Gary Whittam, Chairman of the Van Excellence group has spoken out against van drivers repeatedly breaking the national speed limit. “We find it impossible to justify why any conscientious van operator would allow its vans to operate above the national speed limit.”
The Freight Transport Association’s (FTA) Van Excellence Governance Group stands united in its decision to supply vehicles with a speed limiter set at 70 miles per hour as a no cost operation.
Despite recent press coverage of Government plans to increase motorway speeds to 80 miles per hour, a recent meeting of the FTA group undisputedly agreed manufacturers should be called upon to restrict van speeds to 70 miles per hour, playing their part in managing the speeds.
The group also said, aside from legal implications, restricting van top speeds would see fuel economy benefits, and would also reduce repair and maintenance and lower driver stress levels, cited as an unexpected bonus.
Gary Whittam added “Simply put, a van travelling at 80 miles per hour will be just burning money. So, why don’t they make limitation the default standard or a no cost option?”