Goods transport vehicles

How to The transport of goods on the roads using utility vehicles is common on motorways, which is why it is important that motorists know how to behave towards these particular vehicles, which are generally slower and subject to special regulations. In addition, these vehicles are often considered bulky and can obstruct the visibility of other users, which is why it is recommended to be particularly careful in their presence.

Some figures related to freight transport

In 2015, around 400,000 new goods vehicles were registered, as well as around 800,000 used vehicles. When it comes to the transport of goods in France, road is the preferred means and by far, in fact, 87% of goods are transported by road. These transports represent approximately 320 billion tonnes per kilometer.

How to recognize a goods transport vehicle?

Goods transport vehicles are generally heavy goods vehicles such as trucks or vans, specially designed to load and transport goods (they are utility type vehicles). Indeed, the rear of these vehicles is not equipped with seats but often with a large empty cabin used to load boxes or boxes (sometimes even containers coming from abroad, which arrive by river or maritime). Vehicles can also be configured specifically according to the goods they are intended to transport. This is for example the case for tank trucks, intended to transport large quantities of liquid.

What are goods transport vehicles?

The vans

Vans are special utility vehicles, in fact, they can be driven with a simple B license, because their GVWR (total authorized weight) does not exceed 3.5 tonnes, and is generally around 2.8 tonnes . The back of a van is laid out like the back of a truck, with a smaller volume. It is the ideal vehicle for transporting small quantities of light goods.

Trucks and tankers

Trucks are heavy goods vehicles which require obtaining a C license or a C1 license. These vehicles are difficult to maneuver and are considered cumbersome road users, unlike vans, which have, more or less, the same size as B license type vehicles. They can be difficult to overtake and hinder traffic. visibility, other users must therefore exercise extra caution if they begin such a maneuver.

These vehicles are equipped with special signaling at the rear, including red and orange reflectors, which allow motorists to see them better. The rear is also equipped with three white circles in which the speed limits specific to these vehicles are written, they are as follows:

If the vehicle transports dangerous, toxic or explosive goods, it must indicate this at the rear of its vehicle, using a specific plate.

Tank trucks are trucks specially designed to transport large quantities of liquid. They have, as their name suggests, a tank in place of the cabin usually located at the rear of standard heavy goods vehicles. These vehicles are most likely to transport corrosive, flammable, toxic or environmentally hazardous materials. For this reason, they often have specific routes to follow. They must therefore pay particular attention to signs concerning the transport of dangerous goods (see the paragraph on signs specific to the transport of goods).

What behavior should motorists adopt when faced with these particular vehicles?

In the presence of these particular vehicles, other road users must be particularly careful, especially when overtaking. They must then adapt their speed and pay attention to visibility, which can be reduced by the presence of heavy goods vehicles.

In the particular case of driving in built-up areas, heavy goods vehicles often have difficulty approaching intersections. For example, it is not uncommon to see a truck move slightly to the left before turning right, it is therefore the responsibility of other users to be attentive to the signals used by the latter, in particular the indicators. In general, other vehicles stop to allow trucks and other transport vehicles to change direction or merge into traffic. This rule also applies on the motorway, in fact, when a heavy goods vehicle seeks to enter traffic via an insertion lane, other users must give it room, because the maneuver is proves more delicate for these vehicles.