Road Traffic Act 1988

78 Weighing of motor vehicles. E+W+S

(1) Subject to any regulations made by the Secretary of State, an authorised person may, on production of his authority, require the person in charge of a motor vehicle—

(a) to allow the vehicle or any trailer drawn by it to be weighed, either laden or unladen, and the weight transmitted to the road by any parts of the vehicle or trailer in contact with the road to be tested, and

(b) for that purpose, to proceed to a weighbridge or other machine for weighing vehicles.

(2) For the purpose of enabling a vehicle or a trailer drawn by it to be weighed or a weight to be tested in accordance with regulations under subsection (1) above, an authorised person may require the person in charge of the vehicle to drive the vehicle or to do any other thing in relation to the vehicle or its load or the trailer or its load which is reasonably required to be done for that purpose.

(3) If a person in charge of a motor vehicle—

(a) refuses or neglects to comply with any requirement under subsection (1) or (2) above, or

(b) obstructs an authorised person in the exercise of his functions under this section,

he is guilty of an offence.

(4) An authorised person may not require the person in charge of the motor vehicle to unload the vehicle or trailer, or to cause or allow it to be unloaded, for the purpose of its being weighed unladen.

(5) Regulations under subsection (1) above may make provision with respect to—

(a) the manner in which a vehicle or trailer is to be weighed or a weight is to be tested as mentioned in subsection (1) above, and

(b) the limits within which, unless the contrary is proved, any weight determined by a weighbridge or other machine for weighing vehicles is to be presumed to be accurate for the purposes of any provision made by or under this Act or by or under any other enactment relating to motor vehicles or trailers,

and the regulations may make different provision in relation to vehicles of different classes, in relation to different types of weighbridges and other machines and in relation to different circumstances.

(6) If—

(a) at the time when the requirement is made the vehicle is more than five miles from the weighbridge or other machine, and

(b) the weight is found to be within the limits authorised by law,

the highway authority (in Scotland, roads authority) on whose behalf the requirement is made must pay, in respect of loss occasioned, such amount as in default of agreement may be determined by a single arbitrator (in Scotland, arbiter) agreed upon by the parties or, in default of agreement, appointed by the Secretary of State.

(7) The Secretary of State may by order designate areas in Great Britain where subsection (6) above is to have effect, in such cases as may be specified by the order, with the substitution for five miles of a greater distance so specified.

An order under this subsection shall be made by statutory instrument subject to annulment by a resolution of either House of Parliament.

(8) In this section—

(a) “road” includes any land which forms part of a harbour or which is adjacent to a harbour and is occupied wholly or partly for the purposes of harbour operations,

(b) “authorised person” means a person authorised by a highway authority (in Scotland, a roads authority) or a constable authorised on behalf of such an authority by a [F1 local policing body or a] police authority or a chief officer of police,

and in this subsection “harbour” and “harbour operations” have the meanings given to them by section 57(1) of the M1 Harbours Act 1964.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 78(8)(b) inserted (16.1.2012) by Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (c. 13), s. 157(1), Sch. 16 para. 195; S.I. 2011/3019, art. 3, Sch. 1

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 78 restricted (1.7.1992) by S.I. 1992/1217, regs.7,9 (with reg. 11).

Marginal Citations

M1 1964 c. 40.