just received the latest edition of “moving on” a news sheet sent out to operators by vosa every three months, basically they just bang their own drum and tell you what a wonderful job they’re doing!
on the front page of this issue is an article about new weighing devices fitted in the road combined with vehicle recognition via number plates of hgv’s, it goes on to give figures from a six month trial period, 271 vehicles were identified as being overloaded 204 of which were prohibited from carrying on with their journey. it’s claimed the the equipment is accurate enough to take individual axle weights, the example shown is a4x2 unit pulling a tri axle tipper, although the gross weight is 39.360t and legal, the front axle of the unit is over weight but not the drive axle, which takes some working out 
further to these figures it then goes on to say that 52 drivers of over weight vehicles were also found to have committed serious hours offences and 44 prohibitions were issued for vehicle defects.
the trial has been seen as a great success and it’s planned that the equipment should be installed on all major roads at some point with a further four “strategic” locations already ear marked.
so where does that leave the driver who picks up a loaded trailer, as of coarse the vast majority do? have you got any chance of knowing if your overloaded on the front end or indeed if your over your gross weight? certainly no weigh bridge can tell you if your over weight on one axle!
we face that problem sometimes which is why i gave each of our drivers a copy of a handout that i found on VOSAs website. like most places, our weighbridge is only capable of telling us the overall weight but at least its a start. the lads now check the weight on the paperwork and if it looks close, they nip round to the weighbridge. we dont have any facilities for axle weights though 
paul b:
the front axle of the unit is over weight but not the drive axle, which takes some working out
Maybe it was the driver who was over-weight 
Seriously though, all this technology is just going a bit far now. Next thing they’ll be introducing unmanned road-side checkpoints, where they can check your wagon for defects using robots and computers. 
The traffic police must be wondering if they’ll have a job in a few years.
Saw a presentation about this piece of kit at a local FTA meeting. I agree the ability of the technology is worrying, to say the least. It appears they are using it as a ‘filtering’ method. The law has always been that the driver (and operator) are responsible for the weight of the vehicle, whether they loaded it or not. The only defence against overloading is that you were on your way to the nearest available weighbridge to check way or were returning to the nearest suitable place for removing excess load, having check weighed and found the vehicle to be overloaded.
Usually VOSA will allow a tolerance of upto 5 % or upto a tonne, before the prohibition paperwork comes out. Trading Standards may view things differently. If the vehicle has compensating axles, then they are weighed as a group rather than individually.
You can get an idea of axle weights by split weighing on a bridge. It requires the cooperation of the bridge man, some don’t want to play but I have always found that nicely pointing out to them that they are ‘permitting’ an offence by not helping works a treat.
From the presentation there were some good points; mainly it works on foreign vehicles equally as well as UK registered. Perhaps the VOSA would like to put the kit on the roads leading out of the ports?
paul b:
certainly no weigh bridge can tell you if your over weight on one axle!
The weighbridge at our place does axle weights…
please explain how it works, the only thing i’ve seen that can actually weigh individual axles are weigh plates that you drive over slowly, such as those used at some vosa sites
From the presentation there were some good points; mainly it works on foreign vehicles equally as well as UK registered. Perhaps the VOSA would like to put the kit on the roads leading out of the ports?
Do you honestly think that the authorities would chase up any foreign driver? - they don’t even bother tracing those who currently get trapped speeding!
What next■■? It bad enough with all the speed cameras distracting you.
Solution -
Maybe it’s time the manufacturers put some effort into developing an axle weight monitoring system which would give instant alerts to an overloaded axle. This would be made standard fitment by law on trucks - just like a tacho. Government could give healthy tax incetives to speed up their installation.
It would bring major benefits to everybody involved -
- protect a driver & operator from prosecution.
- protect operators investment - reduced brake and driveline wear/abuse.
- protect the business of legal operators.
- protect our roads which are falling apart.
- protect manufacturers warranty schemes - control costs of vehicles to an operator.
AND
Probably most importantly help increase ROAD SAFETY for everyone.
a friend of mine delivers concrete sections which are brought in by irish hauliers, usually on 2+3 artics. each load brought in has to be split up onto two 44t artics for them to be under mgw.
how can we compete? well maybe this weighing system(provided vosa prosecute everyone and not just the english) will level the playing field.
paul b:
please explain how it works, the only thing i’ve seen that can actually weigh individual axles are weigh plates that you drive over slowly, such as those used at some vosa sites
B&Q have one of those at almost every site now you drive over it and it tells you the individual wight of each axle, I thought they were very common now.
so the plates just wide enough for one axle? do they then add up each axle weight to get a gross?
theres so many variables when looking at the drive axle particularly on a 4x2, deep or shallow pin, heavier pallets at the front, if it’s two drops, is the first drop on the back? and on it goes. the continental lads that come in the steel works for brightbar obviously all run 4x2’s, the load has to be put on from the front so theres no movement, if they’re ten foots, thats 25t on the first forty foot of trailer and must overload the drive axle even though they’d be marginally under their gross.
of caorse reading between the lines, what this new equipment does is give them an opportunity to give you a pull knowing they’ve got you for something but obviously hoping to find other misdemeanors rather than randomly check vehicles that pass hoping to catch the odd’n as they do with road side checks.
i suppose it’s a good thing but only if it’s used on every vehicle be it British or foreign registered.
The last time I tried to use a public weighbridge, the display was broken!
The next nearest one was MILES away. Pfft. Least they could do is make sure they work.
Skyhook:
What next■■? It bad enough with all the speed cameras distracting you.Solution -
Maybe it’s time the manufacturers put some effort into developing an axle weight monitoring system which would give instant alerts to an overloaded axle. This would be made standard fitment by law on trucks - just like a tacho. Government could give healthy tax incetives to speed up their installation.
It would bring major benefits to everybody involved -
- protect a driver & operator from prosecution.
- protect operators investment - reduced brake and driveline wear/abuse.
- protect the business of legal operators.
- protect our roads which are falling apart.
- protect manufacturers warranty schemes - control costs of vehicles to an operator.
AND
Probably most importantly help increase ROAD SAFETY for everyone.
But then how will vosa meet its fines quotas? 
jammymutt:
paul b:
please explain how it works, the only thing i’ve seen that can actually weigh individual axles are weigh plates that you drive over slowly, such as those used at some vosa sitesB&Q have one of those at almost every site now you drive over it and it tells you the individual wight of each axle, I thought they were very common now.
They are certainly about - was working for Cadbury the other day and their warehouse at Aston has one, although standard bridge at Bourneville (fortunately I weighed BEFORE I visited the staff shop… … …)
G
Bones:
paul b:
certainly no weigh bridge can tell you if your over weight on one axle!The weighbridge at our place does axle weights…
You have a weighbridge?!
What, on site?!
Our lot don’t know what they are.
yeah well axle weigher anyway. The only time we use it is for when we do trunk runs and i sometime run one over every now and again if i think its heavy. Though with what we carry it never is.
Skyhook:
What next■■? It bad enough with all the speed cameras distracting you.Solution -
Maybe it’s time the manufacturers put some effort into developing an axle weight monitoring system which would give instant alerts to an overloaded axle. This would be made standard fitment by law on trucks - just like a tacho. Government could give healthy tax incetives to speed up their installation.
It would bring major benefits to everybody involved -
- protect a driver & operator from prosecution.
- protect operators investment - reduced brake and driveline wear/abuse.
- protect the business of legal operators.
- protect our roads which are falling apart.
- protect manufacturers warranty schemes - control costs of vehicles to an operator.
AND
Probably most importantly help increase ROAD SAFETY for everyone.
It is already available! I’ve got a 9 month old Wilson trailer and a year old Actros 2544. I can get the total trailer axle weight displayed on the dash. I’ve checked it against the axle weight plate at the hub, and it is quite accurate. Unfortunately it only works with these two together - the other Actros and trailer we have don’t have it. If it can be done on the trailer, and the lift axle has an automatic drop over a set weight, it must be possible to display every axle weight on the unit and trailer.
This technology is not new, they have had it at Beatock for quite a while now, they know who they are going to pull before you do
You can always get a very rough idea with a plate bridge by weighing each axle as you drive onto it, but as Geebee said you need the cooperation of the weigh man. before the ministry had axle weighers, that is what they did.
It gives VOSA an idea who are the bad lads and they can then target them more, saving your hardearned taxes
Wheel Nut:
This technology is not new, they have had it at Beatock for quite a while now, they know who they are going to pull before you doYou can always get a very rough idea with a plate bridge by weighing each axle as you drive onto it, but as Geebee said you need the cooperation of the weigh man. before the ministry had axle weighers, that is what they did.
It gives VOSA an idea who are the bad lads and they can then target them more, saving your hardearned taxes
that wouldnt work with ours. it is the raised type so putting the front axle will transfer more weight on to the rear axle giving a false reading.
Wheel Nut:
This technology is not new, they have had it at Beatock for quite a while now, they know who they are going to pull before you doLast time I went in Beatock about 2 years ago, they were pulling everyone in, infact if i remember right the sign said Check Point Ahead All HGV’s Must Enter, then they were running you over the axle bridge, and then checking cards, and provided you were all right on those 2 checks it was be on your way. I thought it would be allday the amount of motors in there, but you would’ve had fewer yellow coats at Maplins, and it only took about 15 mins to clear weight and tacho check