Is the dog clip a legal requirement and can you get done for not having one?
Thanks!!
sydeakinwoods:
Is the dog clip a legal requirement and can you get done for not having one?Thanks!!
I can’t off-hand give you a definitive answer but I think it probably depends on the type of handle locking mechanism used on the 5th wheel, but I believe that where a dog clip is fitted VOSA expect you to use it anyway.
A dog clip certainly isn’t a legal requirement for all 5th wheels, for instance as far as I know the type with the spring loaded L shaped drop-down handle lock (for want of a better description) doesn’t legally require a dog clip to be fitted but should be used where one is fitted.
If you’re referring to a standard type 5th wheel that has no handle locking mechanism other than a dog clip then I think a dog clip should be a legal requirement and I suspect it is but I don’t know for sure.
Having said that I always carry a dog clip in my bag just in case 
sydeakinwoods:
Is the dog clip a legal requirement and can you get done for not having one?Thanks!!
NO
But your fifth wheel handle must have a secondary locking device, be that lever, clip or spring lock
tachograph:
Having said that I always carry a dog clip in my bag just in case
We have the L shape ones on our MAN’S but i’ll always use the dog clip aswell as it is only a matter of a second or two to clip it in and i always carry a spare too.
We have the L shape locking mechanism on ouur DAF’s.
The reason I ask is I got to work this morning to find the dog clip missing off my truck…(Someone broke it)…and I thought that if there ‘was’ one fitted but has been lost/broken etc then it would still be a legal requirement as there is meant to be one there for safety etc…
Mine does not have a place for a dog clip or L shape catch 