Car transporter weights

I am currently in the process of getting a 3.5 ton on the road. Having done some research I was satisfied that to run a 3.5 ton a tacho and o license are not required. However, for hire and reward, once you go over the 3.5 ton threshold you are then subjected to the rules which require a tacho and an o license save one or two exemptions which don’t apply to me.

Recently had a conversation with a chap who was running a 3.5 ton and trailer combination and he was adamant that an o license was not required. Some of his work is sourced from Arnold Clarks.

The following is taken directly from the government website -

You need a licence to carry goods in a lorry, van or other vehicle with either:

a gross plated weight (the maximum weight that the vehicle can have at any one time) of over 3,500 kilograms (kg)
an unladen weight of more than 1,525 kg (where there is no plated weight)
There are 3 different types of licence - what you need depends on the work you do.

You’ll need a goods vehicle operator’s licence for a motor vehicle and trailer combination if:

the motor vehicle and the trailer(s) are plated and the total of their gross plated weights is more than 3,500 kg
the total unladen weight of the vehicle and trailer combination is more than 1,525 kg
You don’t need an operator’s licence if your trailer’s unladen weight is less than 1,020 kg and you only carry your own goods.

What this tells me is that provided your 3.5 ton vehicle is plated and you don’t go over your GVW of 3.5 ton you will be ok.

However as soon as you attach a trailer a tacho and an o license are required, because the plated weight of the trailer even if only 200kg for example, puts you over the stated 3,500kg for the total combination of the plated weights.

Further more and even before the consideration of a trailer combination, if your 3.5 ton vehicle is not plated, then you have to have a chassis cab and body that weighs less than 1,525kg ! Well I can’t think of one chassis cab and car transporter body that gets even close. The chassis cab alone weighs there or there about to 1,525, as soon as you attach the transporter body, you will be over and in a hire or reward situation, you need a tacho and o license. Meaning make sure your 3.5 ton transporter is ‘plated’ in order to,avoid the unladen 1,525 which I imagine nearly all 3.5 ton transporters will fall foul of.

Am I right in how I have interpreted the government website information, or is the chap who was adamant and said ‘trust me, you don’t need one’ right ?

Thanks in advance for opinions

you are correct

Tacho is required on any vehicle with a gvw over 2.8t AND a towbar fitted.

Plenty of “professionals” towing trailers with no tachos.

I thought that there was some discussion on here a couple of years ago which came to the conclusion that virtually any car on the back of a 3.5t vehicle put it overweight.

Will do when its a Disco 3/4 or RR sport similar age knocking the scales at a shade over 2.5 tons, then stick another on the trailer.

It’s clear to me that the 3.5 ton threshold creates difficulties. Looking at things suspiciously, it wouldn’t surprise me if this weight is a revenue stream for vosa. There are already posts on this website from 3.5 transporters giving examples of when they have been fined. I wouldn’t say virtually any car would put a 3.5 over weight but the payloads are very restrictive to the point where the question is whether it is worth it. Might as well get yourself a 4-5 ton, a tacho and either pass your exam or get a cheap transport manager.

I don’t think the chap I spoke to is intentionally running bent, I just think he genuinely doesn’t understand the rules.

Plenty of people operating not knowing the rules. Even the big boys like cars etc dont know about all european rules and regs.

Loads of 3.5t transit types running round overweight all the time. Dvsa dont seam to bother pulling them. I went legal with tachographed 4x4 an trailer. But many dont an seam to get away with it.

Yes it does seem many are running illegally. The chap I spoke to, nice enough as he was, didn’t have a clue or was arrogantly dismissive. The problem for these guys is that it will only take one pull and its game over. They won’t be left alone after that. I’d rather do it properly and have peace of mind whilst driving.

Eventually they will lose business. One day he may have to make a call to Arnold Clark to inform them that their vehicle on his trailer is stranded on the M6 !