Are you hiring a courier that’s driving illegally?

Keeping up with Nigel Grainger’s recent blog about towing trailers, I felt it applied equally to vans as well. With customers looking at ways to save money and couriers looking at ways to make more money, there has been an increase in transit sized vehicles using trailers.

Quote from Your Road Risk Blog, the link is at the bottom of the quote.

I was looking at a series of vehicle capacities for a client a short while ago and was shocked to find that the Gross Train Mass (GTM) of some cars now exceeds 3,500kg. Now for those who are not in the know, Gross Train Mass is defined as the weight of the vehicle, any trailer towed behind it and the weight imposed on the two. The weight of 3,500kg is important because vehicles with a permitted Gross Mass in excess of 3,500kg are required by European Law to obey EU Drivers Hours and Tachograph Law, if the vehicle is used in connection hire and reward (business use). This initially involves the fitting of a Tachograph Unit to record data about the activities of the driver and vehicle.

To establish the permissible Gross Train Mass or even the permissible Gross Vehicle Mass of your vehicle you need to find the VIN Plate. This is a metal plate stamped with the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), and a series of 4 numbers that denote weight in kgs. The Gross Vehicle Mass is the top number, the Gross Train Mass is the second number, the Front Axle Mass is the third number and the Rear Axle Mass is the last number. These weights are the Maximum permissible masses allowed, not the current mass. These plates are either under the bonnet or on one on the sills inside the front doors. The design of the vehicle is not important only the permitted masses.

Until recently all passenger cars had a Gross Train Mass of 3,490kg and hence fell below the threshold of 3,500kg, but with the advances in tehcnology the car manufacturers have been able to increase the capacities of the cars, in some cases, far in excess of 3,500kg. They have done this, in my opinion, to allow people to tow larger caravans more safely, which is a definate bonus. Also the private use of these vehicles to tow a caravan will not require a tachograph to be fitted.

Fleet Risk Consultants »  Are you towing trailers with your car illegally?

What do you think? need a tachograph for your transit or sprinter? If you are a customer booking a courier using a trailer does it matter to you if it’s legal? It should do. The vehicle if caught driving illegally, will be prevented from completing it’s journey. Where does that leave you with your goods?

You also need to have the correct driving licence to tow a trailer using a van. Its B+E on your driving licence.

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Sarah Arrow