loading
As an agency driver, howdo I protect myself from rosecution for overloading when collecting an unfamiliar load in an unfamiliar commodity from an unfamiliar location in an unfamiliar wagon when there is no known weigbridge nearby? is it sufficient to tell the Vosa officer I am seeking a weighbridge and can he direct me to it?
Thanks
Euro:
is it sufficient to tell the Vosa officer I am seeking a weighbridge and can he direct me to it?
That might work if you’re only a few miles from the start of your journey but it isn’t going to wash if you’re any further than that away.
Technically the only defence to overloading is that you’re either on the way from the loading point to the nearest public weighbridge to check your weight or that you’re going from the weighbridge back to the loading point to tip off excess weight if you have been weighed and found that you are overweight. Finding the nearest weighbridge is up to you.
In the real world if you’re on an agency job and you’re concerned then first it’s worth calling whoever it is you’re driving for. If they’re any good they’ll know what the wagon can carry and when the weight of your load is and be able to put your mind at rest. If not and you’re still concerned then unless you want to fall out with that customer then you either have to just take the load and risk it or find (and pay for) a public weigh yourself. The risk you’re taking is that if you kick up a big fuss about it and then when it’s weighed you find out that you’re well within the legal limits then the customer is probably not going to be happy about the wasted time and you might find that you don’t get any more work out of them…
Paul