'In the evening I am attacked by a further squadron of Irish Scanias'
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Ian Fowler, general manager of Seddon Atkinson Preston, pleads for mercy from the speeding parcels vans and Irish-registered Scanias that daily ambush him on the motorway...
Why do heavy truck speed limits not apply to Irish-registered Scanias? On my daily run between Kendal and Preston, in the morning I am attacked by squadrons of 7.5-tonne parcels trucks, usually in the outside lane cruising at what seems to be an effortless 70-75mph.
Equally entertaining is my return journey in the evening when I am attacked by a further squadron of Irish Scanias which again seem to cruise effortlessly at 7075mph, but obviously this time accompanied by the mandatory demount container on a tri-axle trailer.
I must confess that in the majority of instances the vehicles are driven well, but it must be frightening to the less experienced motorist to suddenly find the back window totally obscured with white and block lines of a truck 'grille only to be complemented by a furious box van with tail-lift covering the only route of escape to the outside lane. It we are to recognise one of the most unpublicised benefits of speed limitation to the environment we must surely advertise the fact that lower top speeds have meant substantial fuel savings. This must mean less diesel burnt and less potential discharges to torture our fast decaying world.
Currently, efforts are being made to embody some form of meaningful inspection of speed limiting devices during the annual test, but surely the people who create, apply and survey this legislation must travel the motorways of the UK and experience these "winged giants".
Perhaps the recent terrible accident on the t■A6 at Stafford that involved a coach being struck behind by a truck provides a graphic example of how much damage a loaded commercial vehicle can achieve at relatively low speeds when things go wrong. Just imagine the same situation if the colliding truck in that incident had been a "flying Irishman"? Please, please, please can our vigilance over this situation be increased and effective action taken by all authorities to exert control before the inevitable happens, especially now that the winter months approach.
• If you want to sound off about a road transport issue write to features editor Patric Cunnane or fax your views (up to 600 words) on 0181 652 8912.