welshboyinspain:
but orys you’re missing the point, that would be using your common sense
Ah, sorry. Using common sense is bad? Obviously I am not British enaugh yet 
at the mo am driving an irish truck 09 D . . . . now the rear trailer plate is usually irish with a white background etc now the plate i have is a yellow english plate but wth the irish reg on
am i breaking the law ?
sorry if the question doesnt make sense !!
In the distant past every trailer had a numberplate light, providing it had a tail light, most number plates were tied on with wire, tie wraps or chains.
Every driver worth his salt had a full set of Rubbolite lenses with the clear lens on it,
drivers had to carry round and oblong lenses with single pin and dual pin bulbs to fit every trailer. Every one had a pin or a bolt to go through the short and long winding handles. Most had palm couplings & continental lenses too and you guarded those with your life 
A square or oblong plate doesn’t make a difference, the boy racer of my day had a square front plate too,
I’ve still got all those lenses and bulbs in a box in my storeroom never get rid of them just in case 
used to pull old skellys on containers and was forever needing lenses and bulbs cos when the trailers were dropped they were taken off and for the winding handle one of those bolt seals always came in handy
welshboyinspain:
for the winding handle one of those bolt seals always came in handy
I had a used inlet valve which rattled away in my front step for years.
Welshboy, Last thing anyone wants is a big bill for repairs. If as you suggest you have carried out a repair and the light is working when you set off, no problem as there’s nothing to defect on sheet. We golden oldies have done all sorts of things like that to complete the journey and get us back to depot. I hope you got a pat on the back from your gaffer for it. Mind you some of the “temporary repairs” I have seen have been downright stupid. I took over one unit and the air lines were leaking and had been taped up using black insulation tape. I don’t think VOSA would have been too happy if they had spotted this. Turned out the repair had been done two days before. The “driver” who did it forgot to book it when he got back to depot and the “driver” I took it off hadn’t even noticed it when he took over the day before. 
I used to do a Wales run a few years back. I remember climbing over the Heads of the Valley one trip and when I got to the top there was a painted over road sign saying “English go home” trouble was the same guys had also painted out the road direction signs so I couldn’t find my way back.
I have never understood why we don’t have the european system where each trailer carries its own number plate, uniqe to that trailer then there is no excuse for not putting a number plate on the trailer (in an attempt to avoid speed cams) also what is to stop someone nicking my plate sticking it on a trailer and blasting through half a dozen speed cameras.
vwgpmk2:
I have never understood why we don’t have the european system where each trailer carries its own number plate, uniqe to that trailer then there is no excuse for not putting a number plate on the trailer (in an attempt to avoid speed cams) also what is to stop someone nicking my plate sticking it on a trailer and blasting through half a dozen speed cameras.
Wouldn’t be difficult, would it? After all, they all have a unique ID, a plate and an MOT test. Apparently we were going to a few years ago but then didn’t.
Coffeeholic:
Santa:
So sticking a cardboard plate on the back is admitting that you knew the plate was missing - I assume it would be better to leave it off and swear that it was there when you set off.Oh dear, you’ve opened the door there for someone to post a popular story which everyone swears happened to their mate, or an Irishman.
would that be the one where at the end he tells the old bill " he would like to report a theft"
Just pull a TNT trailer, seems you don’t need a number plate with one of those!