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Surely the maximum weight of the van is what it says, so all the van should be on the weighbridge.

I believe though when the police/trading standards do their roadside spot checks they put "scales" under the van wheels only and not the jockey wheel.

If thats the case we can all get away with being slightly overweight!

Dave

Dave

I heard that the Police make you go to a weighbridge?

I remember years ago being paranoid about the weight and sending my husband off to the weighbridge with the caravan. I don't recall now exactly how it was weighed and as he's no longer here (bless him) I can't ask him, but I do remember he came back with the news that we were still 80 Kgs under so plenty of room for the fags and booze on the return trip from France.

Its normal practice for them  to take you (under police escort) to a weighbridge and they wheigh the complete outfit, with all passengers inside the vehicle. If the outfit is within the gross trainweight for the towing vehicle then you'll be fine.

Exceptions to the rule . . .(1) If your caravan is so badly overloaded that looks like its about to collapse then they may well weigh it on its own. (2) If VOSA have set up a monitoring site (normally in a car park) they may have brought a set of the truck weigh scales, but they're normally just for checking HGV/LGV.

As most adhere to the 85% rule, there's very little chance you'll ever be over the train weight

Gross Train Weight = Caravan MPLM + Tow Vehicles Max weight

Chaz

I suspect you are talking about 2 different measurements here.

The whole van will be the gross, all up weight. Weighing just the road wheels will be the axle weight. They 2 are very different measurements.

as a certified public weighbridge operator it states in the handbook whole of vehicle being weighed must be on the weigh bridge but the driver must be off the bridge. The only time I would weigh a veh with part of it off the bridge is if individual axle weights are required.

David

Quote: Originally posted by MattCharlie on 04/9/2008

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I really could do with knowing how I can get my van to a weighbridge as I only assume that I am not overloaded but don't actually know for definate. And having passed my test after 97 im restricted with weights I can legally pull. Does anyone know where I can get this information?

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Do a Google for Public Weighbridge Locations - here's an example;

http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspages.nsf/LookupWebPagesByTITLE_RTF/Public+Weighbridge+Locations?opendocument

Instead of using a weighbridge you could check the weights in the handbooks and then weigh everything that goes in and make sure it doesn't exceed the CAP (or loading allowance).

There are a couple of differing, albeit closely connected, issues here.

Firstly, if weighing the van to ensure that it is not over its weight, the whole thing should be left on the weighbridge (including jockey wheel!), as this will then give you the total weight of that 'vehicle' alone. In this case, there should not be anyone standing on the weigh plate.

If weighing the car+van, the whole lot is parked on the weigh plate, and all passengers and driver remain in the vehicle. This provides the total gross weight of the combination.

Different offences are committed depending on whether the individual axles are overweight, the van alone is overweight, or the combination is overweight.

it is not possible to weigh the van alone whilst still attached to the car, as part of the weight will be borne by the 'nose'. So subtracting the noseweight does not necessarily work.

There is no exemption under the driver license regulations to allow a post -97 licence holder to drive to the weighbridge to weigh the combination.

Hope this helps!

Quote: Originally posted by MattCharlie on 04/9/2008

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I really could do with knowing how I can get my van to a weighbridge as I only assume that I am not overloaded but don't actually know for definate. And having passed my test after 97 im restricted with weights I can legally pull. Does anyone know where I can get this information?

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this is the link i have

http://www.chrishodgetrucks.co.uk/pageweighbridge/weighbridgeshome.htm