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29 Sep 2009, 16:04 (Ref:2550629) | #1 | |
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Towing Trailers and the Tacho Law
New risk of fines for towing trailer users
Van operators risk being stung by a £200 on-the-spot fine if they are caught using a low-loader trailer with a tow vehicle that has not been fitted with a tachograph, the Retail Motor Industry Federation has warned. The regulation also covers heavy 4x4 cars as well as commercial vehicles that are towing trailers. It has been in force for many years, but has only been enforced since May when the Vehicle & Operator Services Agency introduced a new fixed penalty regime. Operators could be caught out if they believe their tow vehicle is too light to require a tachograph. The law states that a tow vehicle can have a gross vehicle weight up to 3,500kgs without a tachograph being required. However, when towing a trailer these vehicles their gross combination weight will exceed 3,500kgs. Therefore, the tow vehicle has to be fitted and operated with a tachograph. “Traffic enforcement officers are now issuing spot fines at the roadside, and a number of companies have already been fined,” said the RMIF’s Sue Robinson. “To avoid incurring the £200 charge, consider fitting a tachograph on any tow vehicle that is likely to be used in combination with a low-loader.” I know this subject has been aired in the past but it looks now that ANY van or Pick-up and trailer with overall weight of 3500kg needs a Tacho. Am awaiting confirmation from VOSA if this applies to 'Private ' vehicles' or just Company vans and Pick-ups. Any ideas............? |
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29 Sep 2009, 16:10 (Ref:2550633) | #2 | ||
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This as been law for ages, nothing new but it only affects those engaged in hire and reward operations. If you are towing your own vehicle you don't need a tachograph
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29 Sep 2009, 18:20 (Ref:2550709) | #3 | ||
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A friend of mine got caught a couple of months ago towing a trailer with a transit recovery truck by vosa now he has a tacho fitted, i did warn him ages ago he didnt get a fine but wasnt allowed to carry on with the trailer though.This wasnt private use by the way.
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29 Sep 2009, 20:27 (Ref:2550776) | #4 | ||
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tachos
obviously my truck is well over 3500kg's but every year at the mot its declared as tachograph exempt as its a private hgv and is not used for hire or reward , ive always towed with it , and my argument is that my old fashioned paper license entitles me to tow with an hgv up to a gross vehicle train mass no bigger than 8250 kg's , hope this helps somebody.
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29 Sep 2009, 21:45 (Ref:2550840) | #5 | |
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30 Sep 2009, 06:49 (Ref:2550993) | #6 | |||
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Quote:
however if you tow with your motor home or horse box i belive the lenght is different. The later type licence where the driving test was taken after 1998 ?you can only drive/ tow upto 3500 kilos and that does include motor homes. The rest of our crew are having to take an extra test |
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30 Sep 2009, 08:46 (Ref:2551036) | #7 | |||
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Quote:
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30 Sep 2009, 12:11 (Ref:2551163) | #8 | |
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This is the fact - you will only need to have a tachograph fitted if you are operating the car/van & trailer as part of your business, such as a racing team, or carrying race cars for customers.
However, about 4 years ago I was stopped driving my Shogun and aluminium covered twin axle trailer with F3 inside on the A50 coming home from Mallory. The policeman had got it totally wrong and tried to say it was a business as I had a team (even had logos on the side) and tried to pass it off as OK only because I was driving both the race car and road car, even looked at my race licence. He said if I had asked my mechanic to drive the car he could have given me a ticket. Although he agreed that if we were all going camping for the weekend and just happened to have the car in the back it would be private use! Of course he had got it all totally wrong, but it would have just taken ages to convince him. If you are running a truck 7.5t or above as part of your business you will or need a tacho and Operators Licence. (although I'm not sure at the moment if this applies to a 3.5t van & trailer). Just to further muddy the waters...if you are running a race team as a business and carry fuel, gas bottles or any other sort of Dangerous Goods the driver will need some sort of ADR awareness training. (unless its in Limited Quantities, & fuel wouldn't be.). If you were carrying, say, 75 litres of fuel in cans the driver would need to have some ADR awareness training, its about a 3 hour course. |
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30 Sep 2009, 12:40 (Ref:2551183) | #9 | |
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Yes but even with his old paper licence towing a 1000+kg caravan on the back of his 7500kg truck is illegal UNLESS he's got a class 2 or above licence.NB: A class 2 (or whatever it's called now) will allow a max train weight of 12000kgs.
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30 Sep 2009, 15:34 (Ref:2551315) | #10 | ||
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There is no class 2 any more, it's just C1 and C1+E or CE or whatever.
It wont matter how heavy his trailer/caravan is providing he doesn't exceed the maximum plated weight of his tow vehicle. |
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30 Sep 2009, 15:53 (Ref:2551322) | #11 | ||
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http://www.licencecheck.co.uk/category_codes.php Lorries between 3500kg and 7500kg with a trailerup to 750kg. C1 18 3 Medium Sized vehicles with trailers Lorries between 3500kg and 7500kg with a trailer over 750kg - total weight not more than 12000kg (if you passed your category B test prior to 1.1.1997 you will be restricted to a total weight not more than 8250kg). C1+E 21 3 |
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30 Sep 2009, 15:53 (Ref:2551324) | #12 | ||
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Its all got to be under 8250kg with grandfather rights(before 97) thats including the trailer unless youve taken the test since 1997 then its 12000kg.
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30 Sep 2009, 16:01 (Ref:2551329) | #13 | ||
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30 Sep 2009, 16:22 (Ref:2551346) | #14 | |||
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30 Sep 2009, 16:27 (Ref:2551348) | #15 | ||
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Well got to say this best thread we had in ages.
Is there not another law where the unladen weight of the towing vechile has to be a percentage greater than that being towed? |
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30 Sep 2009, 16:35 (Ref:2551363) | #16 | ||
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Yes, but only on every 3rd Sunday in a leap year.
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30 Sep 2009, 16:41 (Ref:2551368) | #17 | ||
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30 Sep 2009, 17:59 (Ref:2551415) | #18 | ||
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For commercials,(vans/pick ups included) you can't tow more than the design tow weight or train weight. |
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30 Sep 2009, 18:01 (Ref:2551416) | #19 | ||
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30 Sep 2009, 18:08 (Ref:2551422) | #20 | ||
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IE: Gross weight of truck: 7500kgs. Gross (Design)weight of caravan: 1300kgs Equals: 8800kgs so it's 550kgs over the allowable train weight It doesn't matter if when they're loaded the weight is less than 8250kg it's the design weights that the police will go by. |
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30 Sep 2009, 18:12 (Ref:2551428) | #21 | |
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Tell us what you think is correct?
What I said previously is based on rules from several years ago (when I went on the tow safe course),having looked into the newer rules it does appear that you can tow up to the design tow weight of the car as long as it doesn't exceed the train weight. |
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30 Sep 2009, 18:31 (Ref:2551441) | #22 | |||
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"If you passed your category B (car) test before 1 January 1997 you would also have had the entitlement to drive vehicles between 3,500 and 7,500 kg (now known as C1 and C1E vehicles). However you can only drive such a vehicle and tow a trailer where the total weight of both is no more than 8,250 kg." so I drive a 3500 motorhome pulling a trailer/car combo with a max of 3500 |
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30 Sep 2009, 18:37 (Ref:2551449) | #23 | |||
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Also don't forget that when it comes time to renew your car licence you will need to take the test as it would revert to the same as passing after 1.1.97. Commercial vehicles have a VOSA plated weight which can be a lot less than the design weight of said vehicle. Example is the truck I drive has a manufacturers weight of something like 38 tons and a VOSA plate restricting it to 32tons in the UK, I used to drive a truck (in the 70s) that had a design weight of 74 tons and a UK plated weight of 32 tons, good old Volvo F88. Cars, My Land Cruiser weighs just under 2 tons, I can tow a trailer grossing up to 2.8 tons. My Disco weighs a tad over 2 tons and I can tow a 3.5 ton trailer with overrun brakes or 4 ton trailer with full air or hydraulic brakes. |
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30 Sep 2009, 18:58 (Ref:2551457) | #24 | ||
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Many thanks for the clarification, Tim - that was also my understanding of the situation.
Folks may need to be aware that enforcement of these regs is tightening all the time as Police/VOSA Inspectors are becoming more vigilant. The carriage of fuel in jerry cans inside any vehicle towing race cars is receiving attention lately and ferry companies are now conducting checks inside racetrucks. I recently fitted a 90 litre auxilliary tank for race fuel to my truck, relocating the spare wheel to inside the box. Also, a 7.5 tonner with tacho exemption and a speedo fitted is ok in these islands but non-compliant in Europe. Additionally, the temptation to signwrite a van/truck or enclosed race trailer should be avoided by private owners as VOSA will try to construe this as a commercial operation. Not for hire or reward stickers are recommended. Its all pretty tiresome stuff, but its best to be well informed and compliant. |
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30 Sep 2009, 21:29 (Ref:2551519) | #25 | |
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I think you need to clarify the interpretation of "gross" ; the DVLA seem to take the meaning as maximum which how I take it.
Taken from the dvla website: Maximum authorised mass The term maximum authorised mass (MAM), used in the context of driving licences, is the maximum weight of a vehicle or trailer including the maximum load that can be carried safely while used on the road. This is also known as gross vehicle weight (GVW) or permissible maximum weight. It will be listed in the owner’s manual and is normally shown on a plate or sticker fitted to the vehicle. The plate or sticker may also show a gross train weight (GTW). |
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