have the police ever pulled you over when travelling with horses?

[Rache]

Has anyone been pulled over while towing or driving an horsebox? Where you travelling legally or a little over weight, or without the correct liesence? What did the police do? call the yard the collect the horses?

Just woundering as talking to a highway copper friend of mine and he said that unless someone is driving a trailier or horsebox in a life treatening manner, then he's been told not to pull them over and just let them get on with it, as its to much hassle and to much paperwork.

Just wondering if anyone has any stories and outcomes

 

[natalia]

I know several people who have been pulled over and weighed and found over weight. They make someone come and get the horses in another lorry and a nice big £1000 fine. The trick is avoiding going near the weigh bridges!

 

[DragonSlayer]

I was pulled by an irrate woman officer who said I was going too slow!!!

I had two big horses in the trailer (towing with a disco so no worries about weight there!) and I calmly pointed out that the roads were narrow, and would she prefer me to fly about and tip the trailer? I was getting to 40-45mph where I could...

She then continued to rant about me not pulling over to let others past (the traffic HAD been to an agricultural show, did they now not understand that all traffic had to leave, including the animals??) so I asked her where should I pull in on such a road as we were on? It's not my fault people were too impatient....she then started on about me being rude to an officer, and I pointed out that was not the speed limit for lorries on roads such as this 40? If so, why get at me when I was averaging 45??

She just grumbled somemore about 'pulling over when I can' then left, she was obviously in a mood coz she had been directing traffic at the show all day!

 

[perfect11s]

I know several people who have been pulled over and weighed and found over weight. They make someone come and get the horses in another lorry and a nice big £1000 fine. The trick is avoiding going near the weigh bridges!

No the trick is not being overloaded !!! As VOSA are able to pull you and take you to a weighbridge they also have portable equipment and there are sensors imbedded in some roads which will weigh your truck as you drive over them Vosa are drunk on their powers not like the police who are mostly firm but fair over minor things ...

 

[kizzywiz]

Yes, I was pulled over on the way home from an evening jumping show at a road block vehicle check thing. They were a pain in the arse, looked over my perfectly legal vehicle & trailer with a fine tooth comb, looked in the trailer & said the classic line "There's a horse in here sarge". Really, how very suprising that there would be a horse in a horse trailer, they kept me for ages & made me late home so OH was worried. Gave me a 7 day wonder to produce documents, couldn't find the insurance certificate, insurance company said they could fax a copy to the police station, at police station, explained that I was unable to find the certificate, but that the insurance company would fax a copy through. Jobsworth behind desk then gives me a lecture & says they cannot accept a fax, I explain slightly less patiently that this is the best I can do, I THEN GET A CAUTION FOR FAILING TO PRODUCE MY DOCUMETS, WTF!!! Was given a further 7 days, but was so peed off I never bothered to return, & never heard from them again. Happily I have avoided all contact with them since.

 

[marble]

in answer to last post, you must I repeat must carry all documentation with you, insurance tax driving licence etc, they can make you wait, but only 20 minutes if carrying animals, just because they have not yet been in touch, does not mean they will not be......

The current economic situation means that there are less artics on road, poor subbies out of work, I know because I am married to one, so unfortunately horse boxes are the latest target, and this means you, all rules and regulations are on internet, make sure you know them, you will be stopped and you will be fined or worse........It is not just trailers and lorries carrying equines, this also applies to people transporting show jumps, burger vans going to shows........

Vosa, as I have said before in other posts, are like Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise, they have extraodinary powers, make police look like teddy bears......It does not take long to make sure you have everything in order, do it.....you could be very grateful the next time you are pulled over......as to the lady towing and pulled over by traffic police, if you can see queue building up behind you, try and find spot to let them pass, does you and all horse owning people a big favour.

 

[kirstyl]

We were pulled over a few years ago on a dual carriageway about to join A1 in north east. I don't know if they had actually witnessed any prior problems but they pulled us over on the hard shoulder while they looked over vehicle. After a while they decided the vehicle couldn't be driven any further (this vehicle had a current MOT certificate). We ended up waiting for several hours at the side of dual carriageway. We appealed to the police ' we have a large stallion on board who isn't going to be happy standing on box all this time'. Their advice? 'Can't you walk him up and down the hard shoulder?" And being towed with the fixed tow bar was stressful! A while ago now but stays with me!

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Fortunately I haven't been pulled over however all my documents are in order & I know what my unladen weight is & I know I am always within my weight limit, being pulled over holds no worries for me.

I have no issues with VOSA pulling over horseboxes, I see numerous boxes at shows which are either well over weight or looking at the condition of them should never be on the road. There is little doubt that several of the trailers I also see are being towed by people who don't have the required licence to tow. I see these people as a menace, their insurance will be void assuming they actually have any & I also fear for the safety of the animals they are transporting.

An MOT or plate certificate only means that the vehicle was in good order on the day of the test. It doesn't give the vehicle carte blanche to be poorly maintained for the rest of the year. If the Police refused to allow a vehicle to continue & issued a notice on it then there ust have been a serious problem.

 

[Louby]

Slightly different but could well have been towing a trailer as we had one at the time. My hubby got pulled into a road block thingy, not worried about it as nothing to hide, it turned out they were testing deisel. They dipped his tank and said there was red diesel in his Fourtrak. Shocked hubby said he had never used it. Said they could impound his car but after much discussion he was lucky as luckily nice, yes nice official believed my hubby and let him off. After doing some reaearch apparantly if a car has ever had red deisel in it then it can show years and years later.
It seems so unfair as he could have lost his car over this.

 

[Shay]

It tends to be VOSA who pull you over rather than the police who (hopefully) have better things to do.

But when VOSA do get you - and they've pulled us over several times - it can be a real pain. In my expereince they "lurk" outside medium large shows and pull over everything they can leaving them. Places relatively near weighbridges are favourites.

I keep certified copies of all documentation. I don't tend to keep the origionals with me - other than license and passports. But I can produce them in hours if needed.

It is really important to know your towing weights and stick to them. Also to make sure that vehicle, trailer and box - or whatever - are absolutely up to standard, taxed and insured. Its annoying. But it would be far worse if we were not allowed to go on our way afterward!