Who really needs that hgv licence?
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AS manufacturers of lightweight articulated units — up to 7.5 tonnes gvw — we are becoming increasingly frustrated by the action of traffic police; officers of the FTA and the RHA who, it would appear, are completely unaware of current legislation in respect of the above.
We are repeatedly phoned by customers, by dealers, even by major lorry manufacturers querying the statement in our brochure that no hgv licence is required to drive a unit up to 7.5 tonnes.
We have encountered traffic police who admit they have never seen the regulation, we have spoken to Ministry officials who say they really do not believe the law.
The latest incident concerns a customer operating a Mercedes 306D with a small semi-trailer being taken to a DoT testing station, where the vehicle was weighed and the driver informed he must not drive the vehicle away without an hgv licence.
We would point out the Mercedes weighs 30cwt and the trailer less than a ton, gross combination weight being 4.5 tones. When the police concerned were contacted we were asked to explain the regulation and provide proof as to its correctness.
We would like to assure everyone involved in haulage, you can legally drive any articulated vehicle below 7.5 tonnes gcw, no matter what the police, Ministry, or transport associa
tion members say.
A Group IV hgv licence covers a tractive unit of less than two tons operating at more than 7.5 tonnes gcw, and we are not aware of any such unit being available, certainly not in the UK market place.
K. E. M. KAYE Lynton Commercial Units Ltd Manchester