We do multi-drop (4-6) paper deliveries around Europe and Switzerland, so we use tri-axle units with tri-axle trailers. Paper is a fairly heavy commodity so it is possible to overload the rear axle of a two axle unit if you have half a load in the front half of your trailer.
Another load we do is new, empty, plastic chemical drums, the whole load (front to back, floor to roof) only weighs around 5 tonnes.
A little while ago one of my workmates came into the yard with a full load of drums on. Whilst maneouvering he lost traction on some loose gravel, so lifted the middle axle. I asked why the middle axle was down. He replied that as he was loaded, all axles had to be down.
I’m fairly sure that you only need all axles down if any other axles are likely to be overloaded with a lift axle up. So if I had a lifting axle on my unit and one on my trailer, but my load was only 5 t evenly spread, I would drive a 44t rig with both those axles up.
(We don’t have lift axles on our trailers btw, but if we did)
Now our fleet is all Merc’. The middle axle will come down if there’s much more than a couple of tonnes on the pin. So if your middle axle will stay up, then there’s no possibility of your drive axle being overloaded. With the full load being around 5 tonnes and evenly spread along the trailer, there’s no chance of the drive axle being overloaded with the middle axle up.
So my question is, which of us is correct ?
Him - it’s loaded, so all axles have to be down.
Me - no axles anywhere near being overloaded and nowhere near max gvw, so a lifting axle can be up.
Just as important, can you point me to the regs (which Construction and Use regs would that be?) which prove me or my mate correct ?
My mate won’t just accept what I tell him, quite right too (MMTM). Neither will I just accept what he tells me.
Before either of us will be convinced that the other is correct, we will want to know what regs say who is correct.
as long as the axle weights are fine then no problem
got a tug a while back i was loaded with steel beams about 15ton axle stayed up got put over the axle weigher still with axle up all weights fine vosa bod was happy off i popped
Simon:
So my question is, which of us is correct ?
You.
As long as:
(a) no individual axle is overloaded and
(b) you are not over the MGW for the number of axles that are actually on the ground based on the band your vehicle is taxed in
you are legal.
If you case you will presumably be taxed in band E (the normal one for 44t with a 3+3 combination) which still allows 38t gross with a 2+3 combimation (or 34t with a 2+2 combination if your trailer had a lift axle).
As I understand it the “having to have all axles down when any load is on the vehicle” rule is a throwback to when vehicles were taxed on a “3+3” or “2+3” axle basis. Since we moved to the new banded system it changed to what I put above.
Simon:
So my question is, which of us is correct ?
You.
As long as:
(a) no individual axle is overloaded and
(b) you are not over the MGW for the number of axles that are actually on the ground based on the band your vehicle is taxed in
you are legal.
If you case you will presumably be taxed in band E (the normal one for 44t with a 3+3 combination) which still allows 38t gross with a 2+3 combimation (or 34t with a 2+2 combination if your trailer had a lift axle).
As I understand it the “having to have all axles down when any load is on the vehicle” rule is a throwback to when vehicles were taxed on a “3+3” or “2+3” axle basis. Since we moved to the new banded system it changed to what I put above.
Paul
Ah. In that case I might’ve missed out what could be an important point.
We are down-plated and taxed at 38t mgw, on 6 axles.
You’ll probably go to that, but think about it for a moment.
Our Euro fleet is leased and I expect (I don’t know this for certain at all) the boss gets a better deal leasing 6x2 rather than 4x2. (Better re-sale value?)
The UK road tax is reduced to almost half, for 6 of the fleet.
The Swiss road tax is greatly reduced for 38t against 40t. We do a lot of work to Switzerland.
The chance of overloading one end or the other is even less likely.
A full load of our most transported load on one high pallets, comes in at just on 38t gross.
A full load of 26, 1000l IBCs weighs in at 22,500kg, grossing just under 38t.
No-one pays any extra for hauling those extra two tonnes, or less for not taking those two tonnes, so we don’t take them.
Cheers mate. I’ll tell him to look it up in the road tax bands then.
I was pretty sure I was correct, I just couldn’t remember why I was correct.
Common sense also gave me the idea I was right, but as common sense is so frowned on these days …
to that, but think about it for a moment.