Speed Limiters/Governors on Trucks
 

Hi,

Can anybody tell me what year it was that all new trucks were fitted with speed limiters/governors as a legal requirement?

I am looking at buying a MAN truck from 1991, and it has a speed limiter fitted. Would it be legal/illegal if I want to remove it entirely? I know they can have the max speed increased, but Id rather just pull the whole thing out if i go ahead and buy this truck.

Seem to find conflicting information from scouring the internet.

Thanks in advance.

Before you buy, make sure it is able to pass the emissions bollox that 'BOJO' is introducing for January 2012 being it appears you also live in Londonistan.

Hi,

I wont have the truck within the M25 as I will work on it in Hampshire and then drive it down to Dover....so should be okay? Or is that LEZ compliant thing going to go nationwide at some stage?

Once London starts earning 'big money' out of it, other cities could well follow, the bit that really makes me puke is the claim that lower emissions will make the "air in london cleaner". Will all this 'clean air' being produced stay within London then?

Furkin money grabbing clowns.

Will the LEZ spread? Who knows, but even if it does you can bolt on bits to make it compliant for a few thousand :thumbdown: as and when.

Why won't it make the air in London cleaner? We have all seen and smelt the difference between midweek heavy traffic days and weekend light traffic days when standing at intersections and waiting to cross. Sure the air will not stay indefinitely in London but that is beside the point.

Whats it going to be registered as, don't think it needs a speed limiter if registered as a motor caravan

Currently regiatered as an HGV. Will re-register as a PLG or private HGV (whichever is the better of the two options).

The point is. its not about pollution, its about making money.

you don't get the indusrtial pollution so much at the weekend either, and lessof those nasty smelly busses and trains! I mean, have you seen the crap they chuck out!!!

The UK gets NO industrial pollution as we lost all our Industry years ago, perhaps its blowing in from China.

doh

pretty sure if you are going to be classed as motorhome will not apply VOSA have a application pdf and it does not mention anything other than goods , bus or coach (over 8 or 16 seats ) try googling speed limiter will come up on vosa HTSH

It will have to be private HGV , its over 3.5 tonnes, anyway the tax is cheaper for PHGV between 3.5 and 7.5 tonnes

it applies to all new vehicles over 3.5 tons I beleieve, but there is a cut off date, not sure when. it was 1986 for over 7.5 tons but thats probably not much help!

Hi Dave,

If you plan on having your truck tested at a VOSA station you will need a working, calibrated limiter unless the vehicle or its use is covered under one of the exemptions on the VOSA 74 form (Exemption of HGV Speed Limiter). Failure to have such a limiter will mean that VOSA wont pass you.

The exemptions which may be applicable to you are:

If you don't fall under one of these exemptions the only way of avoiding the need for a speed limiter is to test the vehicle under Class 4 or 7 MOT as a motorhome. Legally, as crazy as it seems, any motorhome can be tested as class 4, regardless of its weight. So technically you could drive a 30 tonne 8x8 truck to your local MOT centre and have it tested after they've finished testing a Nissan Micra.

Personally I think it is irresponsble and dangerous to test a truck in this way and so I get my 18t truck tested at VOSA stations, and consequently stick with my limiter.

I have no idea whether you are legally required to have a limiter on a an HGV motorhome but it would seem pretty backwards that you could pass the MOT test without it if you legally needed one.

I don't know what your driving experience of trucks is so I don't want to patronise you but there are not many HGVs I would like to drive at much more than 55mph. Many modern trucks are designed with the limiter in mind and so are geared to rev economically at 55mph. Any faster and revs rise out of the 'green zone' and fuel use rises dramatically. My truck is well behaved at 55mph but on the odd occasion that I have used a decline to exceed the limit, the handling starts to become more erratic and at 65mph I find myself clenching the steering wheel and gritting my teeth; and this is on good european motorways. When the good roads finish there are rarely circumstances where going any faster is possible.

I don't know what size the truck you are interested in is but you may want to see how the thing drives at 55mph before you start thinking of removing the limiter.

Nick