Has anyone been stopped for van being over weight

[Snowbird]

I used to get pulled regularly in my old Dodge Ram pickup truck. I used it to run emergency marine parts around Europe and to save time stopping and fueling up I had a 800 litre alloy diesel tank fitted behind the cab. With the 200 litre standard fitted fuel tank I was carrying a ton before I put anything on it.

 

[Speve]

I believe that we are missing the point here the question is pulled or not are you prepared to take the consequences should you be involved in a fatal accident when the findings are you were overweight.
It doesn't bear thinking about an I for one will always ensure we are within limits it would be silly to do otherwise or even suggest others do.

 

[busby]

DVSA carried out 2,712 weight checks of HGVs during 2014, 1578 of these were prohibited and 4,802 graduated fixed penalties were issued.
They carried out 25 weight checks on PSVs, 6 of which were prohibited
they carried out 3,031 weight checks on vehicles under 3.5 tonnes of which 2,543 were prohibited and 1,877 received graduated fixed penalties.

This demonstrates the very low rate of weighing for any group (especially Buses and coaches which bring extra difficulties) and it also shows the very high percentage of smaller vehicles (under 3.5 tonnes) that are overloaded. This in turn shows that these smaller vehicles are themselves likely to be used overloaded giving, as they do, a very large space for goods but a rather narrow range between unladen weight and Maximum Permitted weight even before they have all the stuff associated with motorhomes added to them.

7.5 tonnes are terrible to load and not overload one of the axles,,,BUSBY.

 

[mpdcymru]

Absolutely true and 3.5 tonnes are even worse!

 

[two]

I've heard of checks being made, and where 'advisories' were being issued to those overweight, but never experienced it myself.
I'd like to think that the rules are there to be applied in circumstances of blatant disregard rather than to be rigidly adhered to and penalising those who are only marginally over. When I was plated 5tonne, I had plenty of margin and payload was not an issue, but it's a completely different matter at 3.5tonne.

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[busby]

I've heard of checks being made, and where 'advisories' were being issued to those overweight, but never experienced it myself.
I'd like to think that the rules are there to be applied in circumstances of blatant disregard rather than to be rigidly adhered to and penalising those who are only marginally over. When I was plated 5tonne, I had plenty of margin and payload was not an issue, but it's a completely different matter at 3.5tonne.

Think if over 5% and you will be prosecuted and not allowed to move until legal,,,thats the case with commercial vehicles anyway,,BUSBY,,

 

[Peter & Elaine]

We were weighed in Spain last year bypassing Zaragoza on the A121
We were weighing 3.8 ton and a very happy policemen was trying to knick me for being over 3.5 ton
When I showed him our V5 with 3.85 ton he became a very unhappy policeman
This was on a static weigh bridge not a axel weigh if it was was I recon I would have been slightly over on back axel

Just goes to show that upgrading from 3.5 to 3.85 was worth it I recon most of the motorhomes running around now are well overloaded

 

[ludo]

From other threads we can see that maybe half the 3500 vans are going to be overweight and yet as far as I can see only an over long rv and a pvc, have actually been stopped and fined, does this mean that actual coach built motorhomes are never stopped let alone fined.

No it doesn't!

We were stopped in France in June 2010. We were pulled on the A9 motorway and taken to a motorway aire where our van was x-rayed, searched and weighed. Each axle was weighed as well as the overall weight. After 1hr 10min we were released because we were carrying nothing illegal and our van was not overweight.

Picture below of our van actually being x-rayed with Mrs. Ludo in the foreground.

Never ever be complacent, it could easily

happen to you!

 

[Cat53]

Glad we've updated to 4000 as we were over before we'd put any clothes in.

 

[busby]

No it doesn't!

We were stopped in France in June 2010. We were pulled on the A9 motorway and taken to a motorway aire where our van was x-rayed, searched and weighed. Each axle was weighed as well as the overall weight. After 1hr 10min we were released because we were carrying nothing illegal and our van was not overweight.

Picture below of our van actually being x-rayed with Mrs. Ludo in the foreground.

Never ever be complacent, it could easily View attachment 150885 happen to you!

Thats a mean piece of tackle they are weighing you with..BUSBY.

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[ludo]

No it doesn't!

We were stopped in France in June 2010. We were pulled on the A9 motorway and taken to a motorway aire where our van was x-rayed, searched and weighed. Each axle was weighed as well as the overall weight. After 1hr 10min we were released because we were carrying nothing illegal and our van was not overweight.

Picture below of our van actually being x-rayed with Mrs. Ludo in the foreground.

Never ever be complacent, it could easily View attachment 150885 happen to you!

Feel sure that Mrs. Ludo was standing too close to the x-ray unit because ever since that event, she has everything a man could want. Huge biceps and a very hairy chest!

 

[ludo]

Thats a mean piece of tackle they are weighing you with..BUSBY.

What you see is the x-ray unit, not the weighbridge. They searched us next and then put us on a weighbridge, situated on another section of the aire.

 

[RidersofRohan]

I upgraded to 4t and when touring France and Spain kept finding myself in 3.5t zones, no fines so far but if they can't get you one way they will the other.

 

[Reallyretired]

I saw a very large (at least 8m) motorhome that was obviously overloaded. The back was down so low it must have been on the bump stops. Being nosy I looked at the tax disc (they still had them then) and was surprised to see it was licensed as PLG so less than 3,500kg. I would say it was at least 5,000kg.

 

[Reallyretired]

I also uprated to 4T and often find myself in 3.5t limit areas in France. Lots of even larger French motorhomes also use them so perhaps there is at least a perception that the limit only applies to commercial vehicles.

On the matter of overweight, if 5% over is just an advisory, then that is 200kg in the case of mine. That's quite a lot of overweight.

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[Larrynwin]

I really don't see the point of this thread, if you are overweight it is illegal - end of story.

We found we were running 50-100kg over with full tanks so we upgraded, the sensible thing to do.

Only if you have the licence to support the higher weight.

 

[suavecarve]

Feel sure that Mrs. Ludo was standing too close to the x-ray unit because ever since that event, she has everything a man could want. Huge biceps and a very hairy chest!

In my very best Leslie Phillips voice " Well helloooooo Mrs Ludo"

 

[Kingham]

I also uprated to 4T and often find myself in 3.5t limit areas in France. Lots of even larger French motorhomes also use them so perhaps there is at least a perception that the limit only applies to commercial vehicles.

If the 3.5t sign includes a picture of a goods vehicle, then the limit applies only to goods vehicles and not motorhomes.

If there is no picture of a goods vehicle, the weight restriction applies to all vehicles.

 

[Littlewheels]

If the 3.5t sign includes a picture of a goods vehicle, then the limit applies only to goods vehicles and not motorhomes.

If there is no picture of a goods vehicle, the weight restriction applies to all vehicles.

We're going off topic here but, so when you see the Red shaped truck and car sign and the 3.5t on dual carriageways meaning no overtaking we can ignore it?

 

[GWAYGWAY]

They don't need to pull you over. Just driver over a WIMS.
http://www.transportsfriend.org/enforcement/wims.html
However, does it work with LGV vehicles, which is what most MHs are in a sense? If these devices were catching MHs I think we would have heard about it. Perhaps they are not sensitive enough to pick up the odd hundred kilograms?

These are indeed a danger for the overweight lorries, but more at the high end at 40 + tonnes where they are going to be made more accurate that at the bottom end of the scale, a motorcycle would not make them even twitch, I think at 4 tonnes the accuracy scale would be right out of it.

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[Kingham]

We're going off topic here but, so when you see the Red shaped truck and car sign and the 3.5t on dual carriageways meaning no overtaking we can ignore it?

If you mean something like this.....

....then yes, it only relates to goods vehicles. If there is a weight limit accompanying the sign, then it only relates to goods vehicles of that weight, or above.

 

[GWAYGWAY]

I hardly think there would be many that would admit to being done for overloading on an open forum .

How about those larger people and wife along with two fat aunties in the back seat of a mcra coming home with the shopping for them all in the boot. Well overweight axles and gross but little chance of being caught.
I have been stopped for overweight and overloading in a Messerschmitt three wheeler, when there were four of us in it, we were 16 then and the copper made me take them one at a time to home, they had to wait for me to back and forth. Things were different then in 1960s

 

[GWAYGWAY]

I believe that we are missing the point here the question is pulled or not are you prepared to take the consequences should you be involved in a fatal accident when the findings are you were overweight.
It doesn't bear thinking about an I for one will always ensure we are within limits it would be silly to do otherwise or even suggest others do.

If it was that bad then they would need a digger to collect all the bits and pieces to pile up on the weighbridge including the burst empty tanks etc , the groceries would be all over the place. I think that unlikely. If it was registered at 3500 on paper and the vehicle was a 4 ton chassis the they could not say it was dangerously overloaded, just a paperwork offence if they could prove it.

 

[Larrynwin]

How about those larger people and wife along with two fat aunties in the back seat of a mcra coming home with the shopping for them all in the boot. Well overweight axles and gross but little chance of being caught.
I have been stopped for overweight and overloading in a Messerschmitt three wheeler, when there were four of us in it, we were 16 then and the copper made me take them one at a time to home, they had to wait for me to back and forth. Things were different then in 1960s

Wow, four in a Messerschmitt , very cosy

 

[GWAYGWAY]

Thats a mean piece of tackle they are weighing you with..BUSBY.

Industrial Gamma source Xray machine. The purpose of that is to fry the illegals hiding in the van, or at least stop them from breeding later. it is looking for hidden compartments with drugs, I understand it is very common to be stopped near the Spanish borders.

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[GWAYGWAY]

Wow, four in a Messerschmitt , very cosy

VERY TIGHT, Me driving, best mate on floor behind seat, another mate and girlfriend on lap on the rear seat,, ERR!! there might have been another girl on that seat as well, I cannot really remember that far back now, 50+ years, and we were not that big then, not like modern kids.

 

[Larrynwin]

VERY TIGHT, Me driving, best mate on floor behind seat, another mate and girlfriend on lap on the rear seat,, ERR!! there might have been another girl on that seat as well, I cannot really remember that far back now, 50+ years, and we were not that big then, not like modern kids.

Yes we were skinny, a proper diet and always active I think

Btw I had a Heinkel, subsequently Trojan , side by side bubble car, great fun .

 

[Bluemooner]

I got pulled to be weighed once it was by weight watchers they said i was a lot over weight but let me go and no fine

 

[GWAYGWAY]

I know this is off topic but it has a weight link. 30 +years ago, We used to run a MB 608 boxvan and it went to a company in France with a one tonne pallet of spare bits in it. He backed on the bank and went to get a pallet truck but, an IDIOT CHILD FRENCH KID, drove in the back with a three ton fork lift, It tipped the van on end, fell off the bank smashed the forklift and buggered the load. They tried to claim off us for having a defective handbrake and being overweight. When I went down to refute it I wanted to interview the forklift driver, they called him in and he was on crutches, I asked what had happened they said he turned a forklift over the previous week and had broken his leg.. I laughed, stood up and walked out saying our case proved.

 

[Lenny HB]

How about those larger people and wife along with two fat aunties in the back seat of a mcra coming home with the shopping for them all in the boot. Well overweight axles and gross but little chance of being caught.
I have been stopped for overweight and overloading in a Messerschmitt three wheeler, when there were four of us in it, we were 16 then and the copper made me take them one at a time to home, they had to wait for me to back and forth. Things were different then in 1960s

I got stopped 9 up in a Morris Minor, copper asked how many I had in the car I had to count them. He told me to be careful and let me go on my way.

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