Council Directive 96/53/ECShow full title

Article 4 U.K.

[F1 1. Member States shall not authorise the normal circulation within their territories:

(a) of vehicles or vehicle combinations for the national transport of goods which are not in conformity with the characteristics set out in points 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 4.2 and 4.4 of Annex I;

(b) of vehicles for national passenger transport, which are not in conformity with the characteristics set out in points 1.1, 1.2, 1.4a, 1.5 and 1.5a of Annex I.

2. Member States may nonetheless authorise the circulation within their territories:

(a) of vehicles or vehicle combinations for the national transport of goods which are not in conformity with the characteristics set out in points 1.3, 2, 3, 4.1 and 4.3 of Annex I;

(b) of vehicles for national passenger transport, which are not in conformity with the characteristics set out in points 1.3, 2, 3, 4.1 and 4.3 of Annex I.]

3. Vehicles or vehicle combinations which exceed the maximum dimensions may only be allowed to circulate on the basis of special permits issued without discrimination by the competent authorities, or on the basis of similar non-discriminatory arrangements agreed on a case-by-case basis with those authorities, where these vehicles or vehicle combinations carry or are intended to carry indivisible loads.

4. Member States may allow [F1 vehicles or vehicle combinations used for transport which] carry out certain national transport operations that do not significantly affect international competition in the transport sector to circulate in their territory with dimensions deviating from those laid down in points 1.1, 1.2, 1.4 to 1.8, 4.2 and 4.4 of Annex I.

Transport operations shall be considered not significantly to affect international competition in the transport sector if one of the conditions under (a) and (b) is fulfilled:

(a) the transport operations are carried out in a Member State's territory by specialized vehicles or specialized vehicle combinations in circumstances in which they are not normally carried out by vehicles from other Member States, e.g. operations linked to logging and the forestry industry;

(b) the Member State which permits transport operations to be carried out in its territory by vehicles or vehicle combinations with dimensions deviating from those laid down in Annex I also permits motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers which comply with the dimensions laid down in Annex I to be used in such combinations as to achieve at least the loading length authorized in that Member State, so that every operator may benefit from equal conditions of competition (modular concept).

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F2 . . . . .]

5. Member States may allow vehicles or vehicle combinations incorporating new technologies or new concepts which cannot comply with one or more requirements of this Directive to carry out certain local transport operations for a trial period. Member States shall inform the Commission thereof.

F2 6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[F3 7. Until 31 December 2020 Member States may authorise buses that were registered or put into circulation before the implementation of this Directive but the dimensions of which exceed those laid down in points 1.1, 1.2, 1.5 and 1.5a of Annex I to circulate within their territories.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Substituted by Directive 2002/7/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 February 2002 amending Council Directive 96/53/EC laying down for certain road vehicles circulating within the Community the maximum authorised dimensions in national and international traffic and the maximum authorised weights in international traffic.

F2 Deleted by Directive (EU) 2015/719 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2015 amending Council Directive 96/53/EC laying down for certain road vehicles circulating within the Community the maximum authorised dimensions in national and international traffic and the maximum authorised weights in international traffic (Text with EEA relevance).

F3 Inserted by Directive 2002/7/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 February 2002 amending Council Directive 96/53/EC laying down for certain road vehicles circulating within the Community the maximum authorised dimensions in national and international traffic and the maximum authorised weights in international traffic.