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PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Adam Pilgrim on February 25, 2012 at 20:09

Phil,  this may be of interest..... I quote the following information from the letter written by the senior traffic examiner of VOSA in the letter that Dan linked to:

"It is perfectly acceptable for a light goods vehicle to be used with a maximum plated train weight of LESS than the combined plated gross weights of the vehicle and trailer, as long as the trailer is not loaded to the extent that its actual weight would exceed the maximum threshold of the towing vehicles maximum plated train weight.

For example a towing vehicle with a plated gross weight of 3000kg and a plated train weight of 5000kg, could feasibly tow a trailer with a maximum gross weight of 3500kg. HOWEVER IF the vehicle and trailer were both loaded to their respective maximum gross weights then the combinations maximum train weight would be exceeded by 1500kg.

It is the actual weight of vehicle and load that is important in determining a vehicles compliance with legal weight thresholds, NOT the potential carrying capacity. Where such a vehicle combination is encountered, then it is imperative that the combination is weighed.

Andrew Ball

Senior VOSA traffic examiner

18/03/2011"

Obviously a £30 fine for incorrect number plate is a fixed penalty offence under the road traffic act, afraid there nothing you do about that one...

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PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Dan Frazer Gardening on February 25, 2012 at 20:21

Yes Phil, according to the letter by VOSA it is NOT the plate on the trailer that matters, but the actual weight if put on a weighbridge.

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Permalink Reply by phil smith yewtreelandscapes.com on February 25, 2012 at 20:24

this is where it all gets confusing, one says one thing and another says something else, the ways it is explaind on the website is such a grey area, so basicly it depends who pulls you over and to use their discression, realy it the same as everything 1 rule for 1 and 1 rule for someone else

Adam Pilgrim said:

Phil,  this may be of interest..... I quote the following information from the letter written by the senior traffic examiner of VOSA in the letter that Dan linked to:

"It is perfectly acceptable for a light goods vehicle to be used with a maximum plated train weight of LESS than the combined plated gross weights of the vehicle and trailer, as long as the trailer is not loaded to the extent that its actual weight would exceed the maximum threshold of the towing vehicles maximum plated train weight.

For example a towing vehicle with a plated gross weight of 3000kg and a plated train weight of 5000kg, could feasibly tow a trailer with a maximum gross weight of 3500kg. HOWEVER IF the vehicle and trailer were both loaded to their respective maximum gross weights then the combinations maximum train weight would be exceeded by 1500kg.

It is the actual weight of vehicle and load that is important in determining a vehicles compliance with legal weight thresholds, NOT the potential carrying capacity. Where such a vehicle combination is encountered, then it is imperative that the combination is weighed.

Andrew Ball

Senior VOSA traffic examiner

18/03/2011"

Obviously a £30 fine for incorrect number plate is a fixed penalty offence under the road traffic act, afraid there nothing you do about that one...

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Permalink Reply by Jez Young on February 25, 2012 at 20:38

just checked out the faq`s on the ivor williams trailer website.I tow a 3.5t trailer but don`t exceed the 2.7 towing capacity of my  current 4x4. i bought the 3.5t trailer as it should last longer than my jeep
http://www.iwt.co.uk/customer-care/faq-categories/towing-laws/1763
phil smith said:

it very straight forward, if you have a van that has a gross weight of 3 ton and the van has a train weight of 4.5 ton you are allowed to tow a braked trailer of gross 1.5 ton, total van & trailer loaded 4.5 ton, if you trailer has a plate on it that reads gross weight of 1.6 ton you are breaking the law, this is according to the vosa man that pulled me over yesterday, not for being over weight, but for haveing the wrong number plate on my trailer as i forgot to change it over from the day before when i was towing it with my 4x4, police then came along and i was given a £30 fine, it is now sitting in front of me ready to be paid on monday, they never bothered checking anything, not even if the trailer was stolen, never ask for any documents, just issued me with the £30 fine 

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PRO MemberPermalink Reply by Adam Pilgrim on February 25, 2012 at 20:41

Jez, the fine Phil got was for an incorrect numberplate - nothing to do with weights unfortunately.

Incorrect number plate is an 'absolute offence' - no escaping it...

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Permalink Reply by Jez Young on February 25, 2012 at 20:56

yes sorry mis read it, thoght he hadn`t changed the trailer gtw plate

Jez Young said:

just checked out the faq`s on the ivor williams trailer website.I tow a 3.5t trailer but don`t exceed the 2.7 towing capacity of my  current 4x4. i bought the 3.5t trailer as it should last longer than my jeep
http://www.iwt.co.uk/customer-care/faq-categories/towing-laws/1763
phil smith said:

it very straight forward, if you have a van that has a gross weight of 3 ton and the van has a train weight of 4.5 ton you are allowed to tow a braked trailer of gross 1.5 ton, total van & trailer loaded 4.5 ton, if you trailer has a plate on it that reads gross weight of 1.6 ton you are breaking the law, this is according to the vosa man that pulled me over yesterday, not for being over weight, but for haveing the wrong number plate on my trailer as i forgot to change it over from the day before when i was towing it with my 4x4, police then came along and i was given a £30 fine, it is now sitting in front of me ready to be paid on monday, they never bothered checking anything, not even if the trailer was stolen, never ask for any documents, just issued me with the £30 fine 

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Permalink Reply by Matt Brown on February 25, 2012 at 23:43

Category B: Vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes MAM and with up to eight passenger seats

Category B vehicles may be coupled with a trailer up to 750kgs MAM (allowing a combined weight up to 4.25 tonnes MAM) or a trailer over 750kgs MAM provided the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehicle, and the combination does not exceed 3.5 tonnes MAM.

For example:

• a vehicle with an unladen weight of 1.25 tonnes and a MAM of 2 tonnes coupled with a trailer with a MAM of 1.25 tonnes could be driven by the holder of a category B entitlement. This is because the MAM of the combination does not exceed 3.5 tonnes and also the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the drawing vehicle

Whereas

• the same vehicle with an unladen weight of 1.25 tonnes and a MAM of 2 tonnes when coupled with a trailer with a MAM of 1.5 tonnes would fall within category B+E. This is because although the combined weight of the vehicle and trailer is within the 3.5 tonnes MAM limit, the MAM of the trailer is more than the unladen weight of the drawing vehicle
• Vehicle manufacturers normally recommend a maximum weight of trailer appropriate to their vehicle. Details can usually be found in the vehicle's handbook or obtained from car dealerships. The size of the trailer recommended for an average family car with an unladen weight of around 1 tonne would be well within the new category B threshold.

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