Aging road bridges

[Alistair_Heaton]

Disaster prevention I would call this.

https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-autobahn-bridges-falling-apart/a-69439952

Thought it would interest some what's happening in Germany with there extensive road network.

20 years ago you could drive flat out no speed limits on most of it. These days local restrictions have decreased the max speed in huge sections of the network.

I haven't been over 70 mph in a car in years. We used to top out the company 3ltr turbo mercs to 120 plus mph in the late 1990's on the autobahn s

 

[cranky108]

Somewhere I saw where they were talking about one lane bridges being damaged by delivery trucks that were too tall. The issue seems that GPS just gives a route, and the drivers just don't care enough to use a real map to avoid the height restrictions.

Maybe your complaints of speed restrictions is more about the amount of traffic, which they would put speed limits if the traffic was rather heavy. The traffic being rather heavy, likely happened because the population increased and the government has failed to build the roads to match.
This would happen if the road funds had been spent on other things like mass transit. Or because of political pressure the taxes were not collected to what they should have been.

Either case, I would not want to live next to a highway that the government might want to expand, because you would be required to sell your land at a low price to expand the highway.

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

It's road loading that they are trying to reduce with the speed restrictions.

 

[fel3]

cranky108....

For example, the "Can Opener Bridge":

https://11foot8.com/

============
"Is it the only lesson of history that mankind is unteachable?"
--Winston S. Churchill

 

[FacEngrPE]

Tall trucks have interactions with bridges everywhere.
Testing the two objects in the same place at the same time physics is always a fail.

https://youtu.be/hFfxLf6kES8

https://youtu.be/gjQqHhEn4j4

https://www.reddit.com/r/LowBridgeAhead/

 

[waross]

The issue seems that GPS just gives a route,

Cheap GPS.
A good trucker's GPS lets the driver input his weight, length and height.
The GPS then avoids truck restricted roads and low clearances.
Mine cost about $700 as I recall.
The unit also warns of; sharp turns ahead, steep hills ahead, railway crossings ahead, speed limit reductions ahead, red light cameras ahead, displays the speed limit and your present speed. The speed display displays a reddish border if you are over the speed limit.
It also has too many more features to list here.


--------------------
Ohm's law
Not just a good idea;
It's the LAW!

 

[cranky108]

What GPS comes with your phone?

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

Depends how old your phone is and which country it's been purchased in.

The viewing app to process the data is a different story.

You get truckers apps with the relevant data.

Just like we get aviation ones for flight stuff.

But the specialist apps are not cheap.

UK they are a fleet insurance requirement for lorry's. Along with a few other things.

 

[cranky108]

It's the local delivery drivers that use the cheap GPS.

 

[Sym P. le]

waross, you don't need a good GPS to avoid clearance issues with route planning, just a good brain. Oh wait! You used your good brain to buy a good GPS so you didn't need to use your brain. Got it. If only all high functioning primates could negotiate that circus.

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

GPS is the system to provide the location.

Any info above that is not gps

 

[cranky108]

It is in the maps, and mapping service. So it is not GPS, but the map software.
Still what is the quality of that software?

 

[Murph 9000]

The bundled map/navigation software on phones is essentially "caveat emptor", and not fit for purpose for usage in large/heavy/commercial/professional vehicles. If you need something suitable for a vehicle larger than a standard car/SUV, you need a product which explicitly advertises professional features.

 

[Murph 9000]

I expect all of the standard free mapping/navigation services (and any paid ones that are consumer grade) will have something like the following from the Google Maps/Google Earth Additional Terms of Service.

Actual Conditions; Assumption of Risk. When you use Google Maps/Google Earth's map data, traffic, directions, and other content, you may find that actual conditions differ from the map results and content, so exercise your independent judgment and use Google Maps/Google Earth at your own risk. You’re responsible at all times for your conduct and its consequences.

 

[cranky108]

What percentage of the population reads, understands, or even remembers they agreed to this?

 

[Alistair_Heaton]

Cranky the have levels which you won't see unless you pay for it.

The update services can be of different lengths at cost.

Garmin have a range of lorry and dangerous load products and trackers which has planning software for the base operations.

Basically there is a monitor back at bases seeing where the load actually is. If it goes off route an alarm sounds.

I would think it's based on the aviation software that they have a similar system for.

They also have a driver economy product which logs driving style and fuel usage.

Apparently apart from the reduction in insurance it more than pays for itself in reduced operating costs and vehicle servicing. They get decreased tyre wear by a few % etc. Which on a fleet of 100 and 14 tyres per lorry adds up quickly