HGV Speed Limits UK: Lorry Speed Limits by Road Type

In England and Wales, a lorry over 7.5 tonnes is limited to 50mph on a single carriageway, 60mph on a dual carriageway and 60mph on a motorway. In Scotland the same lorry is limited to 40mph on single carriageways and 50mph on dual carriageways, with 60mph on the motorway. In built-up areas the limit is 30mph, or 20mph by default in Wales. In practice an HGV can never reach 60mph, because its speed limiter is set at 56mph.

UK Speed Limits for Goods Vehicles: Full Table

These are the national limits published by GOV.UK. Signs on a particular road always take precedence.

Vehicle	Built-up areas	Single carriageway	Dual carriageway	Motorway
Cars and car-derived vans	30mph	60mph	70mph	70mph
Goods vehicles up to 7.5t (incl. most vans)	30mph	50mph	60mph	70mph*
Goods vehicles over 7.5t, England and Wales	30mph	50mph	60mph	60mph
Goods vehicles over 7.5t, Scotland	30mph	40mph	50mph	60mph

*60mph if the vehicle is articulated or towing a trailer.

Built-up area limits are 20mph by default in Wales.

Notes on the Table

Vans: a car-derived van (one based on a car, such as a small van version of a hatchback) follows car limits. Most other vans, including panel vans up to 3.5 tonnes, are goods vehicles, so the limit is 50mph on a single carriageway and 60mph on a dual carriageway.

Articulated vehicles and trailers: a goods vehicle up to 7.5 tonnes that is articulated or towing a trailer is limited to 60mph on the motorway.

Scotland: the lower single and dual carriageway limits for lorries over 7.5 tonnes still apply in Scotland. England and Wales raised them to 50mph and 60mph in 2015.

Local restrictions: many roads carry lower limits than the national defaults. Speed limit signs always override the national limit for that road type.

How Speed Limiters Interact with These Limits

Here is where things get interesting for fleet operators. All goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes must be fitted with a speed limiter under UK law. For HGVs, that limiter is set to 56mph (90 km/h). For more detail on the legal requirements, see our guide on HGV speed limiter law.

This creates a practical situation that every HGV driver and fleet manager needs to understand.

The Motorway Paradox

The national speed limit for HGVs over 7.5 tonnes on motorways is 60mph. However, the mandatory speed limiter is set to 56mph. This means that while the law permits 60mph, the vehicle physically cannot exceed 56mph.

In practice, a speed-limited HGV on a motorway typically cruises at 52-55mph, accounting for slight variations in speedometer accuracy and limiter calibration tolerance. The 60mph limit is effectively a ceiling that the vehicle can never reach.

This is not a conflict in the law. The speed limiter requirement (Construction and Use Regulations, Regulation 36A) operates independently of the road speed limit. The vehicle must comply with both: the road speed limit sets the maximum legal speed, and the speed limiter sets the maximum physical speed. Whichever is lower applies.

On Other Road Types

On single carriageways (50mph for lorries over 7.5 tonnes in England and Wales, 40mph in Scotland), the driver must observe the road limit. The 56mph limiter is a hard stop, not permission to drive at 56mph.

On dual carriageways the limit is 60mph in England and Wales, so the 56mph limiter is the real ceiling. In Scotland the dual carriageway limit for heavy lorries is 50mph, below the limiter setting, so the driver must hold it.

Speed Limits for Buses and Coaches

Fleet operators running passenger service vehicles should note different limits apply.

Road Type	Buses and coaches over 12m long	Buses and coaches up to 12m long
Built-up areas	30mph	30mph
Single carriageway	50mph	50mph
Dual carriageway	60mph	60mph
Motorway	60mph	70mph

Coaches and buses must be fitted with speed limiters set to 62mph (100 km/h).

Penalties for Exceeding HGV Speed Limits

The penalties for a goods vehicle driver exceeding the speed limit depend on the severity of the offence.

Fixed penalty notice: For minor exceedances, the standard penalty is GBP 100 and 3 penalty points on the driver’s licence.

Graduated penalties: Higher fines and more points apply for greater exceedances. In the most serious cases, a court summons can result in fines of up to GBP 2,500 for motorway offences or GBP 1,000 for other roads.

Driver CPC and operator implications: Repeated speeding offences by drivers within a fleet can trigger a DVSA investigation and referral to the Traffic Commissioner. This can result in conditions being placed on your operator’s licence, or in extreme cases, revocation.

Speed limiter offences: Operating a goods vehicle without a functioning, correctly calibrated speed limiter is a separate offence. A DVSA roadside check finding a non-compliant speed limiter can result in an immediate prohibition notice, preventing the vehicle from continuing its journey. Fines of up to GBP 1,000 apply. Full details are covered in our speed limiter regulations UK guide.

Practical Compliance for Fleet Operators

Managing speed limit compliance across a mixed fleet requires a systematic approach.

Vehicle categorisation: Ensure every vehicle in your fleet is correctly categorised by weight and type, and that drivers know which speed limits apply to the vehicle they are operating on any given day.

Speed limiter calibration: All vehicles over 3.5 tonnes should have their speed limiters calibrated by an approved installer, with records maintained and available for inspection. The speed limiter plate in each cab should be current and legible.

Telematics and monitoring: Modern fleet management systems can alert you when a vehicle exceeds the speed limit for its category on any given road. This provides an evidence trail for compliance and identifies drivers who need additional support.

Driver training: Speed limit awareness should be a core element of driver induction and ongoing training, particularly for drivers who switch between vehicle categories.

Getting Started

Whether you need new speed limiters fitted, existing units recalibrated, or advice on fleet-wide speed management, AutoKontrol has been helping UK fleet operators with speed limiter compliance for over 40 years. Request a free quote and we will help you ensure every vehicle in your fleet meets its legal obligations.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the HGV speed limit on the motorway in the UK?

Goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes are limited to 60mph on motorways in the UK. However, the mandatory speed limiter fitted to HGVs is set to 56mph, so in practice a speed-limited HGV cannot reach the 60mph legal limit and typically cruises at 52-55mph. Goods vehicles between 3.5t and 7.5t that are not articulated follow the 70mph motorway limit, while articulated vehicles or those towing a trailer are limited to 60mph.

What is the speed limit on a single carriageway for a lorry over 7.5 tonnes?

In England and Wales, the national speed limit on a single carriageway for a rigid or articulated lorry with a maximum authorised mass of more than 7.5 tonnes is 50mph. In Scotland it is 40mph. Goods vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes are also limited to 50mph on single carriageways.

What are the HGV speed limits on a dual carriageway?

In England and Wales, goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes are limited to 60mph on dual carriageways, and so are goods vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes. Because the HGV speed limiter is set at 56mph, a heavy lorry cannot reach 60mph. In Scotland the dual carriageway limit for lorries over 7.5 tonnes is 50mph.

Do lorry speed limits differ by vehicle weight?

Yes. UK goods vehicle speed limits vary by vehicle weight, vehicle type, and road classification. Goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes are limited to 50mph on single carriageways and 60mph on dual carriageways and motorways in England and Wales (40, 50 and 60mph in Scotland). Goods vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes can do 70mph on the motorway unless they are articulated or towing, when the limit is 60mph.

Why is my HGV limited to 56mph when the motorway limit is 60mph?

All goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes must be fitted with a speed limiter under UK law, and for HGVs that limiter is set to 56mph (90 km/h). This operates independently of the road speed limit under the Construction and Use Regulations, so while the law permits 60mph on the motorway, the vehicle physically cannot exceed 56mph. The vehicle must comply with both the road speed limit and the limiter, and whichever is lower applies.

What are the penalties for exceeding HGV speed limits?

For minor exceedances, the standard penalty is a fixed penalty notice of GBP 100 and 3 penalty points on the driver’s licence. Greater exceedances attract higher graduated fines and more points, and the most serious cases can reach fines of up to GBP 2,500 for motorway offences or GBP 1,000 for other roads. Repeated offences can trigger a DVSA investigation and referral to the Traffic Commissioner, potentially affecting the operator’s licence.