Ford Transit

Tearaway Transits' 56mph limit

The brakes are being put on notorious White Van Man, with 56mph speed limiters fitted to their Transits!

Auto Express Car Reviews

Large vans such as Transit are to be slowed by speed limiters

By Tom Johnston

22nd November 2006

The move, overseen by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA), will signal the end of high-speed, long-distance journeys for companies such as courier firms. And it means they will no longer be able to cover the same mileages in a day as they do now.


	"It's unlikely that VOSA will allow any period of grace," Day added. "As a result, there's bound to be a mad dash to get the work done in December."

From next year, vans weighing more than 3.5 tonnes - such as large Ford Transits and Mercedes Sprinters - will be restricted to a maximum 56mph in a bid to increase safety for all road users.

There are concerns, though, that the 90kph (56mph) limit should have been set at 100kph (62mph), as the vans will have trouble overtaking lorries and HGVs travelling at the same speed.

"Roads can already get clogged up as one truck takes four miles to overtake another. Now, the same rules are about to be extended to vans. We had wanted a 100kph limit," said Geoff Day, Head of Engineering Policy at the Freight Transport Association (FTA).

From 1 January, goods vehicles from 3.501 to 7.5 tonnes with Euro-3 diesel engines will be subject to the limit. The Euro-3 requirement is important, as a top speed limiter can be built into the engine's electronic management unit.

The FTA says the programme will lead to hundreds of companies downsizing their vehicles to below the 3.5-tonne limit. "There are plenty of firms moving goods up and down the country whose driving times are tight," Day explained. "They won't be able to cope with a 56mph limit, so will have to change into a smaller vehicle."

Owners are expected to rush their van in for recalibration at the last minute. "It's unlikely that VOSA will allow any period of grace," Day added. "As a result, there's bound to be a mad dash to get the work done in December."