Stopped by VOSA

[treequip]

1 minute ago, tree-fancier123 said:

oh yes there is - you are just wrong on this, and sometimes it is hard to admit that you were wrong - i had an LM125 Ifor that I hadn't put down properly onto  the ball hitch - it came off and the break away cable put the  brakes on, just like if the handbrake were applied, no damage done as it stopped, otherwise would have freewheeled into parked cars

I gave up on this one

[openspaceman]

1 hour ago, swinny said:

Im sure you can as its plant and a tool for work.

Not once you go outside 100km radius from base

[Justme]

1 hour ago, TIMON said:

I thought you could tow a sub 750kg trailer (read chipper) behind a "car" (read 3.5t tipper)
No tacho, O license and on a new car licence?
According to the laymans guide to towing
And on the DVSA guidelines.
Am I missing something?

You can drive it.

But once over 100km radius you need a tacho as the own goods / tools exemption runs out.

 

[Justme]

18 minutes ago, beechwood said:

 

I found this which says if you do less than 4 hours driving length of duty doesn't matter.



Then the next bit says you don't need to have a tacho in!
But you can't exceed a 50km radius



As you say bloody complex!

Regards Neil

 

50km was increased to 100km in the last few years.

[beechwood]

50km was increased to 100km in the last few years.

It's a minefield the screenshots are from the 'Gov' website.
It says it was updated in 2016.

They way I read and interpreted it was
If your driving a vehicle over 7.5t but for less than 4 hours a day and less than 50km radius you don't need to keep a record, so no tacho required and the 'duty' hours don't apply.
If your driving a vehicle up to 7.5t carrying or towing plant under 100km radius and driving is not your main job, no tacho required.

Over either of those limits you need to keep record/tacho.

My head is starting to hurt, why is our country so complicated?

I could of course be totally wrong!

Regards Neil

[eggsarascal]

Can logbooks still be used or is it strictly tachometer now?

[treequip]

3 minutes ago, beechwood said:

My head is starting to hurt, why is our country so complicated?


 

 

It aint the UK that's complicated things. Its the  UK current regs but it all euro stuff, born all out of some Brussels  harmonisation committee room

[Marula]

Not whilst the trailer comes off the hitch on the road - there is no misinformed , a vehicles front wheels are designed so they castor ( like a shopping trolley ) trailer wheels do not do this ( especially on a double axle trailer )  if the trailer comes off a hitch it will most likely plow into oncoming traffic or fly off into the verge ( or bus queue ) it will not stop dead - in fact it will most likely skid ! So it will not be a controlled stop , K

What??

[Big J]

I find VOSA and the 100km limit to be very frustrating and unfair. 

 

As professional users of trucks and trailers, our equipment will be (for the most part) very well maintained, and often quite new. We rely on it on a daily basis and the benefits of the trailer not falling to pieces 30 miles from home outweigh the benefit of running cheaper, older plant. 

 

We also tow trailers, loaded and unloaded on a daily basis and are experienced, competent and professional (for the most part). 

 

If we stray outside our 100km radius, we require a tachograph, which in itself I do not object to. It's that all the private users operators of horse boxes, caravans and trailers do not. 

 

These horseboxes, caravans and trailers are usually infrequently used, infrequently maintained, old, badly loaded, loads badly secured and driven by people who do not regularly drive them and many of whom wouldn't have the first clue what to do if it started to fishtail. And yet they are exempt from regulation. This strikes me as nonsense. It's like having all the standard licencing and training for professional airline pilots but if you're just popping down to Somerset in the Cessna then on you go, no questions asked. 

 

My point is that if VOSA are going to be so stringent as to fine someone for intending to drive outside the 100km radius, then they need to apply that to all drivers, not just those who are trying to make a living from their equipment.

[openspaceman]

 

>I found this which says if you do less than 4 hours driving length of duty doesn't matter.
>Then the next bit says you don't need to have a tacho in!
>But you can't exceed a 50km radius

 

A bit difficult to comment in the absence of the original url, and the requirement for keeping a record may not necessarily mean the same as having a tachograph. There were loads of different rules for uk domestic driving but I never got into them as our 7.5 tonne+ vehicles had tacos and we enjoyed exemptions for the smaller ones, to the extent I have never had to deal with  infringements, despite many occasions when rules were broken.

 

For tachograph exemptions the 100km radius came in 2015

 

https://movingon.blog.gov.uk/2014/10/06/changes-to-tachograph-rules-for-local-journeys/

 

I'm surprised at the intent to travel more than 100km from base without a tachograph can result in a fine and should be questioned.

 

>As you say bloody complex!

It is but not insurmountable

 

I find many people get confused between the various different requirements for:

 

1) operator's licence

2) Driver's licence requirements

3) Driver's hours (tachograph) requirements and recording

4) construction and use regulations

5) revenue and customs(use of red diesel)

 

each has to be dealt with separately

 

 

Edited September 18, 2017 by openspaceman
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