Been having some issues with a company I do some part time work fine regarding overloading. This is starting to become a regular occurence and I’m getting a bit fed up and annoyed with it. It isn’t one particular place where the overloading occurs either - they’re all different companies. The paperwork will say 26 tonne but the scales tell a different story :
This was one of last nights loads I brought back (2200kgs overweight on the drive axle). When you’ve been driving a while you just know when you’re overweight on the back and once I got on the main road and some speed going I could tell straight away.
The office’s attitude is “oh right, we’ll tell them. Are you still alright to take it though?”. Clearly nothing is being done about it. I like working at the place in question. The money is good and the hours are to suit so I don’t want to rock the boat and risk me being ousted out but on the other hand this overloading badly needs addressing and sorting but it isn’t happening. I’m not the sort to go grassing to the plod or VOSA though as I’m not exactly an angel myself, ahem.
Thoughts?
ROBK just a thought,havethey got theselves a
new insurance that will pay out for any incidents
and/or injuryies occuring when something happens
when driveing whilist ,1,overloaded,2,breaking the law
deliberitly, does not theinsureance have a escape
clause that lets them off and you and the firm end up paying,
if they have not declared how they are working,■■?
PUT THIS TO THEM AND LET US KNOW WHAT THEY THEN SAY;
Rob K:
Thoughts?
Tell them you ain’t taking it end of story. It could be more than the boat you’ll be rocking if you come a cropper or get stopped.
Mike-C:
Rob K:
Thoughts?
Tell them you ain’t taking it end of story. It could be more than the boat you’ll be rocking if you come a cropper or get stopped.
All well and good in theory Michael but you’ve no way of knowing if it’s overweight or not until you get out on the road or over some scales. This particular one only had 26 pallets on! Yes - surprising! I won’t say what was on the pallets as doing so would be as good as naming the company straight out and I’m not prepared to do that as it would directly incriminate myself… but, they are BIG pallets volume wise. The thing is though, sometimes you get even bigger pallets and the gross is actually only just over 41 tonne so the size or amount of pallets doesn’t tell you anything.
You either go by what it says on the paperwork for the weight or you go to every place with a huge dose of suspicion and ask for the pallets to be weighed before they put them on. The second of the two options just makes you come across as an arsey [zb] (nowt new there then! 
) and gets the FLTs back up straight away. It’s not an option I’d consider but if this carries on then I won’t be left with much other choice. 
Just a quick question for Brian (R Slicker and our resident VOSA man) :
Can the company who loads you be prosecuted if the weight loaded exceeds what it says on the notes? Additionally, if I was stopped by VOSA and found to be overweight, would the notes with the weight figure showing act as evidence in my defence? I think I know the answer to that already 
, but in reality would it be taken into account in the event of a fine/prosecution?
brit pete:
ROBK just a thought,havethey got theselves a
new insurance that will pay out for any incidents
and/or injuryies occuring when something happens
when driveing whilist ,1,overloaded,2,breaking the law
deliberitly, does not theinsureance have a escape
clause that lets them off and you and the firm end up paying,
if they have not declared how they are working,■■?
PUT THIS TO THEM AND LET US KNOW WHAT THEY THEN SAY;
Pete, I presume that you’re taking the [zb], right? Either that or you’re stuck in an ideal world.
Rob K:
Just a quick question for Brian (R Slicker and our resident VOSA man) :
Can the company who loads you be prosecuted if the weight loaded exceeds what it says on the notes? Additionally, if I was stopped by VOSA and found to be overweight, would the notes with the weight figure showing act as evidence in my defence? I think I know the answer to that already , but in reality would it be taken into account in the event of a fine/prosecution?
The law has changed. Not only is the driver responsible but the consignee (if thats the right word) is also responsible for the weight of the load. So if its over you both get done. The paperwork could say anything, it’s immaterial, if you are loading/carrying heavy stuff it should really be weighed. I thought the scales shown in the pics was when you where leaving with the load, but its not? Its your weight check when you get back? Some companies are so scared of being done for it that they will not let you out the yard unless you have weighed off. I think your only way around it is to mention to them you aint happy about it and would rather give it a miss? Especially if its a regular occurence.
ROB K I am not upto date with english law, but,if
you are taxed as a 40tn that is straight away a
tax-fraud offence,you are 5.650kg overloaded
which is roughly 13:80% ;WHICH means
you require longer distance to stop,and your brakes
unless you have got them certified are according
to the LAW not good enough,next your insurance is for a 40tn
and so the insureance company can quite legaly say UP
YOURS when some thing happens,AS for being a by the rule
yes as will they pay your wages when you are OUT OF WORK
PERHAPS in PRISON; my MATE FOUND OUT THE HARD WAY
AND SORRY WHEN IN COURT YOU WILL BE ASKED ABOUT YOUR
WORK; AND EXPERIENCE; SO IGNORANCE IS NO EXCUSE;BY THE WAY
IF THE NOTES SAY ANOTHER WEIGHT WHICH IS FALSE; THE LOADER
WILL GET DONE;BUT IF THEY HAVE PROOF THAT YOU COULD
HAVE WEIGHED YOUR TRUCK BEFORE LEAVEING WELL■■?
Pete, most wagons over here are plated for 44 tonnes, as was this one, so it was 1.65 tonnes overweight.
The place where I loaded does not have any scales (Mike) and the so called 24hr access scales listed in the weigh bridge directory are not 24hrs at all and are closed at night time. That reading (pictured) was taken at the West Yorks Joint Services scales at Gildersome Spur shortly before returning to the yard.
ROB K yes its okay when people say to me
beamter-mensch.this means by the rule book
and no i am not angry ,.but after seeing here how
things change when trouble happens, i just can,t
be arsed,because in the end they will not stand up
and be counted,and just keep rubbing their hand and
counting the extra profit made by acting in a criminal way
once-twice yes maybe but not repeatively ,
by the way you said you can run at 44tn does the
vehicle have spare wheels ,and what about alloywheel
as if you do not carry the first and have all wheels alloy
instead of steel this must help to knock theweight down.
by a large amount,
Rob
I would have a quiet word - rocking the boat or not - it is your licence and fine if you get caught running over weight.
I know from reading the magazines that the LA in this area is keen on suspending HGV licences for repeated weight and hours offences.
Maybe the company should fit self weighers or give you list of weigh bridges open all the time!!
P
yo rob. sorry for wait for a reply. basically mike c is right. however you would be nicked as like you said you know the answer already. its done on the percentige over the over weight. eg 10% your going down big style. 1% normally a bollocking with a follow up check. pm me and i will give you some simple defensive tips on how not to get nicked. b
Rob why not just take it out 
ooops you get stopped 
TM = why didnt you tell us etc etc our operators licence at risk oh dear oh dear naughty Rob K 
Nah just tell em straight legal or nought
they dont have break the law to do their job why should you 
best of luck
Rob, if the place where you load cannot assess the weight by palletload or does not have scales then you can only legally proceed if you can prove your going to the nearest public weighbridge to weight the vehicle because, as you rightly say it soon becomes obvious when your heavy and move off. However if at the weighbridge you find you are overweight then it is Driver’s responsibility to report to consignee and you may then proceed to the nearest point of un-loading provided again you can prove that’s where your going or have the overweight section off loaded before proceeding.
Whatever you do it’s Driver’s responsibility, no get outs. Easy for me I’m not being put in this situation and having to balance things out but it’s your living, your licence, you amy lose financially short term but is that worth the long term arseache of losing your livelyhood?
Not an easy one to call, good luck.
I presume you run at night right? If it’s a good touch, I probly wouldn’t say anything as i would have thought you are unlikely to get weighed by VOSA at night.
Having said that, maybe a quiet word letting them know the consequences if they are found out, see if that does the trick.
If you’re still not happy stop working for them as there is no point doing anything else in the way of shouting at them or shopping them (as this would go against the grain).
sorry. vosa do work nights. my office has the following shift pattern. 06.00-14.00. 14.00-22.00 22.00-06.00. defenatly about. best time to get the illeagal runners
hahahahahahahahahahaha
my god almighty, this questions coming from the holier than thou whiter than white grumble and grunt that comes on crying anytime one of richard kings wagons passes him or bleats on anytime a wagon with a crossroads commercials sticker overtakes
what a complete and utter double dyed three card trick
level playing fields for all ■■?
my 'arris
when it suits
not an easy situation, but for me running overloaded is for fools with plenty of money! think in this case where the loading site dosn’t have a weigh bridge, i’d get a tare for unit an trailer then enquire as to weight of the pallets that were to be loaded mentioning along the way that the last load was a bit over the top, don’t think anyone wants to get involved in a court case so maybe just an oversite on how the pallets are loaded in the first place or a misconception that all unit and trailer combinations weigh the same?
