The Road Transport Forum is appealing to keep the speed limit for trucks and light vehicles towing trailers at 90km/h.
Forum Chief Executive Ken Shirley has reiterated the industry's position that the speed limit for trucks and light vehicles towing a trailer or caravan should remain at 90km/h, despite NZTA's proposal to increase the light vehicle speed limit on expressways in the latest draft Land Transport Rule.
'An increase to 100km/h in order to preserve the 10km/h speed differential with light vehicles would not be the right thing to do,” says Ken.
'For example, lifting the speed for trucks significantly increases the risk of vehicle rollover, which is a major concern for all heavy vehicle drivers.”
Ken says operators also know the most efficient speed for a heavy combination vehicle on the open road is around 90km/h anyway.
'It is far more important to have uninterrupted travel with minimal acceleration and deceleration than it is for trucks to go 10km/h faster.
'A 20km/h speed differential also means that those in light vehicles can pass trucks much faster on expressways and generally will help traffic flow.”
6 comments
Just keep slowing traffic up
Posted on 08-05-2017 07:30 | By Angels
When are we going to get our acts together. Traffic in NZ is a shocker. We have traffic backed up on every road we travel. The One great reason is slow traffic. Keep the speed the same for all and maybe we can get traffic moving properly like the rest of the world does.We have the slowest average speeds check it out. Let's get N Z traffic flowing.
2 Lanes
Posted on 08-05-2017 07:53 | By waiknot
Could the left lane be set at 90kmh and the centre lane set at 110kmh?
Keep it as it is ...
Posted on 08-05-2017 08:12 | By Linaire
90 km/h is fast enough for these big trucks, caravans etc .. and personally i think 100 km/h is fast enough for cars as well! It's not a racing track! There are already enough inattentive drivers on the road, without having them drive faster. "The faster you go, the bigger the mess" ... that applies on expressways as well!
Changing rules wont work....
Posted on 08-05-2017 08:45 | By GreertonBoy
It doesn't matter what rules you make and try to enforce, people will drive how they will drive. We need to get drivers to be interested in safety, not force it on them with threats to their wallet. If you make a different speed rule for trucks and trailers, they will clog our roads ... we all know when behind a truck or slow vehicle, some motorists will attempt to pass sometimes dangerously.... which CAUSES accidents. Trucks and caravans should be allowed to do 100 where appropriate, but the drivers should be bright enough to slow down for windy bits or bad weather.... as should EVERY driver? There is enough slow drivers on our roads, more than speeders imo, lets not make some law to make more slow vehicles. Either make it 90 for all... or 100 for all and educate the drivers on safety (ALL drivers/riders)
Avr
Posted on 08-05-2017 12:29 | By Anton
A lot of truck drivers have never heard from centrifugal force,that why so many trucks roll,especially logging trucks.
ME TINKS
Posted on 08-05-2017 20:45 | By old trucker
that 100 is better,driving most of my life,being limited to 90 is unsafe, as you cannot get a decent run up to a hill, or pass another slower truck going up hill, in my words (only) its silly,and me thinks that most drivers have a decent brain to use in this scenenario, look at takitimu drive its 80, for god sake most trucks are limited to 90 so let them do this speed, at least they are keeping up, you know who sits by birch ave turnoff takitimu drive to catch people speeding is unfair, that road is a freeway and should be 100ks,my thoughts only, Sunlive is No1 for News, Thankyou,10-4 out. PS i just wonder if By Linaire has driven a 60 Ton rig, just wondering, immmm.
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