Extra long articulated truck

[RogerS]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8387774.stm

The makers claim that there will be less accidents. Right. Just imagine following one of these down many of our narrow windy A roads.

 

[Mcluma]

Absolutely fabulous, what a great piece of britisch engeneering, that is what britain is great for ....engeneering =D> =D> =D>

 

[Argee]

They're no different to drive than an ordinary unit and semi-trailer and - due to the rear connection configuration - follow in the same path as one without the additional trailer. Six or eight-wheel rigid trucks with a two or three-axle trailer (known in the trade as "danglers") have been around for years and no-one has complained vociferously about them, AFAIK.

As with all multi-jointed road trains, the difficulty is in reversing them. Reversing an articulated vehicle is actually quite easy, once you get the idea, then the knack, plus powered steering has made things a lot easier than when I was in haulage for a living.

Reversing a "dangler" is a bit more difficult, because it's "double-jointed," which makes for a bit more planning and lateral thinking, but you could always drop it, turn round, re-hook and push it backwards with the towing vehicle.

Reversing the artic and trailer road train isn't impossible, but it is very difficult in comparison. Sometimes, the only way is not to attempt it at all, but to park up the second trailer, then re-hitch the unit to it after removing the front dolly axle set.

That's a lot of faffing about, but with suitable planning and the end to slavishly following unreliable satnavs, I don't see much of a problem, TBH.

Ray

 

[devonwoody]

I've seem some big buggers abroad and I dont like being sandwiched between them, especially if flying the Jack on the rear windscreen.

 

[RogerS]

You're missing my point. We don't have the roads for these. Great on a motorway and dual carriageways but certainly out of place on any of the main roads round here. The extra length means that overtaking is going to be nigh on impossible or at best extremely risky.

 

[wizer]

Don't see a problem meself?

 

[user 5053]

If you live in Wales, Herefordshire, Worcs and the West Country with the very poor narrow, windy, hilly roads etc these sort of vehicles will be an absolute nightmare. They will grind along at 20 mph. We need to get far more freight off the roads onto canal and rail and buy local.

 

[RogerS]

OK ...take the A4103 from Worcester to Hereford. It's about 34 miles long. It is single carriageway apart from two small stretches of two lanes - each about 1/3 mile long. There are a few straightish sections where you can just about overtake a normal artic - if you have a reasonably high-powered vehicle and there's nothing coming the other way. But with this monster, even in the Honda S2000 or RX-8 I'd struggle and so would resign myself to driving in the convoy - for that is exactly what you will see. A bloody long convoy.

But many people won't. They will get frustrated and so attempt daft overtaking attempts. Yes...I hear the sucking in of the teeth...the shaking of the heads...the tut-tutting. But they will. They will also have a head on or cause an accident.

EDIT: Soulfly - you have hit it on the head.

 

[Argee]

Great on a motorway and dual carriageways ...

Which is what they're designed for. You can't ban a vehicle because it won't fit on ALL roads, that's both draconian and nonsensical.

I accept that there are many, many roads where such a vehicle has the potential to cause the problems you describe, but logistics companies can easily avoid them by planning.

The part we don't agree on is the title of your thread, because there IS a place for them on our roads, but obviously not everywhere!

Ray

 

[RogerS]

Great on a motorway and dual carriageways ...

.......but logistics companies can easily avoid them by planning.
.......

Ray

But they don't, do they? How do they get onto and off the motorways? There are very few motorways down in my neck of the woods but that won't stop them driving the lorries along our unsuitable roads.

 

[devonwoody]

And dont forget they close the motorway for 8 hours plus for a minor accident and then those big lorries are on those little lanes mentioned.

 

[Digit]

Soulfly has just made my observation for me. There's a brand new roundabout a mile from me and ordinary artics have to avoid it. The planners are blaming the builders and the builders are blaming the planners.

Roy.

 

[wizer]

Ok I see your points about narrow roads. There should be a way 'license' a route and the lorrys can only use that route on it's destination. But that would cost more than it's worth. It's a fantastic bit of engineering tho and would be good to see it used. Surely this at least reduces carbon thingies a bit? Rail isn't always the best option.

 

[Argee]

But they don't, do they? How do they get onto and off the motorways? There are very few motorways down in my neck of the woods but that won't stop them driving the lorries along our unsuitable roads.

How can "they" - there aren't any running yet. Do you think it's in the interests of hauliers to have large expensive vehicles held up because they're on unsuitable roads? You might not have suitable stretches of major roads or motorways in your neck of the woods, but significant areas of the country do have - perhaps that's why all major distribution centres are alongside them?

You seem to have already assumed that your roads will be clogged up by a vehicle that's not been trialled properly yet.

And dont forget they close the motorway for 8 hours plus for a minor accident and then those big lorries are on those little lanes mentioned.

I think what you mean is that you've seen a road closed once for that time, during which evidence is being gathered that - if you were the relative of a victim in the accident - you would want to have available.

BTW, dw, I've yet to see a motorway that has an exit onto a little lane - perhaps you'd be kind enough to provide an example?

It feels in this thread like we're back in the time that people were frightened that their heads would fall off if they rode on the new-fangled railway, or in a motor car.

I've seen it from all three sides - Class 1 LGV and PSV/Police Officer/member of the public - and it will happen, inevitably, so proper preparation is required, not a "doomsday syndrome."

That's quite enough from me, I think.

Ray

 

[StevieB]

No, no and thrice no. There is not even a place on our clogged up congested poorly maintained motorways for the thing. Arctics performing elephant leapfrog on 2 lane or 3 lane motorways are the bane of any regular motorists life. With speed limiters and the 0.0001mph differential it can take over a mile for some of these overtaking manouvers to be completed. Extend the length of the truck being overtaken and that simply compounds the problem. We are banning bendy busses and introducing this - seem counter intuitive to be honest.

I commute over 30,000 miles a year from Kent to London and back on a daily basis, as much as possible on motorways. If there is a traffic bolus on a free flowing motorway its because of two lorries overtaking at a minimal speed differential. On the M26, which is two lanes its entire length, or the M20 likewise at its Eastern end, this causes huge tailbacks and induces ***** manouvers by motorists determined either to jump the truck as soon as feasible, or panic breaking as they drop from 70 to 52 which the truck is limited to.

Steve

 

[RogerS]

......
It feels in this thread like we're back in the time that people were frightened that their heads would fall off if they rode on the new-fangled railway, or in a motor car.

.....

Ray

Rest assured, Ray, that Ames is quite happy in his work. I took this picture of him this morning just before venturing out in the Maudsley

 

[StevieB]

I've yet to see a motorway that has an exit onto a little lane - perhaps you'd be kind enough to provide an example

Numerous examples depending on how you define little lane. M2 J7 and J8. J7 leads to the A251 which after 1/3rd of a mile becomes the A2. Both single lane, both with residential housing and schools on them. The A2 runs through Faversham in Kent, and at the back of that is a depot for M&S and the coolchain distribution centre at Teynham. Teynham is a bottleneck for ordinary car traffic, let alone arctics.

If you want to go for real little lanes, Kent is the garden of England and has multiple farms producing apples and fresh produce linked by small farm lanes. East Kent Packers is a haulage and distribution centre for this produce, uses 44 ton Arctics down country lanes (ie 1 and a half cars wide with passing places) to collect from central rural locations and has been the inducement of more than one brown pants moment when you meet one of their lorries round a blind bend. I have even seen police diversions and traffic management when two of theses lorries meet - backing them up round rural Kent is not a one person job. Nothing to do with Sat Navs and slavishly following directions, more the expansion of distribution centres and ever tightening margins meaning fewer high volume collections in larger and larger vehicles is the only way to be commercially viable - building new centres and warehousing near good transport links being prohibitively expensive since this is also land prime for housing - which attracts a bigger profit for land developers.

Bigger lorries is not the answer!

Steve

 

[head clansman]

hi

I followed a huge lorry a few weeks ago through the centre of yeovil it had wheels that steered from the rear it also bent in the middle it went around corner easier than normal vehicles of that size , as for we hav,nt got the road here , see them in action, and you'll realise that a load of old tosh , when i go to holland to see my daughter who lives in a very small town the buses there are just the same bends in the middle with front and rear wheel drive it,s no problem for them . hc

 

[RogerS]

No-one is suggesting that they are not manouverable. Bendy buses are also manouverable. They still clog up the yellow-boxes in London because they, like these lorries, are too long.

 

[head clansman]

hi

well if drivers drove to road laws your not supposed to enter the yellow box till your exit is clear for your vehicle to enter and leave that boxed area regardless of your vehicles length so if busses are blocking them thats due to poor drivers its' nothing to do with a vehicles length .hc