Winter Driving; Is your horse transport legal and safe?

VOSA and the Police have been very keen recently to clamp down on the number of overweight vehicles on the road. Richard Drinkwater from SvTech explains the law in the vitally important area.....

The amount of overweight vehicles is causing damage to the road network and they are being driven in a potentially unsafe state.  Most importantly these vehicles are now uninsured, along with all of the occupants, including very expensive horses!

There is a big difference between Maximum Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) and payload. The first denotes the maximum weight your vehicle can be, including the vehicle itself, the occupants, and the load in the back. The payload is the amount you can carry in the back.

We recommend that customers weigh their vehicle when it’s completely empty of horses, tack, water etc, so that they know precisely how much payload they could have. Simply subtract the unladen weight figure from the GVW figure and you are left with your payload amount. (eg – 7500kg (GVW) – 5430kg (unladen weight) = 2070kg PAYLOAD.)

Don’t simply assume that your 7500kg horsebox can carry 3 horses, because in most cases it can’t. This is because of the Living Compartment area. These have become more luxurious and bigger over recent years, but essentially the weight of the components means that you have to sacrifice carrying one of the three horses. I recently saw a 7500kg horsebox with granite worktops, a range oven and an American style fridge. These 3 items alone would be a similar weight to a 14/15 hand pony. The owner knew that he was overloading but failed to realise that by exceeding his weight allowances he was invalidating his insurance. I suspect his owners would not be too enthusiastic to hear their pride and joy was now at risk.

The other concern is drivers’ lack of understanding about how much they can tow in a trailer. You should check your vehicle manufacturer plates so that you know exactly what your allowances are, as the authorities do not accept ignorance as an excuse.

For example, a Freelander 2 has a 2500kg GVW and Gross Towing Weight (GTW) of 4500kg meaning it can tow up to 2000kg. Just because your trailer is rated to carry up to 3000kg, it doesn’t mean that your car can legally achieve this. Always check your towing allowance. Weigh your trailer and car on a weighbridge so that you know the combined weight, BEFORE loading the horses, just so you can ensure that you stay safe and within the legal limits, thus protecting your horses, yourselves and your vehicles. Also check your license as some people have higher limits than others.

Before the winter sets in, get everything checked and weighed. Ensure your horsebox and/or trailer are safe and underweight. The last thing you need is to be pulled over by VOSA if they suspect your vehicle is overweight. They currently have an 80%+ conviction success rate and the maximum fine is £5000 per offence.

SvTech Ltd is the UK’s leading vehicle re-rating company. The company  offers uprating and downplating for all types of horseboxes, minibuses, vans, motorhomes, trucks and trailers. Call Richard or Gareth on 01772 621800 to discuss your payload issues, or visit www.svtech.co.uk/lda to use their FREE Load Distribution Calculator which will stop you overloading your vehicle.

Read more about staying safe and legal in the October issue of equine magazine.