Better late than never
Page 9
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When the final piece of a jigsaw is put into place you usually see the whole picture. Thus the news that finally, finally, speed limiters are to be checked during the annual HGV test is a cause for some celebration. Admittedly it is nine years since limiters were first introduced, but let's be honest, we British don't like to rush into things. Why be in a such hurry to plug the biggest loophole in limiter legislation?
Ever since the UK took the unilateral step of becoming the first country in Europe to force road hauliers to fit truck speed limiters (who says we always have to wait for Brussels to tell us what to do?) limiter law has been fatally flawed. Why? Because we've never bothered to physically check they were working at the annual test.
From next year they will be. So does that mean we now have a perfectly clear picture? Not a bit. It's still very "fuzzy". You only have to drive along Britain's motorways to be passed by attics that are clearly within scope of limiter legislation, and are travelling at more than 6omph on the flat.
How come? Because there's not enough enforcement where it's needed most—at the roadside—to catch the limiter cheats. But as Commercial Motor has long been campaigning for proper limiter checks in the annual test we'd grudgingly say it's a step in the right direction. And who knows what other "little misdemeanours" these checks might reveal?