HGV Speed Limits UK: The Rules for Trucks

Ask three drivers what an HGV can legally do on a dual carriageway and you may get three answers, partly because the rules changed in 2015 and partly because Scotland plays by different numbers. Here are the HGV speed limits for the UK set out clearly, including the limiter rule that overrides everything else on the motorway.

Limits for trucks over 7.5 tonnes

In England and Wales, goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes maximum authorised mass follow these national limits unless signs say otherwise:

• 30 mph in built-up areas, as for all vehicles.
• 50 mph on single carriageways, raised from 40 in 2015.
• 60 mph on dual carriageways, raised from 50 in 2015.
• 60 mph on motorways.

In Scotland the older, lower limits still apply on most roads: 40 mph on single carriageways and 50 mph on dual carriageways, with 60 on motorways. The well-known exception is the A9 between Perth and Inverness, where HGVs may run at 50 on the single carriageway sections. Cross the border on a long trunk run and your legal limit genuinely changes with it.

Limits for 7.5 tonnes and under

Goods vehicles over 3.5 but not exceeding 7.5 tonnes sit in the middle band: 50 on singles, 60 on duals and 70 on motorways. Vans and light commercials have their own quirks, including the car-derived van exception, which we cover separately in van speed limits explained.

The 56 mph limiter

Most trucks never see their paper motorway limit, because the law requires speed limiters on goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, set to 90 km/h, which is 56 mph. That is why motorway overtakes between trucks take so long: both vehicles are pressed against the same ceiling. The limiter does not repeal the posted limits, so a downhill 65 on the clock is still an offence, and tampering with a limiter is treated severely, putting both the driver and the operator’s licence at risk in front of the Traffic Commissioner.

Why the limits are lower

Braking distance and mass are the short answer: a loaded 44-tonner needs far more road to stop than a car, and the consequences of getting it wrong scale with the weight, a point covered in our guide to gross vehicle weight. The 2015 increases in England and Wales were actually a safety measure too: the old 40 limit on singles created huge speed differentials with cars, and the platoons and risky overtakes that came with them.

What it means day to day

For drivers, the traps are the Scotland switch, signed lower limits through roadworks, and assuming the van rules apply to the 12-tonner. Speeding in an HGV brings fines and points like any vehicle, but it also lands on the tachograph record and, repeated, on the operator’s radar and the OCRS score. For planners, realistic average speeds matter more than legal maximums: a 44-tonner trunk run plans around the limiter, breaks and the drivers’ hours rules, not around 60 on the sign.

Bringing it together

Over 7.5 tonnes: 50, 60, 60 in England and Wales; 40, 50, 60 in most of Scotland; and 56 in practice on the motorway thanks to the limiter. Know which band your vehicle sits in, watch for the border, and let the tacho tell a boring story. For more plain-English guides to the rules of the road transport trade, browse Insights from Life Internet Services, the group behind TrucksLife and TrailersLife.

Frequently asked questions

What is the motorway speed limit for an HGV?

Vehicles over 7.5 tonnes are limited to 60 mph on UK motorways, but the mandatory speed limiter, set at 90 km/h or 56 mph, means trucks cruise slightly below the legal limit in practice.

Why are HGV speed limits different in Scotland?

Speed limits are devolved, and Scotland retained the older 40 mph single carriageway and 50 mph dual carriageway limits for vehicles over 7.5 tonnes when England and Wales raised theirs in 2015. The A9 between Perth and Inverness is a signed exception at 50 for HGVs.

Can a truck legally do 70 on the motorway?

Only vehicles at or under 7.5 tonnes, which are allowed 70 on motorways. Anything heavier is limited to 60 by law and to 56 by the mandatory limiter, so a heavy truck at 70 is committing an offence and probably running tampered equipment.