Gingerpose:
Once again thanks for the replies folks. TM has said he’s going to bring his “stuff” i.e. notes or something from his CPC training in on Monday and have a meeting with the drivers, so I will have plenty info to counter with.
It is indeed a reefer with taillift (well guessed) and the vast majority of our drops are not large enough to be of concern, as we usually deliver a couple of pallets to the harbour to the boat(s), then go back for more loads. Still, I won’t knowingly break the law and am grateful for your help.
Gingerpose
Hi Gingerpose, sorry for my earlier scepticism, it was just that your story seemed so unbelieveable.
The TM can bring what he likes, cos he’ll find nothing to back his views.
The way to calculate what you can carry is to establish the kerbside weight of your vehicle in the following way:
Find the plate fastened somewhere inside the cab on the nearside of the vehicle.
Consult the plate to find the “Gross Weight.”
This plate is from an 18t vehicle, but the method is the same.
Go to a weighbridge with a full tank of fuel, all tools, junk, straps and spare wheel (if you normally carry one) and make sure you’re sitting in the cab too. Then ask the weighbridge person for a ticket showing the weight of the vehicle.
Subtract the weight written on the weighbridge ticket from the “Gross Weight” on the plate. The answer will be the number of kgs that you’re legally allowed to load on the vehicle.
Other info
Please make sure that you have C1 as a full entitlement on your licence.
Unladen weight is NOT the same thing as kerbside weight.
As Wheel Nut please direct your TM to our forum, and we’ll be (a bit) nice to him, and train weight ISN’T what you’re looking at in this case, unless you pull a trailer.
Many of us on here hold the CPC that your TM mentioned, some of the others on here hold even higher qualifications.
We helped a TM before, it took a long while but just look how grateful he was.
Being a driver, I just love a certain type of TMs.
You may notice that the 2 examples of ministry plate used are slightly different. Mine is the VTG 8T while Diesel Dave has used the later VTG 6T
Both tell you the same information and it is just an upgrade. In the UK we are fortunate to have the Ministry Plate, any foreign registered trucks that some of us on here drive, will have the same information in the vehicle documents.
Wheel Nut:
You may notice that the 2 examples of ministry plate used are slightly different. Mine is the VTG 8T while Diesel Dave has used the later VTG 6T
Hi Wheel Nut, That’s very true mate, I’ll have to have a trawl through my piccy files to see whether I have pics of the earlier plates, so thanks for that.
Believe it or not, the plate in my pic above is in an LGV driver training vehicle.
Not like the driver training vehicles in our day eh…?
I’m now off to have a look through my photo files…
Since Wheel Nut has pointed out that there are different ‘plates,’ I’ve had a little look through my photo files.
Plates have changed and developed over the years, but although they have changed in terms of format, plates remain the driver’s main source of info about a vehicle’s permitted gross weight.
I’ve dug up a couple of examples to show this.
(So now it’s time to play ‘spot the difference.’ )
Here are a couple more plates from LGVs.
The first is from a “P” ('97) reg 17t Volvo rigid.
The second one is from an '03 (2002) reg 21t three-axle Iveco rigid
Krankee:
From that are we safe to assume that between the years 1997 and 2002, pop-rivets were invented.
Alright. I’ll get me coat.
Hi Krankee, I reckon you might have a point there.
Mind you, I can remember when the plate was spot-welded either to the side of the passenger seat frame, or the inside of the passenger door a la Ford “D” series.
ROG:
…and I bet they only cost him a few farthings…
What’s all this ROG■■ You mean WHOLE farthings?? [Luxury. ]
Listen 'ere; when I was a lad, the most we could scrape together was a few measly groats, and out of that we had to pay the boss for the privilege of working for him.
ROG:
…and I bet they only cost him a few farthings…
What’s all this ROG■■ You mean WHOLE farthings?? [Luxury. ]
Listen 'ere; when I was a lad, the most we could scrape together was a few measly groats, and out of that we had to pay the boss for the privilege of working for him.
in the now edited and resized pic, it shows the plate in me vehicle, so it clearly states a max gross weight of 7.5 tonne, conveniently matching my c1 entitlement.
Bosses boss wasn’t too happy when we started weighing pallets and one colleague (who drives a 3.5t sprinter) refused to take an excessive load, but boss seems to have accepted it, for now. Boss seems to have curiously forgotten to present any material contrary to what has been said on here, though they have announced a meeting for later this week.
Cheers for your advice, doubtless I’ll be back for more
Gingerpose:
Iin this unfortunately small pic, it shows the plate in me vehicle, so it clearly states a max gross weight of 7.5 tonne, conveniently matching my c1 entitlement.
Bosses boss wasn’t too happy when we started weighing pallets and one colleague (who drives a 3.5t sprinter) refused to take an excessive load, but boss seems to have accepted it, for now. Boss seems to have curiously forgotten to present any material contrary to what has been said on here, though they have announced a meeting for later this week.
Cheers for your advice, doubtless I’ll be back for more!
I would keep it up, cover your arse, probably suggest he takes a look in here. You havent identified yourself or his company so you are not talking out of school. It might be wise to remove your plate from this thread, but we cannot read it anyway.
10 years ago drivers and companies got away with a lot of things like overweights and drivers hours, now the penalties are too severe, read the Commercial Motor or road transport.com legal pages.
Your boss may not like you weighing pallets, I bet he will like it even less when he has to pick the soap up
Gingerpose:
Bosses boss wasn’t too happy when we started weighing pallets
Hi Gingerpose, That’s a great start mate, but it isn’t worth a jot unless you have correctly ascertained what you can legally carry. (Use my method, it’s easy. )
To look at it another way, now you know what the pallets weigh, how do you know how many you can carry??
Bosses boss needs to understand that the fines for overloading are quite severe on a good day, and that enforcement is on the harsh side of strict.
Overloading is said to be an ‘absolute’ offence, and there are no excuses for it.
Your only defence is that you were on your way to the nearest weighbridge to the loading point to check-weigh, or on your way back to the original loading point from the nearest weighbridge to offload any excess weight, after having check-weighed. (Provided it’s true.)
In an overloading case, both the driver and the owner of the vehicle will each bear some responsibility and both may end up in court.
An overloading conviction could ultimately lead to the revocation of the company’s operator’s licence, so I guess that bosses boss would be even less pleased if he’s shelled out a chunky fine, then he loses his ability to carry goods at a separate hearing. If that happens, you’d probably be out of a job too, since you can’t drive a goods carrying vehicle that doesn’t have a valid operator’s licence.
I’d suggest it’s in you and your boss’ best interests to do it right, but if he doesn’t believe us, ask him to phone the traffic office that issued the operator’s licence. They’ll have some kindly advice for him too, as would the nice VOSA people if he’d like to phone them.
If he’s really nice to them, they’ll even drop in for a cosy visit.
Your boss might now like to make a choice; equally, you have a choice too.
Welcome to the world of trucks, and please choose wisely.
Believe it or not, the plate in my pic above is in an LGV driver training vehicle. 
