What makes people think it’s ok to disregard the law and take a chance of travelling overweight.
I’m not sure that they do; it’s largely ignorance of the fact that they are overweight.
Ian
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What makes people think it’s ok to disregard the law and take a chance of travelling overweight.
What makes people think it’s ok to disregard the law and take a chance of travelling overweight. Not all accidents are to do with a MHs so badly damaged, they won’t be weighed. What for example, God forbid, you were unfortunate to knock someone over, a child or an adult. This now changes the whole scenario of taking a chance. Not for me I’m afraid, whatever the averages of being caught are.
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Yes, I’ve seen police weighing vehicles at Düsseldorf show.I think there is more chance of being stopped abroad, not sure about financial penalties but they will not let you proceed with an illegal vehicle.
Martin
Just after filling with water at the service centre and stopped the 100 metres to the parking by any chance.Yes, I’ve seen police weighing vehicles at Düsseldorf show.
In Austria and Switzerland too
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In Dusseldorf, on the way out of the Show camp ground.Just after filling with water at the service centre and stopped the 100 metres to the parking by any chance.
I've read in the past that various surveys on motorhome weights have found most are overweight. I know that I was overweight with my last motorhome, bought new and well over the weight stated by the manufacturer when weighbridged at home. I felt that I had little option but to run over weight and accept whatever might be any consequences. To run at the plated weight would have meant leaving so much behinf that it would not have been worth motorhoming. This was a four berth motorhome and there was no way that my son or daughter and their respective families could have got down to the plated weight without towing their kids in a trailer.
I see so many vans where the salesman tells people they are 4 berth etc. when clearly the payloads would not make this a realistic possibility. And that's without
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Fortunately we have not used our Moho yet and have spent a lot of time both refurbishing and making sure we’re within the law.I’m not sure that they do; it’s largely ignorance of the fact that they are overweight.
Ian
Yes, I’ve seen police weighing vehicles at Düsseldorf show.
In Austria and Switzerland too
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The consequence of being done depends on how much you're over the limit. And is only a fine (and being made to shed weight then and there) unless it's dangerous.That's not quite the right use of the word risk
The likelihood of being pulled up is LOW
The consequence of being done is HIGH
Therefore the risk is MEDIUM
Severity | Endorsable | Fixed penalty amount |
---|---|---|
Less than 10% | No | £100 |
10% up to but not including 15% | No | £200 |
15% and over | No | £300 |
FYI If you're only over on axle weights and not over the gross, the rules also allow you to redistribute your load.The consequence of being done depends on how much you're over the limit. And is only a fine (and being made to shed weight then and there) unless it's dangerous.
Under 5% - no fine. Otherwise ...
Severity Endorsable Fixed penalty amount Less than 10% No £100 10% up to but not including 15% No £200 15% and over No £300
Normally, a fixed penalty would be inappropriate for serious cases of overloading - for example when the vehicle is overloaded by 30% and over, or the excess weight is 5 tonnes - so a court summons would be issued instead.
If the excess weight and the way the load is carried is having a significant effect on road safety - for example, serious instability or loss of control, these other offences will mean a court summons, with the excess weight being part of the offence/s.
HOWEVER - I suspect many motorhomes may struggle with axle limits - perhaps more so than overall weight.
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Agree, IMO no excuse for being overweight.I cannot believe the attitude of some, who think because they don’t hear of MHs being stopped, that it is not happening and in the next breath think the fine seems acceptable if caught, On my insurance policy it says, the responsibility is mine to make sure it is kept in a roadworthy condition. They are telling me if not, I don’t have cover.
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I cannot believe the attitude of some, who think because they don’t hear of MHs being stopped, that it is not happening and in the next breath think the fine seems acceptable if caught, On my insurance policy it says, the responsibility is mine to make sure it is kept in a roadworthy condition. They are telling me if not, I don’t have cover.
Agree, IMO no excuse for being overweight.
Back in 1988 my son got pulled in an Escort van on the M6 and was overloaded,,We had to send another van up to off load the excess.He was fined £90..My wife and I were partners in the firm,,,we were fined £400 each.I kid you not.BUSBY.To be serious, I've been stopped over here a few times when I was a trucker, I was fine each time but others weren't so lucky. You will have to lose weight, drain tanks, unload excess weight, but! You can't just dump it at the weightwatchers site. You have to arrange for it to be picked up by family or friends, I've seen trucks trans shipping pallets etc. tippers having to handball loads onto another vehicle.
Can't speak for Europe though.
Pretty much that's it but generally 5% onthe gross weight is OK with the cops to allow for windloading on the vehicle and inaccuracies in weighing equipment you will get a telling off . Never exceed the design weights . I reckon the biggest risk with overloaded vehicles is decending long steep hills like you get on the continent and cooking the brakesBut in that scenario is it not relevant as to whether the vehicle is over its design/CoC weight, for which the suspension and brakes have bee certified, rather than any lower plated/V5C weight, which might have been selected for convenience of a driver's licence.
In that respect I wonder what DVSA's attitude is if the design weight is say 3850/4000/4250 but it is running on a 3500 plate. Do they prosecute on the technical breach of the plated weight or do they take into consideration that they know the vehicle is safe within design limits and ignore the technical infringement? I think that if within the design weight a Court would not be very interested, as the vehicle is 'safe'.
If the answer is the latter, that may explain why not many MHs are stopped, because DVSA know that most base vehicles are safe above 3500, so unless they can see that the distance from a wheel arch to tyre is out of kilter they do not pull it.
Just my view.
Geoff
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Agree, IMO no excuse for being overweight.
Generally it's 5% so if you are 5% over on the back axle which is the axle most likely to be overweight then you will possibly get a fixed penalty depending on how much overweight you can be be stopped prom proceeding. Like you might have mentioned a transport lawyer would argue the design weight was not exceeded and so the vehicle was deemed safe.Nobody has addressed the differentiation that I made between being over the plated weight and over the vehicle design weight.
What are the penalties for the former and the latter?
Are fixed penalties issued if you are between the two?
Geoff
The plated weight is the legal max you can run at regardless of the design weight.Nobody has addressed the differentiation that I made between being over the plated weight and over the vehicle design weight.
What are the penalties for the former and the latter?
Are fixed penalties issued if you are between the two?
Geoff
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Could we have the details please xYou do not have to use SvTech. A consultancy recommended to me by MinxyGirl has completed the same excercise for me for the total sum of £94. I now have a certified additional payload of 400kg. That is less than a fine on a single axle
The plated weight is the legal max you can run at regardless of the design weight.
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