Penalties for overweight lorries?

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Dreckly

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I am desperately trying to persuade a friend of mine to check out the weight of her lorry. She was told when she bought the lorry (a 7.5t) that it was "within limit to carry 3 horses".

Now looking at the size of the lorry and its fitting out, I am convinced that she will be overweight with probably 2 horses let alone 3.

Can anyone with knowledge tell me what penalties will be applied if she is pulled over a tested as overweight, perhaps putting it in pounds of penalty may persuade her!!
 
Depends on their mood and if the lorry complies in every other way (to be on the road) as they (VOSA) WILL go over it, best case would be taking at least 1 horse off and to take lorry home.
Hope the lorry meets all regs like tyres, lights, etc etc.
 
Lorry is in great condition and has recent plaiting with no problems but just looking at the size of it and the size and fitting of the living I cannot see how they can say it is ok for 3 horses. Will press the point tomorrow now I have some ammunition. I have even found out our nearest public weighbridge is about half an hour away so she has no excuse now!!
 
Personally I'd be more worried that she completely disregards the safety of her passengers - both human and equine - if she is overweight!

Can't she go to local weighbridge to check unladen weight?
 
Look at the brake test results from the test. It will give axle weights ,the sum of the two is the lorries unladen weight.
 
I have a 3.5 tonne lorry and only usually carry my horse. Do carry him with another small horse but no tack, water, passengers etc. I am paranoid about being overweight, mainly for the safety aspect but also for the trouble you can get into - insurance being invalid for one.

I am astounded at the number of people who just don't care or think about the weights they are carrying.
 
I may print this thread off and hand it out to a few people! When we took our lorry in for plating I made sure that we had everything but the horses, saddles and bridles on. When I was explaining to a friend that I was working out the weights of everything (including sister and me) and rounding everything up, she found me hillarious, I think I will be laughing when the VOSA people pull us over.
 
Don't rely on axle weights u need weighbridge, my understanding is that its almost impossible to test one axle independantly of the other and thus add the 2 together.
 
Overweight is a non endorsable offence and does not carry any points for your driving licence. Anything more than 15% overweight is at least £300 fine, and if it goes to court, magistrates are generally working on £1 fine for every kilo overweight.
 
Maiko said:
Overweight is a non endorsable offence and does not carry any points for your driving licence.
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Not so....

If your lorry is found to be over loaded a prohibition notice will be issued, banning it from being driven. To clear the prohibition, another vehicle may have to transport the excess load, and in some instances temporary accommodation for your horses may have to be arranged. You could then face prosecution with a maximum fine of £5,000, as well as penalty points on your driving licence. If your vehicle is over loaded, insurance cover also becomes void — an unappealing proposition if you are involved in an accident.
 
I have always understood that just because a horsebox is stalled for two or three it does not mean you can carry two or three large horses it goes on the weight.It simply means you may carry one large horse two ponies.move your partions carry stuffetc.No way would i buy a 7.5t
horsebox and expect to carry 3 large horses with peole and stuff.If there is a accident or you do get pulled trouble.
 
OP perhaps you should also point out to her that two common problems with weight overload are failing to stop in time, and rolling the lorry if you hit an adverse camber wrong.

In either case her horses could be very badly hurt. Perhaps she'll have more concern for them than for her passengers!
 
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Toby_Zaphod said:
Not so....

If your lorry is found to be over loaded a prohibition notice will be issued, banning it from being driven. To clear the prohibition, another vehicle may have to transport the excess load, and in some instances temporary accommodation for your horses may have to be arranged. You could then face prosecution with a maximum fine of £5,000, as well as penalty points on your driving licence. If your vehicle is over loaded, insurance cover also becomes void — an unappealing proposition if you are involved in an accident.
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I repeat, overweight is a non endorsable offence. Penalty points MAY be issued if the vehicle is so overloaded that the offence then becomes Dangerous Condition. I deal with overloaded vehicles on a regular basis.
 
If she does get pulled and is overweight,she will have to unload stuff before going on. If that means taking a horse off and finding alternative transport, then that's what she'll have to do.
Our police checkpoint is at an intersection of 3 motorways, the last place I'd want to be unloading and faffing about with horses.
 
Regardless of fines and endorsements maybe you could relay my story to your friend!! I was asked to drive my friends box which was 3.5t with an Ifor Williams body on it. I queried the weight but she was adamant that it could carry 2 16.2hh horses as the dealership who sold it to her had assured her it would. Foolishly I took her word for it and we loaded 2 x 14.1hh highland ponies into it. We set off and it drove perfectly well (bit sluggish uphill but wasnt a speed machine anyway).

All was well UNTIL we started to do down a steepish hill half an hour into the journey. She was driving her car quite a way in front of me when she suddenly slowed and then stopped to turn right. I tried EVERYTHING to stop and the only way I can explain it is like there was someone behind me pushing the vehicle. It culminated in me having to swerve onto the wrong side of the road to prevent smashing into the back of her car (she was honestly a long way in front of me when I started braking) I ended up with the back of the box level with the front of her car when I eventually came to a halt. In the process there was lots of crashing of ponies and the main spring on the body snapped.

I was terrified and then furious with myself as I shouldn't have doubted myself. Once the box was repaired we took it to the local weighbridge and the box was so heavy on its own that all she could carry was ONE PONY!!

thank goodness all was well with the ponies on board but it's made me very strict about weights from now on as we didnt even have saddles, water etc on board that day as they were in the car I nearly hit!!!
 
Dreckly said:
I am desperately trying to persuade a friend of mine to check out the weight of her lorry. She was told when she bought the lorry (a 7.5t) that it was "within limit to carry 3 horses".

Now looking at the size of the lorry and its fitting out, I am convinced that she will be overweight with probably 2 horses let alone 3.


Can anyone with knowledge tell me what penalties will be applied if she is pulled over a tested as overweight, perhaps putting it in pounds of penalty may persuade her!!
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We had one built from new and were assured it would weigh under 6t. It actually weighed 6.9 t empty!
 
If too much overloaded VOSA can refuse to let the lorry go any further until the excess weight has been removed
 
neddynesbitt said:
Regardless of fines and endorsements maybe you could relay my story to your friend!! I was asked to drive my friends box which was 3.5t with an Ifor Williams body on it. I queried the weight but she was adamant that it could carry 2 16.2hh horses as the dealership who sold it to her had assured her it would. Foolishly I took her word for it and we loaded 2 x 14.1hh highland ponies into it. We set off and it drove perfectly well (bit sluggish uphill but wasnt a speed machine anyway).

All was well UNTIL we started to do down a steepish hill half an hour into the journey. She was driving her car quite a way in front of me when she suddenly slowed and then stopped to turn right. I tried EVERYTHING to stop and the only way I can explain it is like there was someone behind me pushing the vehicle. It culminated in me having to swerve onto the wrong side of the road to prevent smashing into the back of her car (she was honestly a long way in front of me when I started braking) I ended up with the back of the box level with the front of her car when I eventually came to a halt. In the process there was lots of crashing of ponies and the main spring on the body snapped.

I was terrified and then furious with myself as I shouldn't have doubted myself. Once the box was repaired we took it to the local weighbridge and the box was so heavy on its own that all she could carry was ONE PONY!!

thank goodness all was well with the ponies on board but it's made me very strict about weights from now on as we didnt even have saddles, water etc on board that day as they were in the car I nearly hit!!!
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That must have been scary. Glad you were alright, it could have been so much worse.

There have been loads of threads on here where people say "my 17h horse fits in fine and travels no problem" as though that's all there is to it. People don't think that they could kill themselves, their horses and someone else, or that their insurance wouldn't be valid if they were traveling with more weight than the vehicle was meant to carry. They really shouldn't be allowed on the road, in any sense!
 
meesha said:
Don't rely on axle weights u need weighbridge, my understanding is that its almost impossible to test one axle independantly of the other and thus add the 2 together.
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No ,it works extremely well .The only problems come with twin axles .
 
Mike brake tests are not accurate. My lorry is 6.2 tons on its brake tests but I took it to a weigh bridge on the way home from the test and it weighed 5.8ton
 
Vosa are partly funded by the fines they raise and DVLA are passing more and more over to them. There are so many things they can can get a 7.5T private on that I would never have one again. E.g. you are not required to use a tacho, but still have to have one. Sidelights sticking out 2mm too much they got me on one year. I do love how they missed a dangerous defect on the fuel tank at 3 platings that only I (not an inspector with a hammer and chip on my shoulder) found and rectified.
 
tescoexpress said:
Vosa are partly funded by the fines they raise and DVLA are passing more and more over to them. There are so many things they can can get a 7.5T private on that I would never have one again. E.g. you are not required to use a tacho, but still have to have one. Sidelights sticking out 2mm too much they got me on one year. I do love how they missed a dangerous defect on the fuel tank at 3 platings that only I (not an inspector with a hammer and chip on my shoulder) found and rectified.
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Drive you mad dont they did me one year for having wrong size tyres on.I said well thats funny it passed hear last year with the same size tyres on and now has had 2 pre mot tests.This year you want me to change them yes.I changed the tyres they did not charge me for the test.Fair enough i thought.Because the garage missed it to they swoped the tyres.Everyone just thinks they can get away with ripping you of with horseboxes.who is responsiable were does it stop.Manufactours should make sure it is the correct weight with correct size tyres on.whats the saying fit for purpose.Anyone can just knock up a box anywere amazed there arent more accidents.crazy rant over.
 
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