Down rating trucks

[Vespasian]

22 minutes ago, Justme said:

They could argue that your licence / training was not up to the weight. Also some down plating does have a requirement to remove items to limit weight capacity. On C class trucks some bolts have to be removed.

I thought it was a matter of sending off some forms or other..  now if thats the case then you could argue what you like.. but the truck is designed to carry a legal limit and sending a form off to DVLA ain't gonna change that..   

 

Now if the suspension has to change then obviously its a different matter..

 

anyway...  my point ain't that you wouldn't get done for being overloaded, but that a mitigating factor could be successfully argued in court if you was involved in an accident..

 

If a 3.5 ton tranny was overloaded and involved in an accident and a downrated Iveco  was overloaded with the same weight as on the tranny..  I suspect a judge would come down harder on the transit driver as his truck was not only illegally overloaded but dangerously overloaded and thus recklessly driven..   

 

Couldn't make the same argument could he if the truck was carrying its legal limit that the truck was designed to carry...  

[Justme]

18 minutes ago, Vespasian said:

I thought it was a matter of sending off some forms or other..  now if thats the case then you could argue what you like.. but the truck is designed to carry a legal limit and sending a form off to DVLA ain't gonna change that..   

 

Now if the suspension has to change then obviously its a different matter..

 

anyway...  my point ain't that you wouldn't get done for being overloaded, but that a mitigating factor could be successfully argued in court if you was involved in an accident..

 

If a 3.5 ton tranny was overloaded and involved in an accident and a downrated Iveco  was overloaded with the same weight as on the tranny..  I suspect a judge would come down harder on the transit driver as his truck was not only illegally overloaded but dangerously overloaded and thus recklessly driven..   

 

Couldn't make the same argument could he if the truck was carrying its legal limit that the truck was designed to carry...  

You will get done for overloading. The legal limit has been lowered. Its that simple.

You can try to twist it how you like. Your still overloaded and illegal. Both would get done the same. 

[roseyweb]

22 hours ago, monkeybusiness said:

No shit Sherlock! 

The law needs changing to make running heavier trucks straightforward (no O-licence etc). It’ll probably have to change when the additional weight of batteries are forced upon us mind.... 

Yer that hour I spent filling in a olicence form two years ago was so sapping 

have to fill in a taco daily which I usually do while smoking my breakfast roll up 

[monkeybusiness]

1 hour ago, roseyweb said:

Yer that hour I spent filling in a olicence form two years ago was so sapping 

have to fill in a taco daily which I usually do while smoking my breakfast roll up 

It’s more the operating centre etc which is harder for a lot of people. Paperwork is no big deal, having somewhere to run from/park makes it more difficult than it needs to be. 

[aspenarb]

11 hours ago, roseyweb said:

Yer that hour I spent filling in a olicence form two years ago was so sapping 

have to fill in a taco daily which I usually do while smoking my breakfast roll up 

 

As above, best to not lose sight of how easy it is to get an O licence and run legal. Subtract the premium paid for 3.5 ton pickups/tippers and you could be legally running a 7.5ton plus truck with change in your pocket. You dont even need to fill in Tacho`s if you work within 60 miles radius of base. https://www.rsa.ie/Documents/Professional Drivers/Exemptions and derogations from the EU Tachograph and driver.pdf

 

Bob

[benedmonds]

56 minutes ago, aspenarb said:

 

As above, best to not lose sight of how easy it is to get an O licence and run legal. Subtract the premium paid for 3.5 ton pickups/tippers and you could be legally running a 7.5ton

Bob

While I agree it's not difficult to get o licence, you can get a lot of 7.5 ton truck for the money and the extra payload means they are much more suitable..

 

When they break they cost more to fix... You do need 12 week checks, the MOT is considerably more involved and training drivers is costly and time consuming especially if you are an employer..  

 

[nath]

On 05/07/2019 at 07:19, Vespasian said:

 I mean they might argue that to avoid paying out, but they couldn't argue that it was a contributing factor in an accident.

Are you seriously suggesting that being overweight would have no bearing on the braking times? I've heard it all now ??

[Vespasian]

33 minutes ago, nath said:

Are you seriously suggesting that being overweight would have no bearing on the braking times? I've heard it all now ??

If you'd followed my line of argument I said an overloaded 3.5 truck carrying the same weight as a down rated truck..   if you got two tonnes on both which truck was built to legally carry the weight?...  which trucks braking system was built to handle the load?...

[aspenarb]

36 minutes ago, Vespasian said:

If you'd followed my line of argument I said an overloaded 3.5 truck carrying the same weight as a down rated truck..   if you got two tonnes on both which truck was built to legally carry the weight?...  which trucks braking system was built to handle the load?...

I hear what you are saying Vesp and of course you are right in saying the downplated truck would have a more efficient braking system. Where you are going wrong is using the term "legally", once downplated it cant legally gross any more than a standard 3.5 tonner so the extra braking is not a benefit .In an attempt to keep us on the straight and narrow @Justme keeps his posts on licences, trailers, weights etc very short and factual, its well worth taking some of it onboard if you value your licence.

 

Bob

Edited July 6, 2019 by aspenarb

[Vespasian]

2 minutes ago, aspenarb said:

I hear what you are saying Vesp and of course you are right in saying the downplated truck would have a more efficient braking system. Where you are going wrong is using the term "legally", once downplated it cant legally gross any more than a standard 3.5 tonner so the extra braking is a not a benefit .In an attempt to keep us on the straight and narrow @Justme keeps his posts on licences, trailers, weights etc very short and factual, its well worth taking some of it onboard if you value your licence.

 

Bob

By legally I mean in the context of the argument I was using.. IE in a crash for instance, I mean to say the brakes were built for the loading of more than their legal load on a down rated truck... I realize that a down rated truck can only carry its legal load..  but we both know most 3.5 trucks get over loaded now and then....   

 

Now the fella I bought my down rated truck off told me I could carry five tonnes on a trailer..   which is odd as most trailers are three an half tonners..   not that I'll ever be loading my trailers beyond that but is there a trailer out there to do that?...   

 

I don't mean the fifth wheel types as well.... in case it crossed your mind...