Lorries across 3 lanes of a 4 lane motorway.. surely this is wrong?

[nahthatsnotforme]

Ok so I know they’re on a tight schedule but trundling on for miles trying to overtake each other is making so many cars use the fast lane.. surely this must be wrong?
Its bad enough on a 3 lane motorway but is more understandable.

*whispers...no such thing as a fast lane...

But I hear your frustration!

they're only not allowed in the outside lane - (and there's no fast lane)

Outside lane is for overtaking , no such thing as a "fast lane". Plenty of car drivers hog lanes 1, 2 and 3, entirely unaware that it is dangerous to other drivers. At least the lorries are delivering food to supermarkets, or just Chinese tat to online shoppers...the point is though, they're delivering things the population need, or just want. Not the driver's fault their speed is restricted.
YABU, we all have to share the roads.

If you were to complain about the fact that they just indicate and pull out regardless of whether there is a gap or not and just expect car drivers to get out of the way I’d agree with you.

Or on smart motorways them bowling along at 55 regardless of the speed limit so coming up behind cars that are sticking to the limit at terrifying pace I’d also agree.

Or when they are taking miles to overtake, their inability to stay in their lane and encroaching into your lane and making you shit yourself if you are overtaking them.

I hate lorries, they seem to be a law unto themselves nowadays, and are really frightening when you are in a small car. But they are allowed to be in those three lanes.

the issue with speed it most people doing 55 in their car are only really doing 50-51 - and the truck's tacho speed is actually 55. if you're driving at 60 on your speedo in a 60 - you're not doing 60.. more like 55-56

Doesn’t matter though. If the speed limit has dropped (so I am not taking the piss) to 50 and I reasonably think that I am doing that. A 40 tonne truck hooning up behind me and refusing to slow down is fucking scary. If a car is in front of them they need to slow down. Doesn’t matter what they think the speed is, if there is a car physically in the space then that trumps their kit being “right”

Your speedo is deliberately set a bit low, the lorry's is more accurate and driving a few miles an hour slower makes their long journeys longer and may run them out of legal working hours. I assume they have never hit you so they do slow down, just not happily.

I call it “The Elephant Parade” .. as one Lorry, going 2 miles an hour faster than the other, holds up the rest of us. I too have seen it across 3 lanes of a 4 lane motorway. 55 miles an hour, being overtaken by 56 miles an hour, being overtaken be 57 miles an hour.

Always remember to keep your eye out as well.. one flick of the indicator, and they are moving into your lane, regardless of your road position.

In the UK, a significant number of motorway collisions involve lorries, with 10% of all HGV accidents occurring on motorways. While motorways account for a smaller proportion of total road traffic fatalities, more than half (52%) of fatal accidents on motorways involve HGVs, despite HGVs only making up 10% of motorway traffic. This highlights the disproportionate involvement of HGVs in fatal collisions on motorways.

Cars speedometers have to be accurate, not approximate!

Ok so it’s not officially the ‘fast lane’ but it always has been known as that. My point is they’re a bloody menace slowing down all the traffic or making everyone go round them.

The UK law is based on the EU standard, with some minor changes. A speedo must never show less than the actual speed, and must never show more than 110% of actual speed + 6.25mph. So if your true speed is 40mph, your speedo could legally be reading up to 50.25mph but never less than 40mph.11 Feb 2022

https://www.thecarexpert.co.uk

And anyone else trundling along at 55 in the first 3 lanes would be berated (or arrested)

Oh no they don’t. Run Waze or Google maps when you’re in the car. Mostly they are 3-4 miles out about 60 mph. Does vary car to car. Only police and tacho vehicles have calibrated Speedo. They can’t show you slower than you are but nearly all show you slightly faster.

unless otherwise indicated, all lanes except lane 1 are for overtaking. Lorry drivers driving at the same speed as the one parallel to them is not on.

See my next post: the contention was that cars are going more slowly than they realise. I take your point that they aren't spot on though.

If you're that impatient you can't wait for the few minutes it takes for a 40ft and 44 ton HGV to pass (leaving enough space, once it's overtaken to pull back in), then maybe you shouldn't be driving. Many companies will fine the HGV company for late deliveries so the drivers aren't doing it for shits and giggles.

Yes the - “click click and move” as DS and I call it!

M1 is the worst for it.

I’m half way through a long motorway journey and I too was surprised to see HGVs in three out of four lanes in roadworks on the m4.

None of them seemed to think the speed limit of 50mph applied do them either, merrily tailgating, undertaking, overtaking and generally driving appallingly.

I wonder if they were doing that for shits and giggles too @Dontcallmescarface

eta I’m at the services at the moment…not driving!

Pretty much like car drivers then really.

If we’re talking about impatience let’s talk about the lorry drivers… it takes ages for them to overtake… seems like miles… just for them to basically swap places. I mean they’ll get there a second or two quicker.

my DH wonders if they’re on some fuel saving agreement by tucking in behind one another so closely

That's because it takes longer for the lorry to pick up speed and get through the "slipstream" of the one it's overtaking. Once they have over taken then it takes a mile or so for the gap to open up between the front and rear lorries.
Also the reason that the lorry will "click, click and move" as 1 PP put it is because the driver most likely hasn't seen you. Rule of thumb when travelling behind an HGV with a high trailer is, if you can't see their LH wing mirror then the driver can't see you (RH for drivers from other countries), so either be prepared for them to pull out with little notice, or don't drive too close directly behind it.

Whilst noting the proportion of crashes that involve HGVs on motorways, at least they are using the left hand lane. Unlike middle lane hoggers who have no good reason and should face points on their licence.

To late to edit,
RH for UK drivers LH for overseas drivers.

But that’s just my point. They’re two or even 3 abreast.
I agree middle lane hoggers should fined btw