4 May 2017

90km/h suitable for heavy vehicles

Road Transport Forum Chief Executive Ken Shirley has reiterated the road transport industry’s position that the speed limit for trucks and light vehicles towing a trailer or caravan should remain at 90km/h despite NZTA’s proposal to increase the light vehicle speed limit on expressways in the latest draft Land Transport Rule.

“An increase to 100km/h in order to preserve the 10km/h speed differential with light vehicles would not be the right thing to do,” says Shirley. “For example, lifting the speed for trucks significantly increases the risk of vehicle rollover, which is a major concern for all heavy vehicle drivers.”

“Operators also know that the most efficient speed for a heavy combination vehicle on the open road is around 90km/h anyway. It is far more important to have uninterrupted travel with minimal acceleration and deceleration than it is for trucks to go 10km/h faster.”

“A 20km/h speed differential also means that those in light vehicles can pass trucks much faster on expressways and generally will help traffic flow,” says Shirley.

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