Que??

[James Deuce]

http://xtramsn.co.nz/news/0,,3882-3301253,00.html

I'm confused. I've NEVER seen a heavy vehicle travelling at 80kph on the open road, including school buses.

How come they get a 10-20km/hr lenience?

[Motu]

Yeah,how many times have you been doing 100kph in your car and have a B train half a metre from your bumper,then he pulls out doing 110 or more? I don't let it happen on a bike,but in a car you can't get out of the way.Obviously the speedo in every vehicle I've owned has been reading wrong.

[Ms Piggy]

I thought it was a bit of a joke really, I mean I wouldn't think any of them travelled at 80. Heck I've happily travelled behind trucks going 110 at times.

[Jackrat]

Yeah bit of a joke that.
Now they can spread cow shit at a higher speed.
Must get better coverage or something.
I travel the Matamata route to Tirau from AK on a regular basis,My wife calls that road "Death ally" due to all the crosses on the road side.35 at last count.
And you are right,I have never seen a truck sticking to the limit down there.
The bloody cops just seem to ignore them while they ping private drivers for a few Kms over.

[MikeL]

The bloody cops just seem to ignore them while they ping private drivers for a few Kms over.

Perhaps someone with more inside knowledge than I have could confirm or refute this. It is certainly my impression - but, hey, anecdotal evidence doesn't count, does it???

(If it is the case, perhaps the rationale is that truckies are all experienced professional drivers and so can be allowed a bit of leeway - not like us amateurs who are just accidents waiting to happen as soon as we hit 101.)

And I know, but wouldn't the roads be a lot more pleasant to ride or drive on if NZ did what most of the rest of the world does and used trains for freight instead of trucks??

[Ms Piggy]

...the logic behind increasing the trucking speed restriction is safety, while learners riders are still expected to ride at 70kms/hr on the open road Not that I've ever been pinged for going 100 with my L plate on but sheesh.

[SPman]

Whilst going to the track time the other Friday, it was slightly nerve wracking wending through (Atlas)Truck and trailers at 125KPH, concrete trucks (3x) at 115 (racing to get back to the depot?) and the guy in the Carr & Haslam loaded car transporter who pulled out and passed a T&T just as I was about to!!!
It was a relief to get to the track!

[Hitcher]

I'm confused. I've NEVER seen a heavy vehicle travelling at 80kph on the open road, including school buses.

How come they get a 10-20km/hr lenience?

And cars with trailers!! As Pajeros and Prados are technically trucks, how come they don't get pinged for going faster than 80kmh?

[pete376403]

Is there a weight break which determines car or truck? At the vehicle testing station the other day, while getting a warrant for the GS (which it did, braided hoses, worn disks and all) attached to the brake testing roller console there was a chart of common vehicle weights. Nissan Grand something was a little over three tonnes, in fact everything over 2 tonnes was a Jap SUV. Jeep Cherokee was a relative lightweight at 1.6 tonne

[wkid_one]

And I know, but wouldn't the roads be a lot more pleasant to ride or drive on if NZ did what most of the rest of the world does and used trains for freight instead of trucks??

Trucks are less inclined to be blinded by spray etc in the wet as they sit above the level of the water.

Also - re your comments about rail - we are as much to blame for this as anyone. We go in to shops demanding the products we want are there that day or the next - thereby meaning road freight is the only way to keep up with this instant demand. Rail is only used for non time sensitive freight purely because it can't be trusted for urgent stuff.

Just as a thought - last time you mailed something - did you specify that it go as rail freight? I thought not - you are perpetuating your own gripe.

[pete376403]

Logs are time sensitive? The Rimutakas are clogged with logging trucks. That, if nothing else, should be going by rail

[wkid_one]

And cars with trailers!! As Pajeros and Prados are technically trucks, how come they don't get pinged for going faster than 80kmh?

No they aren't....refer to the LTSA for the definition of a truck.

A heavy vehicle is defined as follows:

Any vehicle which has a gross vehicle mass of over 3500 kg is classified as a heavy vehicle. This includes trucks, buses, coaches, large passenger vehicles and larger campervans.

What vehicles are limited to 80kph?

Trucks attached to trailers by a drawbar (connecting pole) are currently subject to an 80 km/h limit. There are two types of these - known as truck and trailer units and A-train units.

What is the speed limit for heavy vehicles other than the above?

The regulation will instigate a uniform speed limit of 90 km/h for all heavy vehicles, except school buses. While for most heavy vehicles, there is no change, at the moment there are two different speed limits - 80 km/h and 90 km/h - for different trailer configurations. Currently 84% of the heavy vehicle fleet is subject to the 90km/h limit, while 16% are subject to the 80km/h limit. While 16% of the truck fleet will be able to go faster under the new regulation, the discretion for all heavy vehicles applied by police enforcing the speed limit will be reduced from 10 km/h to 5 km/h. This will encourage more heavy vehicles to stick to the speed limit.
This will be in the Heavy Motor Vehicle Amendment Regulations (No. 2) 2004 and Traffic Amendment Regulations (No. 2) 2004

There is also the Vehicle Dimensions and Mass Rule - which requires larger types of heavy vehicles to undergo certification (and in some cases modification) to meet a new static roll threshold (SRT) requirement. The trucking industry has now complied with this requirement which means larger trucks are more stable and thus safer to drive at the 90 km/h speed limit.

Don't bag truck drivers - they can undergo a COF and any weight station or any time they are pulled over by the CVIU.....you car can last 6 -12 months with out a WOF as no one checks.

Also - for trucks drivers - they only make money if their truck is on the road - so they tend to be pretty well maintained as to hire a rental truck when theirs breaksdown costs a fortune.

Truck drivers and firms are also subject to LTSA Audits - whereby the mobile crew will pick a company and undertake a complete audit of the trucks RUC, Logbooks, Truck maintenance etc - this can cost shitloads if your trucks aren't up to spec.

Also - these guys spend a FORTUNE in RUC - none of which they see on the road.

Take a 29 Ton GVM Vehicle with a 11 Ton Tare pulling a 6 Ton Tare trailer - carrying about 24 tonne of metal everyday. A 24 tonne sticker will cost him $240/1000km. They will possibly do 7-10,000km a month give or take. Add that up....that is a lot of money for the priviledge of driving. On top of that - you need to make sure your weights on each axle are within the maximum allowances etc etc etc.

[wkid_one]

Logs are time sensitive? The Rimutakas are clogged with logging trucks. That, if nothing else, should be going by rail

Yes they are time sensitive - more often than not - you are running to the times of the mills and the boats. You then need to have a rail siding as close as possible to the forestry block being felled at the time, along with sufficient clearances in the rail timetable (remember, the main line to Wellington is littered with Urban Trains in both directions every 20 mins). Not as easy as you think.

I work with a couple of the mills in the Wairarapa - and rail is not as easy as you think - or reliable.

[Kickaha]

Having spent some time in and around trucks its quite interesting to hear the comments of the truck drivers regarding car drivers,they're not that much different from what the motorcyclists say.

Recently I got a ride to Picton with a mate who does that run everyday and found the ignorance of the car drivers quite frustrating,if a faster vehicle comes up behind you for F%$Ks sake get outta the bloody way,even when there is room they still don't move over,while I was on the bike every truck I came up behind either moved over or waved me through.

[merv]

I used to work for the railway and its come too late for my career but with the Government buying back the tracks they need to invest money in that infrastructure as well as roads so that freight is attracted back to rail. Biggest problem in my view was every time I drive or ride a highway the highway has had bits cut out of it and its straightened, widened, levelled or whatever making the journey so much easier for trucks but boring for us. With rail there has not been a curve easement to speak of since the "think big" electrification project which was completed in 1988. Rail must now be at least an hour or two slower Auck-Wellington than the comparative truck time improvements since 1988 (some of that is rig power improvements too). That is the pattern for most roads e.g. Wellington-Napier, Picton-ChCh. Michael Cullen is talking some investment, but the amount he is talking about is minimal compared to what would be needed to make a significant difference to rail.

As for speeds, I would prefer to see all speed limits the same so I could tow my trailer at 100 legally.

Also I agree that most truck drivers are far more considerate than the average Joe (represented in that studio audience that only knew 40% of the road rules) and nothing is more frustrating than dorks that won't get out of the way. Holidaying in Coromandel at Xmas time, man the dorks that were heading north up from Coromandel on that narrow coastal road towing their boats at about 20 or more under the limit.