Bad news for owners of horseboxes

[PeterNatt]

From page 7 of today's Horse and Hounds. Owners of horseboxes may have an unpleasant suprise as VOSA are implementing regulations which specify that the minimun clearance of the lorry bodywork from the ground must be 550mm. This will take effect from 1st May 2010 for all unladen vehicles from 3.5 - 12 tonne..

 

[Pidgeon]

eep that's not good!

 

[sare_bear]

Is that relevant to new horses boxes or retrospectively being applied?

 

[brighteyes]

*sits on hands*

 

[Donkeymad]

It applies to ALL horseboxes, as we discovered recently.

 

[Louby]

Is that the skirts?
God what next?
Someone we know with a company with lots of HGV and non HGVs told my husband that a new test is coming in soon too. He said all drivers of these vehicles need to take the test regardless of age???

 

[Pidgeon]

Donkeymad what happened? Can you give us some info as don't my skirt lockers are 550mm above the ground!

 

[perfect11s]

From page 7 of today's Horse and Hounds. Owners of horseboxes may have an unpleasant suprise as VOSA are implementing regulations which specify that the minimun clearance of the lorry bodywork from the ground must be 550mm. This will take effect from 1st May 2010 for all unladen vehicles from 3.5 - 12 tonne..

I think we can expect more 'Inforcement' from VOSA as they fight for there lives so to speak as they are millions in the red!!!! its been said that they would have been in administration long ago if they were in the private sector...

 

[lizziebell]

Is that the skirts?
God what next?
Someone we know with a company with lots of HGV and non HGVs told my husband that a new test is coming in soon too. He said all drivers of these vehicles need to take the test regardless of age???

How can they effectively take away what you are entitled to drive on your licence (I think on my licence that would be Cat C1, C1E, D1, D1E - there are so many Categories on it I forget whats what! ?) and make you do a seperate test? I guess the government can do anything !

 

[Shipley]

I think you mean the CPC which is a driver assesment that is every 5 years so you can still hold your HGV licence but need this as well

 

[PeterNatt]

It is based on the clearance of the sides of the lorry which must be no more than 550mm from the road surface when the vehicle is unladen.

 

[applecart14]

Ha, if it is anything like the 'new' trailer laws that came into being in the 90's I shouldn't worry guys. Police were meant to be doing stop checks on trailers and sending them to weigh bridges to get weighed. Neither me nor anyone I know with a trailer (and that's lots of people) have ever got stopped or know of anyone that has ever got stopped. The whole thing was a joke. I rang the Police and the Dept of Transport AND the DVLA to find out how to calculate trailer weight against make of cars and was told "don't worry if you think you are over weight just stick a concrete slab in the boot of your car". That was told to me by a Police Constable at my local police station. What hope have any of us of abiding by the law when no one knows the answer to your questions anyway. I am sure that this new law that has come into effect regarding the horsebox depth from the road will just be ignored, forgotten and put to rest in a few months time.

 

[PaddyMonty]

It is based on the clearance of the sides of the lorry which must be no more than 550mm from the road surface when the vehicle is unladen.

That completely contradicts your first post.
This one makes more sense. So is it no more than or no less than
If its no less than we will have to chop off the skirts, if no more than then will only affect the conversions that dont have shirts or bar to prevent cars going under truck at the sides.

 

[stencilface]

So skirts must be 55cm or less than that from the ground unladen?

 

[mil1212]

Is there any info on this anywhere online? I don't have H&H. VOSA's website seems next to useless

 

[clairec1154]

Have you got a VOSA weblink? As I can't find that information on the VOSA website. If it applies to 3.5 ton lorries that 99% taken off the road because they are below 550mm before conversion to horse lorries!

 

[PaddyMonty]

Have you got a VOSA weblink? As I can't find that information on the VOSA website. If it applies to 3.5 ton lorries that 99% taken off the road because they are below 550mm before conversion to horse lorries!

I think Mr Natt got his minimums and maximums confuddled. Makes no sense to have a minimum clearance but as a maximum makes a lot of sense to prevent cars going underneath a lorry in the event of a side on collision.

 

[clairec1154]

I think Mr Natt got his minimums and maximums confuddled. Makes no sense to have a minimum clearance but as a maximum makes a lot of sense to prevent cars going underneath a lorry in the event of a side on collision.

This makes more sense!

 

[JoG]

It is that they can be no more than 550mm - to prevent things falling under them (small children, lost terriers, remains of the picinc, your Bp, etc..... )

The sides now have to be solid too - so skirts is good, the old style hunting lorries will be caught as most of those only have a rail

 

[KatB]

Thats ridiculous. Mine is a commercial van conversion, but am pretty sure it is more than 55cm to the body from the floor. Does that mean all commercial vehicles of the same type are under the same restrictions, or just horseboxes?!?!

 

[JoG]

Boxes like this will fail

 

[JoG]

This would pass if the distance to the ground is less than 55cm (about 2ft)

 

[mrhsaddler]

This regulation is for sideguards, to be fitted to any vehicle that has a clearance of more than 550mm from the ground, on vehicles in class N2, (3500kg upto 12000kgs DGVW = Design Gross Vehicle Weight) it will need to be made from steel or aluminium and have a smooth surface to the outside that is a minimum of 50mm wide running the length of the lorry between the front and back wheels with a maximum gap of 100mm from the wheel arches or body work. I have the rather confusing VOSA memo, which I can scan and send by email to anyone who needs it.
If you already have side lockers you wont be affected by this new regulation, as the lockers wil act as sideguards, I will be fitting my lorry out with side lockers asap.
As other posters have said this comes into affect on 1st of May, and if your lorry goes for its mot after then it will not pass the test without the guards, or side lockers.

 

[eoe]

This regulation is for sideguards, to be fitted to any vehicle that has a clearance of more than 550mm from the ground, on vehicles in class N2, (3500kg upto 12000kgs DGVW = Design Gross Vehicle Weight) it will need to be made from steel or aluminium and have a smooth surface to the outside that is a minimum of 50mm wide running the length of the lorry between the front and back wheels with a maximum gap of 100mm from the wheel arches or body work. I have the rather confusing VOSA memo, which I can scan and send by email to anyone who needs it.
If you already have side lockers you wont be affected by this new regulation, as the lockers wil act as sideguards, I will be fitting my lorry out with side lockers asap.
As other posters have said this comes into affect on 1st of May, and if your lorry goes for its mot after then it will not pass the test without the guards, or side lockers.

Thank you for the clarification I was going into major panic that I would have to have my skirts and lockers taken off, now I can breath again, did think it was weird when my mechanic popped up the other day to look at a friends lorry that he didn't say anything as all he works on is lorries. Once again thank you.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

mrhsaddler is showing great sense. Some posting here seem to be making up their own interpretation of the pending regulation & their reasoning doesn't really hold water.

When you look at the photograph accompanying the H&H piece on page 7 you see an aged lorry that has no side rails, no side skirt & no storage boxes. In other words it's got nothing stopping anything going under the lorry. I can understand that that particular lorry will need considerable work to conform with the new regulation.

For someone to quote this:
"The sides now have to be solid too - so skirts is good, the old style hunting lorries will be caught as most of those only have a rail " is a little irresponsible.

There is nothing saying this as far as I am aware. There is no mention that side rails being illegal. The three posted photos of lorries that allegedly won't pass the new regulations I don't think is right at all. Certainly 2 of them will, assuming the side rails are no higher that 55cm from the floor. I cannot see sufficient of the wooden lorry to say one way or the other. This scaremongering achieves nothing. I think if you read the post by mrhsaddler that is the one that is nearest correct & interprets the regulations as they should be.

 

[*hic*]

Agree with toby_zaphod and this quote from mrhsaddler "have a smooth surface to the outside that is a minimum of 50mm wide running the length of the lorry between the front and back wheels with a maximum gap of 100mm from the wheel arches or body work" is in fact describing the side rails fitted to one of the lorries shown above as "failing".

 

[JoG]

mrhsaddler is showing great sense. Some posting here seem to be making up their own interpretation of the pending regulation & their reasoning doesn't really hold water.

When you look at the photograph accompanying the H&H piece on page 7 you see an aged lorry that has no side rails, no side skirt & no storage boxes. In other words it's got nothing stopping anything going under the lorry. I can understand that that particular lorry will need considerable work to conform with the new regulation.

For someone to quote this:
"The sides now have to be solid too - so skirts is good, the old style hunting lorries will be caught as most of those only have a rail " is a little irresponsible.

There is nothing saying this as far as I am aware. There is no mention that side rails being illegal. The three posted photos of lorries that allegedly won't pass the new regulations I don't think is right at all. Certainly 2 of them will, assuming the side rails are no higher that 55cm from the floor. I cannot see sufficient of the wooden lorry to say one way or the other. This scaremongering achieves nothing. I think if you read the post by mrhsaddler that is the one that is nearest correct & interprets the regulations as they should be.

Wind your neck in!!! I am not scaremongering i am imparting my interpretation of the rule, which clearly states in H&H "sideguards must be continuous" which I take to mean continus with the body of the vehicle

 

[Rowreach]

Thank you mrhsaddler and I agree with toby_zaphod - stop panicking everyone, Peter Natt has squarely put the cat amongst the pigeons here, not least by contradicting himself in his OP and later post Well done Mr Natt, very helpful indeed

I doubt many lorries will be caught by this, and it is a relatively simple alteration to make for those that are.

Side rails are fine, for whoever it was that said they weren't, it is the distance from the road surface that matters.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Quote :
'Wind your neck in!!! I am not scaremongering i am imparting my interpretation of the rule, which clearly states in H&H "sideguards must be continuous" which I take to mean continus with the body of the vehicle

Just because I have a different interpretation does not make me irresponsible you knob! "

It's always nice to hear a well put together & balanced opinion from someone who really knows what they are talking about. Also with such a command of the English Language. They say a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing....but you exceed all expectations.You have resorted to insulting me, why? I didn't insult you, I commented on your illconceived arguement regarding the side bars. I suppose it must sum you up. Think before you post, there's no need for comments like you just posted..

 

[JoG]

Quote :
Think before you post.

Works both ways!!