Fleet Risk Consultants

I have had a driver on the telephone today asking me about a speeding prosecution he had received. The driver was annoyed because he had been photographed doing 77mph on a dual-carriageway and on first examination he might have a reasonable point.

BUT and it is a big BUT I then found out what type of vehicle he was driving at the time. It turns out he was driving a Ford Transit Van at the time which throws a whole new set of different rules into play. The driver was very surprised to learn that at 77 mph he was 28% or 17 mph over the legal limit for his vehicle on that type of road.

This driver found out to his cost something that all drivers should know, but most don’t. There are different speed limits for different types of vehicles. In this case a Ford Transit can only travel at 70 mph legally on a Motorway, 60 mph on a dual-carriageway and 50 mph on a national speed limit single carriageway road. The most disturbing part is that this driver works with another 20 van drivers and none of them knew these speed limits either, their employer had not given them the information either and this could lead to a prosecution for the employer too.

The speed limits are freely available at the website for the Highway Code, but if you or your staff are still not certain which rules apply you can give our team a call on 01623 675833.

I advise that you always make sure that you know exactly which rules apply to you and your vehicle because it is your responsibility to know these rules. As an employer you also have a duty to ensure your staff know any rules that may be different to the normal vehicle they drive when not at work.

Nigel Grainger

Senior Consultant
Fleet Risk Consultants

When we work with businesses part of what we do is assess exactly what they do, so we can help them get the right vehicle mix to allow them to do the job in the safest and most efficient way possible.

One such case was the client that moved portable accommodation units around the country. Prior to our involvement they were using semi-stock vehicles that were almost right, but they had to compromise in many ways. The first thing we did was ask them exactly what they were transporting and the dimensions of the units.

Then we asked them what they needed the vehicle to do beyond carrying the units and also the weight of the units. Once that was established we set about drawing the dimensions we needed within the legal requirements of the Construction and Use Regulations. Then it was simply a case of appointing a body builder and getting them built.

What we ended up with was a prime mover and trailer at just under 19m in length equipped with a 44tonne metre crane and various clever in built items. The client was very impressed and the vehicles are still delivering the newer and bigger units as we built in some scope for growth.

So if you have a tricky problem or just want to know if we can save you money or time, then give us a call now on 01623 675833.

Nigel Grainger

Senior Consultant
Fleet Risk Consultants