Discussion
Now can you imagine these vehicles on our small motorways and even trying to enter the town centres.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/new...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/new...
esselte said:
We'll be getting these next...
A mate of mine used to drive these. He tells me that the deadlines were so tight to get a load to the destination that it was common practice (in the 70's and 80's) for the drivers to take speed to stay awake.I'd love to have a go in one though.
TonyHetherington said:
They'd take 3 hours to over take one another 
They could only be used in limited places though; basically, "blatting" up and down the motorway and the destination and origin would have to be on the motorway or literally just off it. Any more and they wouldn't work, surely?
Hi! Quick visit taking a break from over on the Inselkampf game where we all are these days.They could only be used in limited places though; basically, "blatting" up and down the motorway and the destination and origin would have to be on the motorway or literally just off it. Any more and they wouldn't work, surely?
Basically these will only be used on designated permitted routes and will not be used on byways etc. It's the same situation as trombone trailers and other longish loads, you declare a route to the Traffic commissioners and you have to stick to it. No nipping through a housing estate because of a traffic back up.
The Denby road train is capable of meeting the EU turning circle legislation. Stan Robinson was campaigning for road trains using a much simpler setup but his rig can't meet the turning circle limits.
You get these in Scandinavia and they work well. Problem is that the space available and traffic density is far lower so we are comparing apples and oranges.
Of course as is normal these days the cyclist / journalist / Mail editor don't let the facts get in the way of a good rant.
Rearward visibility is a problem on anything but the straightest of roads, however I believe that can be overcome.
TonyHetherington said:
Surely rearward visibility is easily, very easily, fixed with a rear view camera?
I guess they're all normal-lorry-width, just simply 3 or 4 times lorry length?!
Interesting
Yes normal width.I guess they're all normal-lorry-width, just simply 3 or 4 times lorry length?!
Interesting
Agan yes camera for rear view ie what is behind the rear trailer.
It's the view along the side that gets a bit problematical, particularly the extrados.
duff said:
Here we go.....since when was overtaking automatically considered racing? 
Don't be so sensitive, "Elephant racing" is simply a phrase coined to describe the silly truckers whose only form of entertainment on the road is attemping to overtake a truck doing 0.01mph slower than they can manage. Extra points for every mile of tailback they can create.duff said:
Festisio said:
Oh joy.
I can't wait till we get these elephant racing each other.
Here we go.....since when was overtaking automatically considered racing? I can't wait till we get these elephant racing each other.
As in trying to get one big thing to pass another with a speed difference of 0.1 mph and blocking the "track" up behind them....
I understand that the trailers of Aussie roadtrains wander around all over the road and are impossible to overtake. That would be fun on the M1 
OTOH, these LHVs may be inevitable. There's such a shortage of HGV drivers that each one has to transport more. Not nice to consider round miniroundabouts when their satnav takes them the wrong way, but I guess we've managed with all the other increases (with the politicians' promise of "just this one more increase" each time) so we'll cope with these too. I remember when 32T was big and now they're, what, 56T?
OTOH, these LHVs may be inevitable. There's such a shortage of HGV drivers that each one has to transport more. Not nice to consider round miniroundabouts when their satnav takes them the wrong way, but I guess we've managed with all the other increases (with the politicians' promise of "just this one more increase" each time) so we'll cope with these too. I remember when 32T was big and now they're, what, 56T?
Mr2Mike said:
duff said:
Here we go.....since when was overtaking automatically considered racing?
Don't be so sensitive, "Elephant racing" is simply a phrase coined to describe the silly truckers whose only form of entertainment on the road is attemping to overtake a truck doing 0.01mph slower than they can manage. Extra points for every mile of tailback they can create.
HGV drivers are not very good at changing lanes properly as it is.
The minister responsible for allowing these on our roads will have blood on his/her hands when not if the first accident occurs and the first life is lost.
We haven't got them now and we don't need them.
Given that HGV's badly hold up traffic by hogging the two inside lanes during their ten miles 15 minute overtaking manouvres as it is the these monstrosities will only cause a greater delay.
I suspect they will mostly be driven by foreign drivers too who will add to the danger being unsighted for pulling out with a huge blindspot.
and I suspect there aren't actually many filling stations capable of handling them.
In Leeds we have a tandem bendy bus which when it stops actually covers a pedestrian crossing so you can't cross even when the green man is on.
The minister responsible for allowing these on our roads will have blood on his/her hands when not if the first accident occurs and the first life is lost.
We haven't got them now and we don't need them.
Given that HGV's badly hold up traffic by hogging the two inside lanes during their ten miles 15 minute overtaking manouvres as it is the these monstrosities will only cause a greater delay.
I suspect they will mostly be driven by foreign drivers too who will add to the danger being unsighted for pulling out with a huge blindspot.
and I suspect there aren't actually many filling stations capable of handling them.
In Leeds we have a tandem bendy bus which when it stops actually covers a pedestrian crossing so you can't cross even when the green man is on.
mark69sheer said:
HGV drivers are not very good at changing lanes properly as it is.
The minister responsible for allowing these on our roads will have blood on his/her hands when not if the first accident occurs and the first life is lost.
We haven't got them now and we don't need them.
Given that HGV's badly hold up traffic by hogging the two inside lanes during their ten miles 15 minute overtaking manouvres as it is the these monstrosities will only cause a greater delay.
I suspect they will mostly be driven by foreign drivers too who will add to the danger being unsighted for pulling out with a huge blindspot.
and I suspect there aren't actually many filling stations capable of handling them.
In Leeds we have a tandem bendy bus which when it stops actually covers a pedestrian crossing so you can't cross even when the green man is on.
The minister responsible for allowing these on our roads will have blood on his/her hands when not if the first accident occurs and the first life is lost.
We haven't got them now and we don't need them.
Given that HGV's badly hold up traffic by hogging the two inside lanes during their ten miles 15 minute overtaking manouvres as it is the these monstrosities will only cause a greater delay.
I suspect they will mostly be driven by foreign drivers too who will add to the danger being unsighted for pulling out with a huge blindspot.
and I suspect there aren't actually many filling stations capable of handling them.
In Leeds we have a tandem bendy bus which when it stops actually covers a pedestrian crossing so you can't cross even when the green man is on.
mark69sheer said:
I suspect there aren't actually many filling stations capable of handling them.
In Leeds we have a tandem bendy bus which when it stops actually covers a pedestrian crossing so you can't cross even when the green man is on.
edited to keep just the sensible bits.In Leeds we have a tandem bendy bus which when it stops actually covers a pedestrian crossing so you can't cross even when the green man is on.
its probably true that almost nowhere is suited to them, normal HGVs have their work cutout to get around a lot of service stations & thats before numpty car drivers park in the way because they cant walk an extra 3ft from the proper space.
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