New trailer law

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perfect11s

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Just great!!! now you need an opperators licence as well as a tachograph if you use a trailer in conection with a bussiness this is EU law from our masters in brussels it applys if the combination is over 3.5 ton and comes into affect on dec 4 ....
 
I might not be popular but i agree with this. Its to prevent people driving for hours and hours each week,getting tired and causing road accidents. My DH is a lorry driver and he has to keep to the law ,why should a trailer and car be any different if its being used for haulage?
 
Got this via email today:

As from the 4th December ANY vehicle towing a trailer for hire or reward (a driver in 1999 was convicted after admitted his mate bought him a pint!!!) so a gardener, tree surgeon, builder, motor sales etc who's combined weight exceeds 3,500kgs (laden or un-laden) will need a **HEAVY GOODS VEHICLE OPERATORS LICENCE** along with the numerous rules that go with it:


  • Off road parking
    6wk maintenance check by a VAT reg garage.
    Have an International CPC (certificate of professional competence) (operator not driver cpc)
    Be or nominate a transport manager with an International CPC (or pay somebody who has one!)
    Have instantly available at all times, 9,000 euro's 24/7 which is checkable by the Traffic Commissioner.
    Apply every 12mth for a new licence (was 5yr)
    Plus many more.

Can you afford these new changes as well as rising fuel costs so therefore as of the 4th Dec many will be out of their job or closing a business
What happens to those thousands of other drivers who are unaware of the changes, the max fine is £5k

This apparently is to bring us in line with the rest of the EU!! :confused:
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
Got this via email today:

As from the 4th December ANY vehicle towing a trailer for hire or reward (a driver in 1999 was convicted after admitted his mate bought him a pint!!!) so a gardener, tree surgeon, builder, motor sales etc who's combined weight exceeds 3,500kgs (laden or un-laden) will need a **HEAVY GOODS VEHICLE OPERATORS LICENCE** along with the numerous rules that go with it:


  • Off road parking
    6wk maintenance check by a VAT reg garage.
    Have an International CPC (certificate of professional competence) (operator not driver cpc)
    Be or nominate a transport manager with an International CPC (or pay somebody who has one!)
    Have instantly available at all times, 9,000 euro's 24/7 which is checkable by the Traffic Commissioner.
    Apply every 12mth for a new licence (was 5yr)
    Plus many more.

Can you afford these new changes as well as rising fuel costs so therefore as of the 4th Dec many will be out of their job or closing a business
What happens to those thousands of other drivers who are unaware of the changes, the max fine is £5k

This apparently is to bring us in line with the rest of the EU!! :confused:
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DONT PANIC PEOPLE!! this is not the case, there are many exceptions ect and its not that black and white. Yes alot of peolpe should be running tachographs if train weights over 3.5 tons and for hire and reward but the whole operators licence wont affect the every day joe bloggs!
 
Horsesforever1 said:
I might not be popular but i agree with this. Its to prevent people driving for hours and hours each week,getting tired and causing road accidents. My DH is a lorry driver and he has to keep to the law ,why should a trailer and car be any different if its being used for haulage?
Click to expand...
Great so there will never be any accidents now... yippee!!!!!
 
skye_and_i said:
DONT PANIC PEOPLE!! this is not the case, there are many exceptions ect and its not that black and white. Yes alot of peolpe should be running tachographs if train weights over 3.5 tons and for hire and reward but the whole operators licence wont affect the every day joe bloggs!
Click to expand...
not private people but if you transport horses as a bussiness or are a sponsored rider , breeder, transport and show other peoples horses for payment etc.....????
 
"The need for a goods vehicle operator licence
In the majority of cases, goods vehicles with a gross plated weight of over 3.5 tonnes or, if there
is no plated weight, an unladen weight of over 1525 kg require a goods vehicle operator s licence,
if they are used to carry goods or burden of any description in connection with a trade or
business, or for hire or reward. However, generally, where a horsebox is used on an amateur
basis, we would not normally consider that the vehicle is being used for hire or reward, where it is
clear that the carriage of goods (in this case horses), is not with a view to making a profit.
Therefore, although we must point out in all correspondence that existing regulations do not
exempt private horseboxes from the requirements of operator licensing, we would not consider it
to be in the public interest to take any action where nothing more than petrol money or modest
prize money is involved.
Please note: where the user of a vehicle combines use of a HGV horsebox for both; the amateur
purposes - described above - and a business, (e.g a farm, livery stables, dressage or any other
related business), a goods vehicle operators licence will be required, irrespective of how
infrequently the vehicle may be used in connection with that business.
"Modest prize money".
Unfortunately, "modest prize money" has never been formally defined or quantified for the
purpose of goods vehicle operator licensing. Nevertheless, where it is clear that there is only the
prospect of nominal winnings which are merely incidental to the amateur activity, then VOSA
would not consider that an operator's licence would be required.
Where there is the likelihood of winning prize money is on a more regular basis (whether or not
the activity is on an "amateur" basis) and any such success has attracted sponsorship - or any
other form of corporate support - this may be construed as having a commercial element to it,
where an operator's licence may be required (N.B. this may include the vehicle bearing the
sponsors name - in return for the financial support received)
Transporting a friend's horse - in connection with amateur activity
VOSA will not take any action where it is clear that a friend's horse is being transported for
nothing more than petrol money, purely to cover costs - and where it is evident that there is no
commercial element involved in the transport.
Therefore, if you only use the horsebox for "amateur" activities (see above) i.e you do not
charge for horse transportation, no operator's licence will be required.
Blacksmith /Vets
When transporting your horse to the vets or blacksmiths, an operator's licence will not be required
- where it is clear the vehicle is for private use, not in connection with a business and where you
are not transporting someone else's horse(s) for any form of payment.
 
I guess some people will comply some wont bother and some will conclude it just isnt worth it and pack up.. meanwhile the EU juggernaut will roll on towards finacial armageddon flattening all prosperity in its path.. with cameron's tongue up its bum...
 
Charlie007 said:
Prob a daft question but does this only apply to horse trailers or does it extend to trailers used to transport goods for a business? ie a very large car trailer.
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the rules apply to everybody in some shape or form. basically if your towing for hire and reward over 3.5ton gtw then you need a tachograph and alsways have done! the operators licence side of things isnt so black and white.
 
Charlie007 said:
Prob a daft question but does this only apply to horse trailers or does it extend to trailers used to transport goods for a business? ie a very large car trailer.
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posibly if the tow car and trailer together is over 3.5 tons!!! yes mainly seems to be aimed at people hauling goods I guess to bring people with larger vans and pickups towing trailers doing light haulage into the same laws as hauliers but looks its going to affect more casual bussiness users as well....
 
So what about if you are towing your employers trailer, using their vehicle and their ponies in trailer? Not to a show neccessarily but to vets or moving from field to field as part of your daily activities for employer?
 
jodie3 said:
So what about if you are towing your employers trailer, using their vehicle and their ponies in trailer? Not to a show neccessarily but to vets or moving from field to field as part of your daily activities for employer?
Click to expand...
I guess it would depend on if they are there hobby or if its a comercial bussiness breeding and showing for profit???
 
Alec Swan said:
Yes, but then we'll ignore it, just as we do much of the other pointless crap which our neighbours hand down to us. Can you see those who farm in France, sticking to the rules? I can't.

Alec.
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No but the french have a republic and the people tend to work together
protest and the police will stand and watch.. sorry but we have VOSA and they are going to do there job, a little army with plastic hemets tiny hammers and hi vis jackets , they will enforce its more than there jobs worth not too:D
 
perfect11s said:
Just great!!! now you need an opperators licence as well as a tachograph if you use a trailer in conection with a bussiness this is EU law from our masters in brussels it applys if the combination is over 3.5 ton and comes into affect on dec 4 ....
Click to expand...

Although you have to ask what our Government Ministers were doing with their time in not requesting an opt out for the UK. Which it clearly needs, due to the domination of the UK market by relatively heavy double horse trailers when compared with other European countries Opt outs of harmonisation directives are quite common in EU law but do require a little bit of effort on the part of Governments. e.g. there are several opt outs of the Working Time Directive for certain industries.
 
Mithras said:
Although you have to ask what our Government Ministers were doing with their time in not requesting an opt out for the UK. Which it clearly needs, due to the domination of the UK market by relatively heavy double horse trailers when compared with other European countries Opt outs of harmonisation directives are quite common in EU law but do require a little bit of effort on the part of Governments. e.g. there are several opt outs of the Working Time Directive for certain industries.
Click to expand...
Um yes they seem to forget who is in charge and maybe they should at least question this and other shite that no uk voter has had a say on... it's just another of many silly rules
that are sucking the life out of the UK.. I dream of the day we can throw off the shackels of the EU and be our own master again ..mind the policos will need to up their game if they dont have the EU to blame, why are we subserviant to brussels we our forbares payed in blood for our legal , justice system and our freedom and we just roll over and give it away..
 
perfect11s said:
posibly if the tow car and trailer together is over 3.5 tons!!! yes mainly seems to be aimed at people hauling goods I guess to bring people with larger vans and pickups towing trailers doing light haulage into the same laws as hauliers but looks its going to affect more casual bussiness users as well....
Click to expand...

This is why I asked if it applied to farmers as most stock boxes have a gross weight of 3.5t before you add the weight of the towing vehicle. So, assaid, many small busineses just just won't be viable. Does this law apply now, or just proposed?
 
marmalade76 said:
This is why I asked if it applied to farmers as most stock boxes have a gross weight of 3.5t before you add the weight of the towing vehicle. So, assaid, many small busineses just just won't be viable. Does this law apply now, or just proposed?
Click to expand...
supposed to be from dec 4 , sorry but I dont know if this will affect farmers haulling there own livestock ... maybe it will just be for livestock hauliers using trailers for hire or reward.... Maybe worth contacting the NFU and or Vosa for clarifacation...
 
Sounds like a blinking nightmare. We were planning to use our (not yet purchased) horse trailer for the one or two occasions a year that the OH needs to transport stuff for his business that won't all fit in a normal vehicle.

He doesn't have a business vehicle as the travel is minimal so he just pays himself 40p a mile, and was planning to do the same for the one or two times he needs more space, but in light of this he will either need a small trailer so that the total weight is less than 3.5t or he will need an operators licence. Either that or he could hire a BIG van....

Totally daft way to make life incredibly difficult for small businesses.
 
Realistically if its under 3.5 tonnes - well there aren't many trailer combinations which would really go over that unless you are pulling the top of the range equi-trek. My fully laden jeep plus trailer plus big horse is still only pulling around 1.8 so don't see it as an issue. The people who might be impacted would be those pulling trailers for say, show stands etc. Think this is a storm in a tea cup for the vast majority of us.
 
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