Now can anybody can give me a sensible explanation as to why on earth a Volumetric Concrete Mixer gets away with No Transport Manager, No HGV licence, No Tachograph, No Olicense, No maintenance schedule, No MOTs, £165 a year VED, No drivers hours regulations and can weigh in at 38ton for an 8 wheeler rigid.
They carry goods, sand, cement, aggregate,dust, water all for concrete production and I have to abide ( normal concret mixer)with the law as every other Goods carrying vehicle.
not saying it a sensible explanation but the only one I can think of is that it is classed as mobile plant machinery and therefore exempt of all you mention 
Yes, mobile plant. but it also carries the goods. If it went to site as a mobile batching plant, and loaded and mixed at site i could understand its “class”.
Theoretically I could load my standard mixer with dry materials, not mix till I got to site, add the water there and practice the same as a Volumetric. It just don`t add up!
Crickey, think I might get one. 
There was a thread on this before and basically all Those things the original poster said at the top are an urban myth. If your local traffic cops caught you driving on a road like that they would be very unhappy with you. If you were just cutting about a building site off road then that’s a different story
They are running around without ANY of the above. I talk to the operators on another forum. They are classed as mobile plant, which in my eyes is incorrect. They are carrying goods
More fool them. They will be up ■■■■ creek with out a paddle with several vosa a traffic cop and judge after them if it goes ■■■■ up and there’s an accident/insurance claim etc
the co we use are running renault keraxs up to 42 ton , today the driver got a tug by vosa for material above the headboard and sides i.e insecure load
he leveled it out and the prohibition was lifted ,weighed at 42700 and was let on his way , saw all the paperwork from vosa myself as i drive the truck forwards while the trench is being filled
they run at the maximum design weight ,hence why many are renaults 
cobbedup:
Crickey, think I might get one.
Don’t bother, the mix is ■■■■
As above classed as mobile plant! Regarding saying they mix ■■■■, I don’t think u could be further from the truth, a good mixer op will give you a good mix! I was on a site where they turned away a drum mixer in favour of a volumetric!
Apparently changes are soon to be brought in re definition of mobile plant. Vosa have been fighting lawyers hired by volumetric owners and are slowly getting the upper hand. I drive one and with the greedy boards can be legally loaded to 45 tons…have to make sure i take corners nice and steady!!
what chassis is that on at 45 tons out of interest
Thats on a renault kerax with (apparently) heavy duty chassis…the plate shows 45 ton
I’m learning here! Had no idea about this stuff!
These seem to be the way forward. I used to have my own mixer (barrel) working for some of the big companies, but gave up last year due to lack of work and being pressured into buying a new truck…no. I had a call from the company i now work for as they have more work than they can cope with.
The advantage of this type of mixer is you can go on site and deliver dry concrete for kerbs then go and do wet concrete with fibres for an oversite. With barrel mixers you would need 2 trucks (loads). The only thing they cant do is run out a kerb race (pto cuts out as soon as the truck moves) but that can easily be done by digger bucket.As for wheelbarrow jobs…easy…and no pressure on the mixer pump!!
the ones we use are reimer mixers with donkey engines so it is possible , i usually drive the truck when we have them in doing trench fill
while the “driver” keeps an eye on the product ,gets the job done quicker for us both 
whybother:
Apparently changes are soon to be brought in re definition of mobile plant. Vosa have been fighting lawyers hired by volumetric owners and are slowly getting the upper hand. I drive one and with the greedy boards can be legally loaded to 45 tons…have to make sure i take corners nice and steady!!
sooner the better! And the concrete is also not quality assured.
I agree…after all the 6 week inspections on my trucks and the mot’s…i think these only have to have a certificate of conformity on a yearly basis. It does mean that when the truck is looked at all components must ( in the examiners eyes) be capable of lasting for a year…no it’ll need changing in 3 months.
The concrete is quality assured…it has an audit (QSRMC) or equivilant yearly and calibrated every 3 months…but then it is only as good as the operator lets it be with setting sand/gravel/cement gates.
whybother:
Thats on a renault kerax with (apparently) heavy duty chassis…the plate shows 45 ton
I`d love to have just 38ton on mine, 10m drum, very good rates
mixer driver too:
whybother:
Thats on a renault kerax with (apparently) heavy duty chassis…the plate shows 45 tonI`d love to have just 38ton on mine, 10m drum, very good rates
It would be the same as everything else though, if all of a sudden all 8 leggers were allowed to gross 38ton everyone would be carrying it and the rates would come straight down to put profits squarely back where they are now.
Paul