Why do UK drivers have to put their unit number plate on when pulling european trailers? If you look at european drivers, you see Polish units pulling Dutch or Belgian trailers or any other combination of countries using the existing plates. If you see a British unit pulling a foreign trailer you will always see the British plate flapping in the wind on the rear of the trailer, usually held on by a bit of string. Surely if the Euro trailers plate refers to the trailer alone, there should not be a requirement for the UK drivers to override the trailer plate with their own.
I’m not 100% sure on the legal definitions but the idea is simple.
A foreign Trailer has its own registraition documents (V5 equivelant) and is traceable through its number plate.
In the UK we carry the same plate as the Unit, i.e the whole lot is seen as one unit. When a speed camera snaps a trailer in this country, or the LEZ camera’s etc its the operator of the unit who is held responsible for any action.
So the UK operator must therefore display the unit number plate on the trailer, AS PER THE UK LAW, i.e where he is operating.
I’m not sure if a UK operator on the continent can use just the foreign trailers number plate.
Incidentally Farm vehicles where various tractors commonly use various trailers are the only vehicles (Other than forces) who are allowed to display 2 different plates.
Hope this kind of helps.
this is a good one, if i pull one of our german tanks, you have to have the trailers relevent documents with you. how does this work with tilts being shipped into the uk?. is it a case of just sticking your uk plate on the back or do you need documents as well?
All trailers attached to UK units have to have the towing units no. plate attached to the rear,under UK Construction and Use Regs. Trailers registered abroad are usually regisistered seperately in the counrty of origin.Got his from local Traffic Plod.
Hope it helps.
There was talk of registering trailers here too a few years back but the idea seems to have gone away now.
Flapping UK plates on two dog clips are also a No No.
Plates on trailers must be in a position so that they are illuminated when lights are on even in a daytime. I seem to remember South Yorkshire Police having a blitz on tilt trailers a few years back. £30 fixed penalty then, now probably 3 points also!
Les zizis des routiers sont sympas
I have worked for French company`s back home in France,all trailers that come to the UK have to carry documents on the trailer, normally in a little tube on the chassis, and as already stated the trailer and unit are registered seperately. this how a polish truck can pull a german trailer etc.
It’s illegal to just mount a rear number plate anywhere, it has to be in a secure and illuminated purpose fitted hanger. I was allways under the impression from my instructor years ago that if the trailer doesn’t have a hanger, although I’ve noticed many ro ro trailers now do, that there is a resonable defence to not have a plate displayed. It’s better to pull the plate out of your side locker and ask a copper what to do, than getting a prohibition because it fell off in the wind and you now don’t have one. It’s the same for adr orange boards. They have to be secure. However, there is no defence to not display a plate on the back of a UK trailer as this will bring you an immediate prohibition.