Motorway hard Shoulder

[pdw8]

I just had a rather frustrating 3 hour drive on the m25 trying to get home after working through the night. There was a truck crash (yes it was a foriegn truck but dont get me started on that) and the tails backs were for about 10 miles+.

What amazed me was the high number of trucks parked on the hard shoulder, i must have seen between 80-100 easily. They were both foriegn and UK trucks and were obviously not all broken down.
The Highway code states:
"270

You MUST NOT stop on the carriageway, hard shoulder, slip road, central reservation or verge except in an emergency, or when told to do so by the police, HA traffic officers in uniform, an emergency sign or by flashing red light signals. Do not stop on the hard shoulder to either make or receive mobile phone calls.

[Laws MT(E&W)R regs 5A, 7, 9, 10 & 16,MT(S)R regs 6(1), 8, 9 & 14, PRA 2002 sect 41 & sched 5(8), & RTA 1988 sects 35 & 163 as amended by TMA 2004, sect 6]"

So why is this happening and not policed, I mean they could just use the cameras to read the plates and send an enforcement notice?

Its just blatant laziness and also obstructs the hard shoulder for emergency vechicles trying to reach the accident scene. I know its common on the Continent to do but its illegal here, im not anti trucks either, well just foreign ones as they cause us misery in Kent due to Operation Stack and the amount of accidents involving them.

 

[Scania]

I'd guess that due to the delay the drivers had exceeded their "driving time" and had pulled over to record a break on their Tachographs.

This is completely wrong, in the event of such a delay, you drive to the nearest legal & safe parking and then take your break, making a note on the back of the chart, or the printout if its a digital tachograph, the date, time & reason for the infringement of the rules.

 

[Trifid]

I'd guess that due to the delay the drivers had exceeded their "driving time" and had pulled over to record a break on their Tachographs.

This is completely wrong, in the event of such a delay, you drive to the nearest legal & safe parking and then take your break, making a note on the back of the chart, or the printout if its a digital tachograph, the date, time & reason for the infringement of the rules.

Can you push that reason for as long as required? They could be stuck there for hours?

 

[Fr0dders]

Can you push that reason for as long as required? They could be stuck there for hours?

obviously the drivers in question didnt rate their chances of having it accepted and decided it was easier just to take a break on the hard shoulder instead.

 

[Scania]

Can you push that reason for as long as required? They could be stuck there for hours?

Yes.

I have recorded in excess of 18hours duty - normally this is a max of 15hrs - on a tachograph before now (severe snow on the M11 a few years back) when my chart was analysed, there was no issue as I'd explained on the reverse of the chart the reason why my day had been so long.

obviously the drivers in question didnt rate their chances of having it accepted and decided it was easier just to take a break on the hard shoulder instead.

Which leaves them wide open to prosecution. But, yes, I'd hazard a guess that was the thinking....

As already mentioned by the OP, they have parked illegally on the hard shoulder which blocks access for emergency services and, if the motorway was to suddenly clear,it leaves them (the drivers parked up) at a very high risk of being hit whilst sitting there having their break.

Stopping on a hard shoulder is bad no matter what the circumstance, "professional drivers" should know this better than most.