I find it staggering that many of the people quoting ‘facts’ on here dont actually know the rules of tonnage on the vehicles they are driving. They obviously dont know the area either. BOA is a small very narrow town and the 18t restriction on the bridge is there for a very good reason. If you live here you would know what it is. Yes we do report over weight lorries and Yes there are signs on all the access roads, telling you there is a restriction, and YES we have had training and we do know what lorries to report It matters not a jot whether a lorry is laden or not.If an overweight vehicle crosses the bridge - its breaking the law - and thats all that people need to know!
W
A vehicle is overloaded if it exceeds the plated weight limits,eregardless if its loaded or not. We are not being vindictive we’ve just had enough of companies flaughting the law and taking a short cut through Bradford, we are in for the long haul - its up to the big companies to inform drivers and keep them trained with the knowledge they need to drive large lorries and equip them with freight sat navs. This isnt a vendetta against drivers we appreciate they are trying to do the best they can, they should be equipped with all the information they need to allow them to drive safely through permitted routes - and that isnt BOA town bridge.
bandage:
A vehicle is overloaded if it exceeds the plated weight limits,eregardless if its loaded or not.
How vehicle can be overloaded when it is not loaded at all? 
orys:
bandage:
A vehicle is overloaded if it exceeds the plated weight limits,eregardless if its loaded or not.How vehicle can be overloaded when it is not loaded at all?
Hi orys,
I’m wondering about that too, but it’s all OK now because…
bandage:
… and YES we have had training …
So there’s your answer, but I still don’t understand it. 
If not you, I would think that this is my poor English. But in that case it’s obvious: we just lack proper training!
orys:
If not you, I would think that this is my poor English. But in that case it’s obvious: we just lack proper training!
IMHO orys, it’s possibly a person struggling with unfamiliar language, or maybe didn’t quite understand the training… but that person is not you.
■■■■■■■:
I find it staggering that many of the people quoting ‘facts’ on here dont actually know the rules…YOU THEN GO ON TO SAY…
■■■■■■■:
A vehicle is overloaded if it exceeds the plated weight limits,regardless if its loaded or not.
As already pointed out, if a vehicle is empty it isn’t overloaded (the clue is in the name), but if it’s MAXIMUM GROSS WEIGHT exceeds the amount specified on the bridge (18t wasn’t it?) then the driver commits an offence if he crosses it empty or loaded.
I don’t know who did your training, if it was someone with a CPC (basically a license to be a transport manager) then I’d ask for a refund as they don’t know what they’re talking about.
Finally, I think hauliers delivering in the area should bump their rates up to fund the extra diesel…I know of hauliers who did around here and the traders soon let the NIMBYS fight alone…
Seeing how most of us don’t live in BOA, please enlighten us, bandage, with your honest opinion of the “very good reason” for the WEIGHT limit, since an empty artic would potentially be lighter than 18t. I have my opinions, knowing the roads there, but I would just like to hear the local view. And yes I do know about MGW.
The councillor in the story makes no mention of any structural damage to the bridge…
“It is not because the bridge is at risk, it is because lorries of that size are very intimidating when they are going through the town.
“We were just making the point that it is very damaging for people trying to use the town in a normal way, like pushing their pushchairs or crossing the road.
orys:
bandage:
A vehicle is overloaded if it exceeds the plated weight limits,eregardless if its loaded or not.How vehicle can be overloaded when it is not loaded at all?
I’ve driven a 7.4t cherrypicker on an S plate that was actually weighing in closer to 12t after being intercepted by VOSA 
But being a vehicle that does not carry goods then it’s a bit off the mark.
Buses possibly go over that bridge and if they did, they wouldn’t be restricted by that sign. In fact, you can take a full size double deck coach weighing 30t over that bridge (if it would fit) and the driver would NOT be prosecuted
Wheel Nut:
joedwyer1:
sorry for being a thick newbie. but from what some you have said in previous posts got me thinking… so if my unladen lorry weighs say 7 tons does that mean i can drive through 7.5 t weight limits without worrying about getting caught?No, and neither can you drive over a bridge with an 18tonne MGW sign in an artic or an 8 wheeler, regardless of the unladen weight, unless the sign says, “Except for Unladen Vehicles” or except for loading etc
This one interests me as I am in the middle of a dispute with my employer on a similar matter, my company deliver bulk chemicals to a place on the B660 just off the A14. I was sent with a GVW of 43Tonnes. on the approach to the turn off on the A14 there is a huge sign which clearly says in letters as big as a bus 18 tonne weight restriction on B660 towards catforth. I left the A14 and crossed over the bridge and right in front of me, one on the left of the single carriagway and one on the right of the carriagway there are two huge prohibitory 18Tonne GVW signs with NO supporting plate ie access only or except for loading. So i stopped, called my employer and informed them of the restiction. I got a response of, (WELL EVERYONE ELSE GOES THROUGH IT). To which i replied, I’M NOT! Couldn’t get hold of the customer for an alternative way in so turned the wagon around and brought it back. Next day i called the council responsible for said restriction and it was confirmed that the whole area where said customer was smack bang in the middle was indeed an 18 tonne limit and was told by the council official that if i take anything over 18tonnes on that road i would be taken to a nearby weighbridge and fined heavily. The local police confirmed this, i informed my employer who said that it was access only as the customer has said so. Most of our drivers have since driven through and ignore the sign. My concern with this is that apart from the fine i would probably end up in front of the traffic commissioner with her hand outstretched ready to take my licence. I havn’t been back in 3 weeks but 1 driver has said that there are now plates underneath the signs which read except for loading. Has anyone been there recently and can you tell me if the plates are there now?
lee mc67:
Wheel Nut:
joedwyer1:
sorry for being a thick newbie. but from what some you have said in previous posts got me thinking… so if my unladen lorry weighs say 7 tons does that mean i can drive through 7.5 t weight limits without worrying about getting caught?No, and neither can you drive over a bridge with an 18tonne MGW sign in an artic or an 8 wheeler, regardless of the unladen weight, unless the sign says, “Except for Unladen Vehicles” or except for loading etc
This one interests me as I am in the middle of a dispute with my employer on a similar matter, my company deliver bulk chemicals to a place on the B660 just off the A14. I was sent with a GVW of 43Tonnes. on the approach to the turn off on the A14 there is a huge sign which clearly says in letters as big as a bus 18 tonne weight restriction on B660 towards catforth. I left the A14 and crossed over the bridge and right in front of me, one on the left of the single carriagway and one on the right of the carriagway there are two huge prohibitory 18Tonne GVW signs with NO supporting plate ie access only or except for loading. So i stopped, called my employer and informed them of the restiction. I got a response of, (WELL EVERYONE ELSE GOES THROUGH IT). To which i replied, I’M NOT! Couldn’t get hold of the customer for an alternative way in so turned the wagon around and brought it back. Next day i called the council responsible for said restriction and it was confirmed that the whole area where said customer was smack bang in the middle was indeed an 18 tonne limit and was told by the council official that if i take anything over 18tonnes on that road i would be taken to a nearby weighbridge and fined heavily. The local police confirmed this, i informed my employer who said that it was access only as the customer has said so. Most of our drivers have since driven through and ignore the sign. My concern with this is that apart from the fine i would probably end up in front of the traffic commissioner with her hand outstretched ready to take my licence. I havn’t been back in 3 weeks but 1 driver has said that there are now plates underneath the signs which read except for loading. Has anyone been there recently and can you tell me if the plates are there now?
Sorted, spoke to council again and this area is access only, to gain entry to the customers premises. 
A lot of new weight limit signs in Oxon have no exemption plates; Our TM contacted County Councik who said if we have deliveries and can prove it if stopped then no worries…
Muckaway:
A lot of new weight limit signs in Oxon have no exemption plates; Our TM contacted County Councik who said if we have deliveries and can prove it if stopped then no worries…
Cheers, wouldn’t you think if it costs £2000 to put a sign up they would put a jeffing plate with it!
toby1234abc:
Read story in August 28th edition of the Wiltshire Times,could not believe how this moron thinks he has the power and legal right to stop a goods vehicle that was trying to cross a 18ton limit weight limit over Bradford upon Avons historic bridge.He stoped the truck,stands in front,received a torrent of abuse and swore at by the driver,so would i,has the reporter not mentioned that the driver may have been following sat nav,or a foreign truck may have been involved,there is no turning place in the town for large vehicles.The reporter says it was a 30 ton juggernaut,right,got her facts right there then.Story runs as "One man blockade over weight limit"and “Protestor outraged at vehicle ignoring road signs”.The protestor was Bill Laslett,i checked the BT book,he aint in it,he does not live in Bradford,but miles away in a posh snob village of Limpley Stoke,near Bath.The police have supported his actions in stopping the truck,so that means everyone in the land as powers to stop,whenever they see something that angers them and annoys them.If i was driving,i would have ran over the moron,and say i never saw him,in the blind spot below the viewpoints of the windscreen axis.It would be his fault.Who walks in front of a moving artic?He says he was outraged by bully boy tactics of drivers ignoring the ban.He produced congestion at the time,annoying other road users,cos he didnt get his tampax and tampons.He also says,Bradford is being invaded by juggernauts.(They pay road tax,dont they,to use the road.)Councillor Vicky Landell-Mills says the lorries are intimidating.Your views to Victoria Ashford at vashford@newswilts.co.uk,or at Wiltshire Times,15 Duke st.Trowbridge,Wilts,BA148EF.Telephone 01225 773642.Another antitruck brigade story,only in the UK.
shall we phone that number 
When I have to go the long way around because of a weight limit, if customer tries to be clever I simplu tell them I love the scenic route, I get paid more and the company stick it on their bill to cover diesel and waged costs. Several of us did this when Heyford station bridge had a limit and tight fisted farmers pressurised council to sort the bridge…result.
Read story in August 28th edition of the Wiltshire Times,could not believe how this moron thinks he has the power and legal right to stop a goods vehicle that was trying to cross a 18ton limit weight limit over Bradford upon Avons historic bridge.He stoped the truck,stands in front,received a torrent of abuse and swore at by the driver,so would i,has the reporter not mentioned that the driver may have been following sat nav,or a foreign truck may have been involved,there is no turning place in the town for large vehicles.The reporter says it was a 30 ton juggernaut,right,got her facts right there then.Story runs as "One man blockade over weight limit"and “Protestor outraged at vehicle ignoring road signs”.The protestor was Bill Laslett,i checked the BT book,he aint in it,he does not live in Bradford,but miles away in a posh snob village of Limpley Stoke,near Bath.The police have supported his actions in stopping the truck,so that means everyone in the land as powers to stop,whenever they see something that angers them and annoys them.If i was driving,i would have ran over the moron,and say i never saw him,in the blind spot below the viewpoints of the windscreen axis.It would be his fault.Who walks in front of a moving artic?He says he was outraged by bully boy tactics of drivers ignoring the ban.He produced congestion at the time,annoying other road users,cos he didnt get his tampax and tampons.He also says,Bradford is being invaded by juggernauts.(They pay road tax,dont they,to use the road.)Councillor Vicky Landell-Mills says the lorries are intimidating.Your views to Victoria Ashford at vashford@newswilts.co.uk,or at Wiltshire Times,15 Duke st.Trowbridge,Wilts,BA148EF.Telephone 01225 773642.Another antitruck brigade story,only in the UK.
toby1234abc:
Read story in August 28th edition of the Wiltshire Times,could not believe how this moron thinks he has the power and legal right to stop a goods vehicle that was trying to cross a 18ton limit weight limit over Bradford upon Avons historic bridge.He stoped the truck,stands in front,received a torrent of abuse and swore at by the driver,so would i,has the reporter not mentioned that the driver may have been following sat nav,or a foreign truck may have been involved,there is no turning place in the town for large vehicles.The reporter says it was a 30 ton juggernaut,right,got her facts right there then.Story runs as "One man blockade over weight limit"and “Protestor outraged at vehicle ignoring road signs”.The protestor was Bill Laslett,i checked the BT book,he aint in it,he does not live in Bradford,but miles away in a posh snob village of Limpley Stoke,near Bath.The police have supported his actions in stopping the truck,so that means everyone in the land as powers to stop,whenever they see something that angers them and annoys them.If i was driving,i would have ran over the moron,and say i never saw him,in the blind spot below the viewpoints of the windscreen axis.It would be his fault.Who walks in front of a moving artic?He says he was outraged by bully boy tactics of drivers ignoring the ban.He produced congestion at the time,annoying other road users,cos he didnt get his tampax and tampons.He also says,Bradford is being invaded by juggernauts.(They pay road tax,dont they,to use the road.)Councillor Vicky Landell-Mills says the lorries are intimidating.Your views to Victoria Ashford at vashford@newswilts.co.uk,or at Wiltshire Times,15 Duke st.Trowbridge,Wilts,BA148EF.Telephone 01225 773642.Another antitruck brigade story,only in the UK.
I agree. We all should ignore road signs and do what we want on the roads.
The article claims that it was a “30 ton lorry” but doesn’t say weather or not it was loaded, the police escorted the vehicle over the bridge but there’s no mention of weather or not a fixed penalty ticket was issued, the vehicle could easily have been less than 18 tons.
I have no problem with local residents making a stand for their environment but in this case there’s nothing in the article to show that an offence was in fact committed except the opinion of an irate local resident.
I tried to put the link on,but to no avail.Thanks for doing it.
not that i have anything to do with bradford on avon,i have e mailed the journalist concerned,cos i feel strongly yet again on the inaacurate and one sided “juggernaut” bashing article.what if the driver was unfamiliar to the area and the weight limit wasnt posted until it was too late,or any other number of factors which havent been established in the article.more one sided tat!. 
it is with dismay that i have come across yet another non factual,innaccurate and wholly one sided,biased,"story"aimed again,against the transport industry.
i am a member of a forum called “trucknet”,which this story has been posted onto.
yet while i admit,as in any other industry there will be non proffesionals and cowboys who do not help to raise public perception of a much misunderstood industry,i feel your story does not take into both sides views and appears to me that it is another member of the public who hasnt a clue about the industry in which i work.
you describe the vehicle as being a “30-tonne” lorry.wrong.
weight limits for lorrys are the following(ie the maximum loaded gross vehicle weight,which takes into account the unladen weight of the vehicle)
3.5 tonne
7.5 tonne
18 tonne
28 tonne
32 tonne
44 tonne.
now you describe a “30-tonne” vehicle.was this vehicle loaded or empty?,was the vehicle weighed during this incident?,i suspect not.
i drive a car transporter capable of carrying 12 vehicles with a gross weight of 38 tonnes,when it is part loaded or empty,its weight gradually decreases.its unladen weight is around 15 tonnes,so an offence by the particular driver in your story portrayed by the member of the public may not have even been commited.
i also read the member of the public describes the lorry in a procession of cars as “bully boy tactics”!.
how exactly?,just because a lorry is larger than a car doesnt always necassarily mean its a bully boy!.
as for bradford on avon being “invaded by juggernauts”,well,your readers and public,and town councilors of bradford on avon may like to just remind themselves that no matter what in their lives they wear,use,or shop at…a lorry brought it.
i also notice that the police comments at the end of the report did not state whether in this particular case,the driver had commited an offence,and was prosecuted,but went on a “public reassurance” response.
your article and member of the public have no factual evidence that this vehicle actually commited an offence,more a case i think of “nimby”(not in my backyard).
a very annoyed and disgruntled “professional” lorryist.
damian"buck"rogers