There is a duty of care on the operators of a weighbridge to notify vehicle operators of a vehicle that is overweight.
However, the operator of the vehicle can ultimately do what they like with that information.
We would recommend that if you do have to notify a driver that their vehicle is overweight, you keep written records of this, and how the driver/operator has been notified, for example, a stamped weighbridge ticket clearly stating the vehicle is overweight, as there have been instances where enforcement have contacted weighbridge operators regarding overweight vehicles.
PLAYING THE LONG GAME
We were wondering if you had any information on the Longer Semi Trailer (LST) Trial and when they will be in general circulation?
The consultation on ending the longer semi-trailer trial ran from November 2020 – February 2021, with the outcome released in August 2021. Annex A of the consultation response states:
Depending on parliamentary time and resources, the ability to operate LSTs outside the trial is envisaged to start in January or April 2022.It didn’t happen in January, but the subject was discussed in January’s Compliance Calendar webinar, although no set date has been confirmed for 2022. The latest information we have was that the Department for Transport have suggested there will be some additional regulatory requirements for operators wanting to run these, and we hope to see precise details soon.
As soon as we have any definitive information on the date the LSTs will be in general circulation, we will advise members via enews and write a briefing note.
