Private HGV

Oh, and Specs cameras know if you are restricted to 60 - mate of mine was ticketed for doing 70 on A14 when he was restricted to 60. Ignorance was not accepted as an excuse......
 
What @DuxDeluxe said, and also be aware of weight restrictions. Particularly in France, where huge sections of motorway are 80kph for over 3.5t! A few countries in Europe do ban vehicles over 3.5t using the outside lane on a motorway, Belgium is one I believe.
Apart from those, we have never really had an issue, and really appreciate the extra room we get from a big van :D

As an addendum, if you are over 7.5t but have a speed limiter fitted, I was under the impression that you were permitted to use the outside lane!
 
Lane 3 of a 3 lane motorway has a 7.5 tonne weight limit.

If you are over 3.5 but below 7.5 and have a speed limiter fitted you are also banned from lane 3.

You can also not tow a trailer in lane 3

Lane 2 of a 2 lane motorway has no weight restriction. Although some local restriction apply in some areas.

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Sorry @Jabberwocky I just looked up the road traffic act, turns out we are both wrong:

It is an offence to drive a vehicle in the outside lane of a motorway which is:

  1. towing a trailer; or
  2. a goods vehicle with a maximum laden weight exceeding 7.5 tonnes; or
  3. a goods vehicle between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes without a speedlimiter being fitted; or
  4. a passenger vehicle which can carry 8 or more passengers with a maximum laden weight exceeding 7.5 tonnes; or
  5. a passenger vehicle which can carry 8 or more passengers with a maximum laden weight between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes without a speedlimiter being fitted.
 
Oooh! Thought of another one, you can't use the regular vignette in Switzerland or Austria. In Switzerland you have to register at the border, in Austria you need a go box to use the motorways.
 
White van man at risk then no limiter except pedal to the metal
 
DanielFord said:
Sorry @Jabberwocky I just looked up the road traffic act, turns out we are both wrong:

It is an offence to drive a vehicle in the outside lane of a motorway which is:

  1. towing a trailer; or
  2. a goods vehicle with a maximum laden weight exceeding 7.5 tonnes; or
  3. a goods vehicle between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes without a speedlimiter being fitted; or
  4. a passenger vehicle which can carry 8 or more passengers with a maximum laden weight exceeding 7.5 tonnes; or
  5. a passenger vehicle which can carry 8 or more passengers with a maximum laden weight between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes without a speedlimiter being fitted.
Click to expand...
Hmmmm, number three seems a bit odd. So if you are limited to what? 56 mph/65mph you CAN go in lane three of three but if you can get your overtake done more quickly say at 70mph your not allowed too? Seems a bit strange dunnitt? (n)

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DanielFord said:
Sorry @Jabberwocky I just looked up the road traffic act, turns out we are both wrong:

It is an offence to drive a vehicle in the outside lane of a motorway which is:

  1. towing a trailer; or
  2. a goods vehicle with a maximum laden weight exceeding 7.5 tonnes; or
  3. a goods vehicle between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes without a speedlimiter being fitted; or
  4. a passenger vehicle which can carry 8 or more passengers with a maximum laden weight exceeding 7.5 tonnes; or
  5. a passenger vehicle which can carry 8 or more passengers with a maximum laden weight between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes without a speedlimiter being fitted.
Click to expand...

That makes good sense then, vehicles with a speed limiter at 56 mph are presumably allowed in the third lane!!
 
matamoros said:
That makes good sense then, vehicles with a speed limiter at 56 mph are presumably allowed in the third lane!!
Click to expand...
Why does that make sense when unlimited aren't allowed in the third lane?
 
For abroad ... have 2 registration docs and plates for van ... one at 3,500kg and one at 4,250kg ... :rolleyes:
 
Hey! Don't shoot the messenger :D I only quoted the law :D
And to be frank, I have no idea why an unlimited 5t vehicle is not permitted in the outside lane, but a limited one is!

I think in this case the limiter in question is the kind that you set the limit yourself, Mercedes Sprinters certainly have them now. You set the limit, and the van won't exceed the limit, unless you hoof it to the floor. Which raises even more questions, the van does have a limiter, but there is no legal requirement for it to be switched on, just that it be present!

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I seem to recall around the Loire Valley especially different types of 3.5t limits, some applied to all vehicles, others only to goods vehicles.
 
M Hs are neither goods vehicles or pcv s , speed limiters are not required, you may enter the outside lane if you are under 7.5ton and not towing. The 60 mph limit is a bit grey on dual carriageways, The Specs are set for hgv s on the A14 and A15. Single lane carriageway is now of course 50mph .

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DuxDeluxe said:
50 single
60 dual
70 motorway

Outside lane only restricted if you are either towing or over 7.5 tonnes
Click to expand...
Not true, for Motorhomes on UK roads the gross weight has no bearing on speed limits, the lower speed limits apply only if the unladen weight is over 3050 kg.
 
DanielFord said:
Sorry @Jabberwocky I just looked up the road traffic act, turns out we are both wrong:

It is an offence to drive a vehicle in the outside lane of a motorway which is:

  1. towing a trailer; or
  2. a goods vehicle with a maximum laden weight exceeding 7.5 tonnes; or
  3. a goods vehicle between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes without a speedlimiter being fitted; or
  4. a passenger vehicle which can carry 8 or more passengers with a maximum laden weight exceeding 7.5 tonnes; or
  5. a passenger vehicle which can carry 8 or more passengers with a maximum laden weight between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes without a speedlimiter being fitted.
Click to expand...

I dont know where your going with this. None of these apply to a Motorhome. Private HGV is only a tax class. It doesnt make it a commercial vehicle.

The Swiss comment is correct, but the HGV toll is advantageous for most people. DONT go to Austria.

The french speed restrictions on the A10 (e.g) are a little spurious but dont really matter to UK vehicles as we dont share details with them, so unless they stop you in the act and physically look at your plate it doesnt matter. before you cry fowl - we ve been on the A10 Bordeaux ring road etc where much larger vehicles than us have flown by.

Jon
 
Lenny HB said:
Not true, for Motorhomes on UK roads the gross weight has no bearing on speed limits, the lower speed limits apply only if the unladen weight is over 3050 kg.
Click to expand...
You are correct but not a point I would like to argue against a speeding ticket and didn't want to muddy the waters. I knew, however that someone would come up with it, but couldn't be bothered to edit it. For all practical purposes nearly every PHGV motorhome will be over 3050 unladen anyway, so it is a bit of a moot point
 
DuxDeluxe said:
You are correct but not a point I would like to argue against a speeding ticket and didn't want to muddy the waters. I knew, however that someone would come up with it, but couldn't be bothered to edit it. For all practical purposes nearly every PHGV motorhome will be over 3050 unladen anyway, so it is a bit of a moot point
Click to expand...
Mines not.:)

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Because whenever we are in our MoHo were on holiday so what's the rush? I'm ex HGV and still run at the 3050kg limits on main roads, 55/60 on m/ways and very rarely go in the third lane unless there's two pricks battling it out mile after mile over one mph blocking lane two.:mad:
 
Lenny HB said:
Mines not.:)
Click to expand...
Fair enough but as I said, nearly all are. Don't moan if you are caught by a specs camera array and then have to jump through hoops trying to prove your unladen weight is less than 3050.

I don't want to get into a peeing contest about this so I'll be sticking to 50/60/70
 
never use the third lane, full of speeding, too close together bmw and merc drivers.
im on holiday, why rush
ps. don't handle that well over 70 anyway,lol:)
 
Whenever I use lane 3, I seem to get caught up with a driver following these steps:

  1. I shall drive along at 50 in the middle lane thank you very much!
  2. Oh no! A big thing is overtaking me in lane three, I'd better speed up to 70.
  3. Thank god! Big thing has pulled back in behind me!
  4. Go to step 1.
 

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