the middle lane of the motorway behind you without a trailer stands out quite a bit

[and31]

Vintagejock said:

They are limited like other emergency vehicles. Only when the blue lights are activated is it overridden. V-max won't be much higher than the national speed. The tyres wouldn't take it .

The one they were using on the A11 in Norfolk last year was was just a normal tractor unit,no lights or anything and that certainly wasn’t limited.

[and31]

vikingaero said:

It's really scary knowing that (mainly) HGV drivers are so distracted with their phones and even worse watching films on laptops and mobiles and possibly wiping out your family in their car. I think we need to start moving on from 6 points and fines to confiscating phones/laptops and destroying them/ It's the only narrative these people will understand.

How is it mainly HGV drivers are distracted by their phones?-I see far more car drivers fking about with their phones than I do lorry drivers…

If caught on the phone driving an hgv the driver might well find themselves going for a chat with the Traffic Commissioner,and end up with a loss of their vocational licence for a while.

Edited by and31 on Thursday 30th March 21:42

[blueST]

and31 said:

Vintagejock said:

They are limited like other emergency vehicles. Only when the blue lights are activated is it overridden. V-max won't be much higher than the national speed. The tyres wouldn't take it .

The one they were using on the A11 in Norfolk last year was was just a normal tractor unit,no lights or anything and that certainly wasn’t limited.

As above, the National Highways ones have the limiter increased. It's not linked to the use of the lights. The lights fitted are hidden in the grille/windscreen.

[Mr Miata]

normalbloke said:

Bigends said:

BTP used trains at one time - to catch kids and other trespassers

Helicopters too..

Helicopters are very very expensive to run and maintain. I often wonder if the use of helicopters for minor offences even worth it?

Congratulations, the criminal has got a suspended sentence and 2 bob fine. But it’s cost the tax payer £10,000

[Hill92]

Mr Miata said:

normalbloke said:

Bigends said:

BTP used trains at one time - to catch kids and other trespassers

Helicopters too..

Helicopters are very very expensive to run and maintain. I often wonder if the use of helicopters for minor offences even worth it?

Congratulations, the criminal has got a suspended sentence and 2 bob fine. But it’s cost the tax payer £10,000

With BTP an offence of trespassing might be relatively minor but if forces trains to stop at a cost of millions to the railways then tasking a helicopter to track down the trespassers and direct ground units to remove them from railway property more than pays for itself.

[Voldemort]

Timely BBC article

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-651250...

[vikingaero]

and31 said:

vikingaero said:

It's really scary knowing that (mainly) HGV drivers are so distracted with their phones and even worse watching films on laptops and mobiles and possibly wiping out your family in their car. I think we need to start moving on from 6 points and fines to confiscating phones/laptops and destroying them/ It's the only narrative these people will understand.

How is it mainly HGV drivers are distracted by their phones?-I see far more car drivers fking about with their phones than I do lorry drivers…

If caught on the phone driving an hgv the driver might well find themselves going for a chat with the Traffic Commissioner,and end up with a loss of their vocational licence for a while.

Edited by and31 on Thursday 30th March 21:42

You're right. There are far more car drivers on the road and therefore more using mobiles. But most of the time you'll never see a HGV driver using their phone because they are too high up. My point is that the destructive capability of a HGV is far greater than a car.

If you watch any of the videos on YouTube, you'll find the Police HGV catches as many car drivers on their phones as HGV drivers.

[iDrive]

Vintagejock said:

They are limited like other emergency vehicles. Only when the blue lights are activated is it overridden. V-max won't be much higher than the national speed. The tyres wouldn't take it .

Not sure where you get the idea that being limited is in any way linked to blue lights - Not true and never has been.

No requirement to illuminate blue lights to exceed speed limits either in law or any force policy.

[Its Just Adz]

I've seen one of them on the M5, came up beside me and took me a few seconds to realise it was staying along side and a passenger was videoing me.
Once happy I was legal it took off, fully marked 3 series a few cars behind waiting to help.

As a hgv driver I welcome it! So many I see using the phone, feet on the dash, just generally taking the piss.