A If your breakdown vehicle is not constructed to carry
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a load and weighs over 114 tons or 7i tons it is a heavy locomotive or a light locomotive, according to its weight. It may, therefore, draw three trailers up to a maximum weight of 40,650kg (a little over 40 tons), under Section 65 of the Road Traffic Act 1972 and Regulation 77 of the Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1973. As an articulated unit being towed would be considered two trailers and its maximum gross weight is 32 tons, you would be in order in recovering a loaded broken-down artic with your vehicle. An attendant would be necessary, however unless the trailer cannot be steered by its own steering gear.
If it is a motor tractor, defined as a non-load carrying vehicle under 7i tons in weight, it can draw two trailers if unloaded.
A heavy motor car, which is a load-carrying vehicle in excess of 3 tons unladen, may in theory only draw one trailer, but Section 65(4) of the 1972 Act allows a brokendown artic to be regarded as one trailer provided it is unladen.