Was asked to take some Christmas market huts out of a city centre yesterday. I’ve been told that in the 15 years that this has been done, I am the first one to complain that it isn’t legal just to pick them up. The first load was loaded on the trailer and consisted of 3 ‘wooden’ sheds . Excuse the crudity of description but once loaded the sheds where overhanging on one side of the trailer by over 2 foot. This was just the roof of the shed as on one side of the shed the roof came down at a slighter angle to create a sort of haven where customers stand under cover whilst at the counter. This overhang was 13 foot high from the floor as the hut stood neatley on the trailer width with just the roof overhangm and the overall height of the loaded flatbed was approx 16ft. Now I have read the regs on the net this morning but not sure if they are correct, and it says that any load over 305mm needs extra lighting (orange beacon) and 48hrs Police notice. If the load is 3.5m wide which it seemed to me then an attendant was also required. Please can I have opinions on this from you please.
Like I said, i’ve been told that Im the first to say Im not doing it and that it has been happening for 15 years each Christmas. Also I was told that the huts where only going 3 miles to storage anyway. There is 2 drivers on the job and the other guy said he wouldn’t do it if it was going on the motorway, i said well that says everything doesn’t it ? If you wouldn’t go on a motorway then surely main A roads are out of the question too. Now am i the person in the right and the 15 years of other drivers wrong or am I wrong and the drivers, market managers and the hut people right ? Thanks
yes any load over 3.00m overall width (not 2.90m as some still think) needs notifying to police with 2 CLEAR days notice and marking up/lighting. Over 3.50m an attendant is needed officially. I’d be more concerned that it was ‘around 16 foot high’ as over 16’ 5" you could easily have bridge clearance problems
unless you have a yearly police dispensation to move abloads up to 3.5m wide you need to give 48hrs notice, any thing wider than 3.5m any way needs 48hrs notice,
if stopped they will measure the widest part that may be the roof.and watch the hight,
also this load may need ■■■■■■ or second man,police will in form you also roads to use,
seems that they may have been getting these moved on the cheap!
if something went wrong and you have no permit number beware!
2 feet is about 61cms. If this is accurate and the bed of the trailer is 2.40m then you would be over 3m. Two feet was a guess though, and it may be that they were made to be just under the limit.
As ever in this game, fact and reality, legally if your over width you need a movement order- FACT
reality, I have driven a truck for the London Lord Mayors show a few times with a trailer that was well over width and no movement order and not a eyebrow raised.
I have also tried to move a load that was a couple millimetres over width and got parked up until I got a movement order,
After years of working with ABLoad officers and Police escorts I can say with some degree of confidence
If your trying to pull a fast one for commercial advantage( do it cheap) then they will park you up, if your doing it for non commercial reasons (carnival etc) they have eye that goes blind
For a short move like that I would talk to your local community officer, you would be suprised at what they can allow, in my village they wanted to move a portakabin at short notice through the village from the allottments to the village hall . At 14 foot wide even for the 200 yard move its notifiable- 3 days notice, or a chat with the local police community team, and the jobs done and dusted in a couple hours.
