How would you like to drive this in the wind??

[JudyJB]

I am currently in Scotland and today I drove a "dual carriageway" called the "A9." As I was driving, this vehicle passed me. It is hard to judge height, but I did some research, and it says the maximum width of a truck trailer is 2.55 meters or 100.4 inches. It also said there is no maximum height of a truck trailer, other than what will go under a bridge, but I could not find what the lane width is on their freeways, or "dual carriageways." That information would help me judge the height of this truck. I do know, from driving a tiny car, that lanes are narrower in the U.S. by at least a couple of feet. Also, this part of the freeway was not what we would call limited access, and I do not remember any bridges, so that did not help me either, and unfortunately, later on bridges looked pretty tall but did not have height marked on them. Based on the time I took this photo and left my hotel this morning, I am guessing this photo was taken maybe 20 miles south of the skiing town of Aviemore in the Cairngorm Mountains.

Anyway, it looked incredibly unstable!! Jackiemac, this is your part of the world, so do you have any more information on this truck and some others I saw that were almost as tall??

FYI, after driving a rental car around the UK for the past almost four weeks, I am getting pretty comfortable driving on the "wrong" side of the road. So far, no "incidents," although more than a few scary moments with oncoming cars on single-track roads.

 

[uchu]

Yes, indeed. They do have narrower lanes. I pity (and admire) the "lorry" and bus drivers there. Not much room for error!

I saw some taller than usual trailer trucks while visiting and driving around the UK and Ireland, a few years ago, but nothing as towering as what you encountered!

 

[Ex-Calif]

That is a tall lorry. I'd guess 20 feet or so.

Scotland is amazing. We are MacLeods on my mother's side. I took the opportunity on a business trip to Prestwick to drive up to Dunvegan Castle in the Isle of Skye. It is purportedly the last castle in Scotland still occupied by the original clan. Some Lord of the MacLeods lives in half and you can tour the other half.

More than a few one lane roads with turnouts and sheep - LOL. Also a shot of the Castle. I entered my name and all my siblings into the "family" guest book. In theory if enough people die I'd inherit a castle and lands in Scotland - LOL...

Covid didn't do it. Maybe Monkey Pox...

 

[JudyJB]

That is a tall lorry. I'd guess 20 feet or so.

Scotland is amazing. We are MacLeods on my mother's side. I took the opportunity on a business trip to Prestwick to drive up to Dunvegan Castle in the Isle of Skye. It is purportedly the last castle in Scotland still occupied by the original clan. Some Lord of the MacLeods lives in half and you can tour the other half.

More than a few one lane roads with turnouts and sheep - LOL. Also a shot of the Castle. I entered my name and all my siblings into the "family" guest book. In theory if enough people die I'd inherit a castle and lands in Scotland - LOL...

Covid didn't do it. Maybe Monkey Pox...

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As a matter of fact, I was there about a week ago! And I spent two days driving around those single-track roads on the Isle of Skye. Check this out from my blog: 6/14 Dunvegan Castle, Home of MacLeod Clan, Isle of Skye.

The Campbells, and some others, also inhabit their castles, although the one owned by the Campbells in Inverary is not as old as this one. I visited that one several years ago. Here is their home site: The Clan Campbell.

 

[Oldgator73]

Driving around England, Scotland and Wales we often found ourselves on what we thought were one lane “roads” only to find out they were actually two way.

 

[jackiemac]

4.9m or 16ft is the tallest vehicle.

It's funny but I think the highways here seem wider. I guess it depends which road you're on.

The A9 is, or was, the most dangerous road in Scotland as it was a mostly 2 lane undivided carriageway with few overtaking spots. Many head on Collins due to poor overtake decisions and frustration with slow drivers.

It is being upgraded to 4 Lane where possible with more passing lanes. In most places its 60mph however for some crazy reason they are trialling trucks at 50mph so basically making everyone do 50 when no passing exists creating the frustration that previously existed.

Hope you're still enjoying your trip Judy.

 

[JudyJB]

I know the road you are talking about, Jackie, and those one and two-digit roads are terrifying because of the big trucks and tour buses. On my first big trip to the UK way back in 2003, I was lost and driving on some two-lane major road south of Loch Ness, and a big tour bus came around a corner, cutting the corner short, of course. I did not see it until the last moment and swerved over to the left, hit the sharp curb someone puts on some such roads, and blew a tire. A really big problem with those major two lane roads is that there is no shoulder for emergencies, plus people drive much too fast on them for such heavy traffic. Plus, I have seen cars pass and barely make it into their lanes again--scary.

Luckily, I was able to cut across the highway and park in the large driveway of an exclusive golf club. Plus, it was pouring rain. I called road service, and they asked if I was safe. When I said I was, they asked if I minded if they went to get a lady with kids out of traffic because she was not in a safe place. I said absolutely, so it took them a long time to come to me and then I rode with the tow truck driver to buy a tire. (My insurance company later reimbursed me.)

That in itself was quite an experience because when the tire mechanics found out I was headed to the ferry to Islay, they oo'ed and ah'd and said I had to stop at Loch Fyne Oysters on Loch Fyne. It was all pretty funny, and I indeed did stop at this restaurant and had a salmon dinner!

Anyway, I would much prefer to drive on the smaller and less busy three and four digit roads! The problem is that in Scotland, if you are going north or south, north of Edinburgh, there really isn't an option. I drove it almost entirely yesterday from Thurso to Aviemore and then partly today to York. There are parts that are a divided highway, but after a few miles, you are back on two-lanes.

 

[DonTom]

I would worry more about getting that thing under the next overpass!

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[NY_Dutch]

I would worry more about getting that thing under the next overpass!

-Don- Reno, NV

I'm sure the driver or dispatcher chooses appropriate routes for the vehicle size...

 

[jackiemac]

Loch Fyne Oysters are fab.

 

[Jim18655]

I don't know about the wind but he's obviously going the wrong way on the road!

 

[Oldgator73]

they oo'ed and ah'd and said I had to stop at Loch Fyne Oysters on Loch Fyne. It was all pretty funny, and I indeed did stop at this restaurant and had a salmon dinner!

We ate there also. I had langoustines. My wife had a huge seafood platter. It was delicious.

 

[NY_Dutch]

I wonder how confusing driving between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland is, particularly for tourists, with the Republic posting speeds in km/h and Northern Ireland (part of the UK) posting in mph.

 

[uchu]

I wonder how confusing driving between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland is, particularly for tourists, with the Republic posting speeds in km/h and Northern Ireland (part of the UK) posting in mph.

Not much more confusing than it is for Americans driving in Canada, or Canadians in the USA. As well as for tourists visiting both countries.

 

[Oldgator73]

Much like exiting he Chunnel or ferry from England to France. There are signs letting you know which way to enter the round a bouts and which side of the road to drive on.

 

[uchu]

Much like exiting he Chunnel or ferry from England to France. There are signs letting you know which way to enter the round a bouts and which side of the road to drive on.

Except, Northern Ireland and the Republic have both travel on the left trafic flow. Just the speed limit signage is different.

 

[Jim18655]

I wonder how confusing driving between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland is, particularly for tourists, with the Republic posting speeds in km/h and Northern Ireland (part of the UK) posting in mph.

I worked with a company from Rochester, NY and most of the employees were from that area. One borrowed a co-worker's truck one night and couldn't understand why all of the traffic was passing him, some flashing lights. Turns out the truck was purchased in Canada because of exchange rates at the time and the speedometer was in km/hour on the main dial. He was doing 55 k/m or about 35 MPH.

 

[jackiemac]

I wonder how confusing driving between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland is, particularly for tourists, with the Republic posting speeds in km/h and Northern Ireland (part of the UK) posting in mph.

Most vehicles have both kmph and mph on the speedometer.

 

[Oldgator73]

Except, Northern Ireland and the Republic have both travel on the left trafic flow. Just the speed limit signage is different.

I was referring more to your verbiage than your signage.

 

[JudyJB]

I was able to take another photo today of a similar truck passing a regular height truck. I am guessing this one is only a couple of feet higher than the regular truck. The interesting thing is that the green truck is definitely narrower than the regular truck. I wonder why, because this makes it more unstable, at least to my thinking.