Possibly stupid question...3.5t horsebox

[catwithclaws]

I don't have transport and it's not something I'm interested in having, so this is a PURELY THEORETICAL question, but was pondering and came up with a potentially really stupid question.

I know that to drive a 3.5t lorry on a car license the whole weight inc driver, fuel, tack, horses etc has to be under 3500kg.

What if the driver has a license to drive bigger but for whatever reason doesn't want to? Most 3.5t lorries have space/headroom for 2 big horses - is that allowed, or is it actually that a lorry of this size is actually incapable of safely carrying the weight?

 

[LouiseG]

It's the lorry that is incapable. It has a maximum payload, which is usually only around 1250kg or so, which isn't enough for 2 horses plus tack/water/hay/people etc that are travelling in the lorry.

 

[martlin]

regardless of the licence, 3.5t lorry can't weigh more than 3.5t.

 

[catwithclaws]

Thanks guys, thought that was right but my brain was acting up!

 

[ROG]

The plated GVW of a vehicle - 3500 kg in this case - means the maximum it can legally weigh when fully loaded

MAM & MTPLM also mean the same thing

 

[Annagain]

You can, with a bit of garage work and a lot of bureaucracy, get them uprated to 3.9T which might give you just enough extra payload for two but you will then only be able to drive it on an old style licence and it will need plating so it won't suit everybody's needs.