The law is an Ass

A couple of weeks ago I received a phone call enquiring as to whether or not I’d be willing to drive a concrete pump up to a construction site in Barrow. I was assured that I would be handsomely recompensed on an hourly basis for my trouble.

Furthermore, I needn’t concern myself with the actual pumping of the concrete, this part of the operation would be taken care of by the pump operator evidently, my only obligation being to get the machine up to the site then back to the depot at close of play. In the intervening period, during the pour, I could feel free to get the bus down to Blackpool and have a few games of bingo should the fancy take me.( The regular driver/operator it seems had inconveniently been breathalysed and deemed by the court as being an unsuitable person to be allowed to drive on the queen’s highway for a specified period of time.)

I explained that for a variety of reasons I’d allowed my HGV licence to lapse several years ago and hadn’t actually sat behind the wheel of an HGV, ( or LGV as they seem to be referred to these days ) since about 2012.
" Oh, don’t worry about that " came the response, " You don’t need an HGV to drive one of these things, they’re classed as construction plant." … Well bugger me, that’s a new one on me…" They’re exempt from tachograph laws as well, and oh!, they’re currently exempt from mot."

As it turns out, I took the job on. In truth the money offered was just too good to turn down, but in all honesty, I’d have done the job for nothing just to get my arse in the driving seat again. But that’s just between us lot you understand.

It turns out this concrete pump had five axles and a tare weight in the region of fifty tons. Now I’m not particularly bothered about the number of axles, or the weight of the thing, the bit that I find scary is the fact that anyone over the age of 18 with a licence to drive a car, but possibly lacking skill or experience can legally pilot one of these things.

Maybe I’ve missed something in the translation somewhere, but it all seems a little bit barmy to me considering the fact that I’ve been challenged on a number of sites as I haven’t been wearing a hi-viz vest, or been equipped with other various appropriate items of P.E.P., yet an 18 year old lad who passed his driving test last week can legally, ( I’m not saying that it’s a likely scenario ), but if I’m understanding this correctly, can legally take one of these out onto the highway. If this is the case, then I’ll stand by the heading of the thread… The law is truly an ■■■.

I think there were some moves to change this ■■■

Yeah, those are the ones Wheel Nut. This particular vehicle was a Merc. The speedo ( just one item among a multitude of other things ) wasn’t actually working, but the rev counter was reading 2000, well out of the yellow zone, but also well out of the red, suggested to me that I may have been pushing 70 mph, so I backed off at this point as,…well,… at the end of the day, they don’t actually give diesel away for free do they?, not even red diesel.

So, how would you fancy having an eighteen year old with two weeks experience on a car licence driving 50 tons of this kind of heavy metal six feet from your jacksy in lane two of the M6?. I don’t think that I’d be too comfortable with the idea if I’m being truthful.

I’m not saying that it’s a probable scenario, but if my understanding of the situation is correct, then currently at least, it would appear to be a frightening possibility.

Well, back in 1976 when I was doing my class 2 training the fellow pupil learning with me was going to be driving an eight wheeled Foden S21 concrete pump and had to get his class 2 before he could pilot it? He already held a class 3 for a Bedford KM pump. Maybe the law has changed since those days though?

Pete.

I seem to remember that 26 axle cranes could be also driven on a car licence, didn’t they tighten up on this but mobile plant such as pumps and generators slipped through the net!

I have seen a local job taking trailers for test, collecting trailers from customers premises and delivering new trailers, as this is not for hire and reward, it doesn’t require a Driver CPC.

It makes an ■■■ out of the job!

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It does seem Ministers and other road safety organisations are not happy with the exemptions these so called Volumetric Pumps adhere to and changes to bring them in line with Drum Mixers which come under LGV testing rules and operating regulations are being looked into so things may change. Probably once Brexit is sorted out so likely quite a while yet! Franky.

Out of my own interest I have been doing some research into the licensing requirements of these machines. It does still seem to be a grey area and I can find several references to consultation papers etc with LGV licences required, probably (but not certain) from 2018. However I couple of current job vacancy postings for drivers of these machines categorically state that applicants must have an LGV Licence, with DCPC qualification. So maybe the law did change last year.

That’ a hell of a pump to pump concrete that far.

I would be interested to learn where this photograph was taken Wheel Nut, any idea?. It would appear that everyone employed at the site comes to work on a motorbike. Also there seems to be a couple of interesting looking dump trucks parked up in front of the building site over the road. I’m assuming it’s a building site as the warehouse or whatever it is to the left of the shot looks to me to be only partially completed.