- om time to time you have carried planations of the
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weights at which is will be excluded from operators' gg. These have suggested that, when ors' licensing is introduced, both and at-tics would be excluded if their weight did not exceed 3.5 tons, and the case of at-tics the unladen weight semi-trailer would not be counted in eight calculation if it was less than (That is, a tractive unit not exceeding 7s gross could be used with a seminot exceeding 1 tan unladen, outside y" licensing.)
not read the regulations this way; it to me that the exclusion can only be mbar trailers not exceeding 1 ton
is has been a very confused situation, t it seems that you are right. Earlier !ar the accepted interpretation (con verbally by the Ministry) was that when ; and combinations not exceeding 3.5 3ss plated weight were exempted from rs' licensing, the weight of trailers ni-trailers not exceeding 1 ton unladen be excluded from the calculation of /eight. The latest information from the is that only drawbar trailers weighing
n 1 ton unladen will be excluded from ght calculation.
Athole matter has now been set out in a ant published by the Ministry of Trans • guidance, This deals specifically with
o types of goods vehicle for which re special provisions in the Transport .e., "small" vehicles and "large;. The in-betweens (from over 30cwt is unladen, or from over 3.5 tons gross tons gross) will require operators' but will not need carriers' licences or authorizations when these Part V 3 are made.
is what the Ministry document says: ANSPORT ACT 1968—PART V GHT CRITERIA FOR LICENSING
licensing purposes, the Transport Act 3 divides goods vehicles (which include tr vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers) two categories—"small" and -large". ;mall" motor vehicle or trailer is comily exempt from licensing under Part V. motor vehicle or trailer which is not all" will need an operator's (quality) ce. A -large" motor vehicle or trailer eventually need a special authoriza(quantity licence)as well as an opera
tor's licence; until that time it will continue to require a carriers' (A, B or C) licence as well as an operator's licence.
2. Thus, in order to decide what type of licence (or licences) if any— is required for a particular motor vehicle or trailer. operators will have to decide whether the vehicle or trailer in question is "small", "large" or falls into neither of these categories. To do this, any one of three separate tests niay have to be used. Which test to use will depend on the circumstances in which the vehicle or trailer in question will be operated—i.e., alone, as part of a vehicle/ drawbar trailer combination or as part of an articulated combination.
The Tests
3. Details of the three tests for deciding whether motor vehicles or trailers are 111 "small" or (2) "largeare set out below.