What speed do you travel in your lorry/trailer on the mway?

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skewby

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Just a quick question...friend of mine with a trailer expressed great surprise that I do about 70mph on the motorway in my lorry. I'm happy to go at this speed, because a) the lorry is well capable of it, b) I still feel confident of stopping smoothly and keep my distance big style, and c) I think it's dangerous to go too slowly, I know I've swooped down on a trailer doing 50 before now when I've been in my car, and it's been a close thing!

Am I driving too fast?? Or is it that you can't go that fast in a trailer and that's what she's used to, hence the surprise? Opinions please. I don't want to be told I'm right, I want to know what the safest approach is! Thanks
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Well the speed limit for towing a trailer on a motorway is 60. I usually do about 50.

How big is your lorry? the speed limit for anything over 3.5 t is also 60. (don't quote me, but I'm 99% sure I'm right)
 
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Well the speed limit for towing a trailer on a motorway is 60. I usually do about 50.

How big is your lorry? the speed limit for anything over 3.5 t is also 60. (don't quote me, but I'm 99% sure I'm right)

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I echo the above, no faster than 50mph for a trailer.
 
I wouldn't drive over 60mph with a trailer because of snaking etc. Not sure in a lorry as all the ones I have been in have been limited to 56mph.
 
Mum doesn't go over 50, and everyone, including the horse, is very happy with that. She hasn't driven the lorry for very long though.
 
I have a trailer and have always stuck to about 55 on the motorway or any road to be honest, used to have a lorry and always stuck to about the same in that although i would sometimes look at the speedo and be doing 60 with out realising.
 
Trailer limit on motorway is 60mph and I stick to that if it's clear. Moved my boy at the weekend to a new yard and it involved a lot of motorway driving, we did 60mph pretty much all the way bar the M42 which was limited by the overhead signs to 50.

I had to take my trailer test a few years ago and the examiner said they often fail people for driving too slowly as it's a menance and inconvenience to other road users...
 
Our lorry has a limiter on it set at 56mph. I always understood that the speed limit for trailers and lorries was 60mph.
 
I have a 3.5 ton box and I do 50-55 mph on the motorway - occasionally up to 60 but only if it's a smooth straight road and there is no side wind/heavy rain etc.
Always drive to the road and weather conditions and you'll be OK.
Trailers,I'd def do no more than 50 absolute maximum due to the risk of snaking and also lorries whizzing past and causing jack-knifing. The legal limit is 60 for trailers but that is really not safe with a horse on board.
I have a bad traveller and it often makes me cringe when you see how some people drive around roundabouts and junctions with a horse on board! Try standing in the back of the trailer without using your hands to hold on,when it's moving,to feel what a horse feels!
 
I tended to stick to 50 in my trailer because of the snacking.
My lorry I do between 55-60 occasionally 65mph but only in good vis.
The roads around our way are rubbish where theyve melted and HGVs have gone over them, makes my lorry feel unstable.
I have 7.5t btw.
My worry is if I went any faster and I had a blow out Id be in a bit of mess.
 
As I said earlier I go about 50 with my trailer. I mainly do this for braking reasons.

I have been surprised by how many people have given their reason because they are worried about snaking.... Do you have anti-snake bar fitted? Surely if your worried it's worth it. Only mentioning this as there have been posts where people dismissed it. I have one, and for £100 it's worth it.
 
I wouldn't be going that fast on country lanes, just motorway. On the road to Banbury at the weekend I did between 10mph (on the sharp bends), and maybe 40mph as it's just to windy (as in the road winds around, not the weather was bad!) to go any faster. Motorways are different though as they're wide and straight.
 
I tow a trailer with my Disco and I go no more than 50 on motorways. I have been in a severe snaking incident with my caravan and we were only going 50. It was the scariest thing ever, and that's why I never go over 50 towing my precious girl. The speed limit for towing trailers/caravans used to be 50 and in my opinion should have stayed at 50.
 
It's amazing that the majority of people that drive towing a trailer or driving lorrys have no idea what the speed limit is for their particular vehicle.
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The speed limits are as follows:
Trailer Single Carriageway 50
Dual Carriageway 60
Motorway 60

Lorry not exceeding 7.5 tonnes:
Single Carriageway 50
Dual Carriageway 60
Motorway 70

Lorry exceeding 7.5 tonnes:
Single Carriageway 40
Dual Carriageway 50
Motorway 60

Built up areas are 30 mph for all the vehicles.
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JM07, mine too!

Thanks for all the replies - Toby great to see I'm (just) legal, my lorry is a 6.5 tonne. It's a fair cop on the not knowing though - but now I do, thanks!
 
it depends on what I have on board, whether its my oldie who is rock solid or a younger one....what lorry I am driving and how hungry I am!!!

My old merc would cruise at 65mph, heavy old thing, the hire one cruises at over 80!!! - but I didnt realise til I looked down, totally irresponsible but two ponies on who travel well we did from Reading to Arena UK in under 3 hours - it was very late tho and was evil weather so just wanted to get there, arrived about midnight!

Larger ones I tend to go slower unless on the motorway where if no evil lorry lines will happily cruise along. Smaller boxes or young horses i pootle....or if I hear a banging noise in the rear wheel then I slow to 40-30 and wait for it all to go terribly wrong!!
 
I used to happily bat along over 60 in my lorry until the day my front tyre blew out.
What happens is you suddenly slew sideways with no steering and aim in my case at the petrol tanker I was currently overtaking.
I can honestly say I thought I was about to die.
I strained my shoulder muscles steering inside it and didn't stop shaking for 20 mins.
Luckily I was en route to collect a horse not loaded.
The rescue chap told me he sees this happen at least once a week to horse lorries, mostly because the majority sit outside only used once a week, and the sun rots the tyre rubber making it weak.
Now I tend to never do more than 55mph simply because if it happens again I want to be ready and going a slow enough speed to steer.
(I changed all the tyres afterwards too although they looked fine)
 
However, newer vehicles are restricted to 56 mph
Seen lots of lorries with 'This vehicle is restricted to 56mph' sticker on the rear
<font color="blue"> From 2008, the practical speed limits for goods vehicles and buses on UK motorways will become 90 km/h and 100 km/h respectively. This equates to approximately 56 mph and 62 mph. This is because of new speed limiter regulations which commence in January.

From 1 January 2008, all goods vehicles and buses, registered since 2005, and many older vehicles, will be required to be fitted with speed limiters, in addition to those that have been required to do so for some years, such as goods vehicles that travel internationally.
This means that the official motorway speed limits of 60 mph and 70 mph for these vehicles, as shown in the Highway Code , will effectively be superseded; though some older goods vehicles will remain unaffected by the change.
</font>
http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosacorp/reposito...mp;id=490fea3df
 
Thanks LCobby for that link. I keep an eye on the vosa website but had not seen that one. I think we come into the older good vehicle category as lorry but will have a read up. We normally do about 58 just enough to leave the 56 mph ones behind!
 
I vary my speed depending on traffic and wind. With a trailer I will happily do 60 mph on the motorway and dual carriageway, but not if its windy.

I have a big vehicle with plenty of excess towing capacity, so snakeing has never been an issue.

I also slow down excessively for roundabouts, and corners despite the fact that I tow faster that most, I see too many people taking corners and roundabouts far to fast and see the horse fly over to one side. I have CCTV so can see my horses leg positions at all time!
 
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