Warning for any LGV drivers

[hotrs2000]

Police to Use Units to Catch Offenders

those of you that haven't seen it before this is the Scania tractor which has recently been used by the Central Motorway Police Group to catch HGV drivers using a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving which, as you all know, is against the law. And why use a truck? Because it allows the Police officer sitting in the passenger seat and holding a digital camera to look DIRECTLY into the cab of the offending truck as it's at the same height.....?

During the course of a number of runs up and down the motorway the Police found a variety of offences being committed by HGV drivers including one who was holding a mobile in each hand and texting with both of them! A foreign driver was also found to be watching a DVD on his laptop ...well it makes a change for them to be watching the telly rather than cooking their dinner while driving....They found many drivers not wearing their seat belts too. Meanwhile Allan opines: "My first thought though is how really is it going to work? With the speed limiter on the truck it’s not so easy just to 'pass' another truck. Even without a trailer, as I imagine they will do, it’s still not the same thing as cruising past in a patrol car...?" Interesting point. But there's no doubt that the last thing a driver on a hand-held mobile phone would expect to be pulled over by...a Scania tractor, especially one with blues and twos!

[richard wilson]

i have seen this lovely gentleman(not realy the name i wanted to say) on the M5 a few times, it is drove by a very nice man called angus nairn(well thats not wot i wanted to say either) all i want to say is this is ! man you dont want to meet if you drive a lorry and your irish cause for some unknown reason he dosnt like us

[brotherhood]

I drive a truck from j11 M6 to j1 M5 most days and haven't yet seen this police truck. I had heard about it though and to be totally honest is a brilliant idea. Although I wouldn't have police splattered all over it and I'd pull a tariler too just to blend in a bit more. At the end of the day we are in charge of something that can weigh upto 44 tones ( that's 44 times the weight of the average car ) try stopping that at the last second!! You need full concentration all the time. I could go on for ages about the minority in cars that don't have a clue when it comes to trucks but I'll be here for ever.
If you drive a truck you're at work every second that it's moving, no stopping for a rest like behind a desk or under a bonnet so if you're caught doing something you shouldn't whilst driving.... tough!!
I know all the p1ss take about sitting on your arse all day but try it, see how knackered you get. For once ( and only once) I back the police here!!

[BIGYIN77]

Like the way you describe him as a gentleman hemarroid more like ,have driven for lots of irish hauliers and know what you mean about not being liked by the powers that be and always being told when being checked that you irishmen are all the same even though i am scottish it may say INDIA on the tyres dont mean they come from there is the reply i always give to that statement cheers Wullie

[RSMEXICO]

The Police truck is a little sneaky perhaps and highlights the lengths and expenditure they will go to make the point about mobile phones. I certainly agree with Brotherhood on the concentration issue, though that has always been the case; but for me Truck Driving seems less of a skill than it was 15 or 20 years ago. Massively overpowered units with automatic gearboxes have made in-roads to this argument and also made it more accessible to people who perhaps would not have looked at the job in decades past. As for Irish Hauliers, I wouldn't dare comment....

[hotrs2000]

I also think it's a great idea, just wanted to warn you all.
Our drivers all want one of these new trucks, just to ensure the mail gets there on time.

[richard wilson]

i know wot you lads mean bout the irish hauliersdriving nite and day up and down the road at 70mph been there and done it years ago with differant firms but them days are long gone now and thank god they arebut my cry is the job is hard enough with vosa check points everywhere you go and thrown fine at you for the slightest small thing wrong with your truck or trailer or you taco cards i had got stopped 14 times from the start of november to the end of february in south wales,england and scotland i had a mate done the other week in scotland for not having a spare pair of driving glasses in the lorry and companys crying down the fone if you are late cause there has been a pile up on the motorway and they just close the road for hours on end, yes there is alot of forigen drivers out there driving along useing laptops while they drive and i agree to this being stoped cause the biggest lot of the smashs on the roads is taliban drivers.

[RSMEXICO]

"My first thought though is how really is it going to work? With the speed limiter on the truck it’s not so easy just to 'pass' another truck. Even without a trailer, as I imagine they will do, it’s still not the same thing as cruising past in a patrol car...?"

I'll wager the crafty buggers have either increased the limited speed to 60mph (as is still the legal norm on a motorway, unless limited otherwise) or disabled it altogether...

[driverace]

Truckers

the reason a lot of foriegn truck drivers have a lap top on the dash is because they run it as a sat nav system,as its easier to see ,and clearer/..
The most frightening thing I have seen is 6 or 7 trucks all following each other,in single file,with NO MORE than a 5 metre gap between then,film on in the opposite corner of the cab steering with the third hand knob,seat reclined AND their feet up on the DASH,all at 100Km,on the road over the moors coming up from Salamanca to Valladolid and Burgos in Spain.
All were Spanish and Portuguese drivers
Now what happens if one blows a tyre or an engine????

[mike77cos]

I bet it has the limiter taken off, all blue light services are limiter and tacho exempt

[oggie snr]

Police to Use Units to Catch Offenders

those of you that haven't seen it before this is the Scania tractor which has recently been used by the Central Motorway Police Group to catch HGV drivers using a hand-held mobile phone whilst driving which, as you all know, is against the law. And why use a truck? Because it allows the Police officer sitting in the passenger seat and holding a digital camera to look DIRECTLY into the cab of the offending truck as it's at the same height.....?

During the course of a number of runs up and down the motorway the Police found a variety of offences being committed by HGV drivers including one who was holding a mobile in each hand and texting with both of them! A foreign driver was also found to be watching a DVD on his laptop ...well it makes a change for them to be watching the telly rather than cooking their dinner while driving....They found many drivers not wearing their seat belts too. Meanwhile Allan opines: "My first thought though is how really is it going to work? With the speed limiter on the truck it’s not so easy just to 'pass' another truck. Even without a trailer, as I imagine they will do, it’s still not the same thing as cruising past in a patrol car...?" Interesting point. But there's no doubt that the last thing a driver on a hand-held mobile phone would expect to be pulled over by...a Scania tractor, especially one with blues and twos!

Never let it said that truckers are thick if they can do all that and still drive at the sane time puts a women’s theory of been the best at multitasking in the shade I say

[LOUIE]

is the other reason for it being a truck that they can remove your trailer and then send a low loader for thetractor unit???

got stopped by the ministry the other week in a tipper and they couldnt off been more helpful, irish plates so assumed i wasnt legal
just feel its a shame they dont clamp down on the polish/european trucks more,


just aslong as they dont dip the sprinter at the lakes we'll be fine

[delrs2]

was on one of the new driver cpc courses the other day and this truck was mentioned,they said the limiter was lifted,just tryin to make the job harder!!

[vtaggart]

I'll wager the crafty buggers have either increased the limited speed to 60mph (as is still the legal norm on a motorway, unless limited otherwise) or disabled it altogether...

Magnet missing from glovebox perhaps

Vince