All vans and other light commercials are assigned a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) limit when they are certified for use on the roads. For example a GVW of 3,500kg or 3.5t means that the total weight of the van including the driver, any passengers, fuel and the load itself must not exceed this weight.
More and more van drivers and operators are being fined for overloading. The number of fleets downsizing from 7.5 tonnes to 3.5 tonnes may a key cause of the problem. You should be wary of putting too much equipment into your vans and not forget that if you have passengers in the van this also adds to the overall weight. There are two other factors that need to be taken into account.
1. Is the van going to be towing anything?
If this is the case then the Gross Train Weight (GTW) has to be taken into account. This is total permissible weight of the vehicle + the trailer. This figure will vary depending on whether the trailer is fitted with a braking system or not. A braked trailer has a total weight limit of approx 2,000kg (inc. the trailer itself) while an unbraked trailer would only be around 500kg. It is the GTW that is actually used to assess if the vehicle needs to covered by an ‘O’ licence.
2. Axle Weights
This is a point commonly missed. Each axle also has a weight limit. Again if the vehicle exceeds either the Front or Rear Axle Weights then it is breaking the law. In fact it is perfectly possible for the van to be under the GVW weight limit but exceed the Rear Axle limit thus being driven illegally. It is therefore important that the load is distributed correctly. You are also responsible for the maintenance and storage of the certificates of compliance which have to be passed on when the vehicle is sold. Failure to do these things will result in hefty fines.
There is a maximum overloading fine of £5,000 for goods vehicles. In particularly bad cases, where danger is caused by goods falling onto the road, then the driver and operator can be charged under the Road Traffic Act 1988, endorsable with three penalty points.
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