Are the lorries getting bigger?

[Patf]

This has been bothering me for a while. It used to be a real pleasure driving on the country roads around here. You met the occasional tractor or other farm vehicle, but most others stayed on their own side of the road.

But recently , especially on the many N-S single lane roads of the Gers, going down to Spain, heavy lorries take up more than their side of the road. Some of them are trailing extra remorques, especially those carrying tree trunks. I find it a bit intimidating, and it's even worse when they transit the narrow roads within the villages, swinging out around parked cars. 

You would think that the amount of heavy lorries would be less, with the price of carburants so high, but there seem to be more than ever.

I wonder if people in other departments find the same situation?

[Alex H]

One of the (dis)advantages of SatNav - shortest route please and the driver blindly follows it [:(]

[cooperlola]

[quote user="Tandem_Pilot"]One of the (dis)advantages of SatNav - shortest route please and the driver blindly follows it [:(]

[/quote]True:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2788651.ece

[Cat]

Wasn't SatNav - shortest route also thought to be the reason that the coach carrying Polish pilgrims crashed into a ravine last year ?http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6910660.stm

[Patf]

It never occurred to me that they are following Satnav. Could be in some cases, but on the other hand there are no alternative routes, ie NS dual carriageways, around here, let alone motorways. There was talk about them creating one specifically for this problem, but nothing yet.

They are taking their time too over the EW motorway which carries the Airbus parts from Bordeaux to Toulouse. Probably due to the same old story, lack of funds. In the meanwhile more and larger vehicles are putting wear and tear on the road system.

[Alex H]

Just wait until you start getting these [:'(]       (UK website and concern)

http://www.freightonrail.org.uk/HotTopicsAskYourMPSignEDM730.htm

"The Department for Transport is currently reviewing whether to allow trials of super trucks, known as LHVs, which range from 25.5 metres to 30 metres long with weights of 60 to 84 tonnes. This photo shows the most favoured option, the 25.5 metre truck prototype which has units which can be split and driven separately. The 60-tonne 25.25-metre supertruck is the same weight of a Challenger tank and the length of a competition swimming pool1; the 84-tonne HGV would be twice the weight and almost twice the length of existing HGVs. "

(I think this is over a year old now [:)])

 

[zeb]

 

Could be because the Gers has no motorway, and the road from the Bordeaux-Toulouse autoroute from Agen through Auch and down to Boulogne sur Gess or Lannemazan is a shortcut through the department to Tarbes.

We lived in the Gers near Boulogne for three months and noticed that there were a huge number of lorries; however, many of them had 65,32 or 31 numberplates so were local.

We moved here (31) from the Charente which has the RN10 running through from Spain and the amount of huge lorries using it (and the horrific accidents) was frightening; many locals avoided it like the plague.

[johnv]

my thoughts too .. we are in 79, small village, which is blighted in the rush hour by huge lorries .. but they're ALL local .. I came to the conclusion that there must be tax advantages in running artics over white vans over here ..