Transport Act 1968

71 Control of the use of large goods vehicles

(1) Subject to the provisions of this section and to the other provisions of this Part of this Act, no person shall, after the appointed day for the purposes of this section, use a large goods vehicle on a road—

(a) to carry any goods on, or on any part of, a controlled journey; or

(b) to carry an amount exceeding eleven tons in weight of any prescribed goods otherwise than on a controlled journey,

except under a special authorisation granted under this Part of this Act.

(2) For the purposes of the foregoing subsection, a controlled journey is a journey between places in Great Britain separated by a distance exceeding one hundred miles, being—

(a) in relation to goods to which paragraph (b) of this subsection does not apply, a journey for the whole of which the goods are carried on the same large goods vehicle without being taken off it;

(b) in relation to goods in a container having a volume (ascertained by external measurement) of not less than six hundred cubic feet or on a pallet having a surface area of not less than fifty square feet, a journey for every part of which they are carried by a large goods vehicle (whether the same vehicle or successive vehicles) without being taken out of the container or off the pallet;

and, where the vehicle on which the goods are carried is a trailer, it is immaterial whether it is drawn on the journey by the same vehicle or different vehicles.

(3) For the purposes of this section goods shall be treated as carried on a vehicle notwithstanding the fact that the vehicle is itself being carried on a vessel, aircraft or other means of transport, but, in relation to a journey in the course of which a vehicle is so carried, the distance to be taken into account for the purposes of subsection (2) of this section shall be the aggregate of the distances separating the points between which the vehicle is not so carried on the journey.

(4) Where in the case of any controlled journey—

(a) no one person uses a vehicle or vehicles to carry the goods in question between places separated by a distance exceeding one hundred miles; and

(b) a special authorisation applicable to that journey is held by any one of the persons who use a vehicle or vehicles to carry those goods in the course of that journey,

then, if under that authorisation the journey is one which may be undertaken in part by persons other than the holder of the licence, it shall not be necessary for the purposes of subsection (1)(a) of this section for any of those other persons to hold a special authorisation.

(5) The Minister may by regulations direct—

(a) that subsection (1) of this section shall not apply—

(i) to carriage on journeys in the case of which the distances specified in the regulations are not exceeded;

(ii) to carriage by vehicles of any class specified in the regulations;

(b) that paragraph (a) of that subsection shall not apply to the carriage of any prescribed goods ;

and regulations under paragraph (b) of this subsection or prescribing goods for the purposes of subsection (1)(b) of this section may describe the goods in question by reference to their nature, to the amount in which, or the places between which, they are carried, or by reference to any other circumstances.

(6) For the purposes of this section and the subsequent provisions of this Part of this Act, a large goods vehicle is a goods vehicle (other than a hauling vehicle) which—

(a) has a relevant plated weight exceeding sixteen tons or (not having a relevant plated weight) has an unladen weight exceeding five tons; or

(b) forms part of a vehicle combination (not being an articulated combination) which is such that—

(i) if all the vehicles comprised in the combination (or all of them except any small trailer) have relevant plated weights, the aggregate of the relevant .plated weights of the vehicles comprised in the combination (exclusive of any such trailer) exceeds sixteen tons;

(ii) in any other case, the aggregate of the unladen weights of those vehicles (exclusive of any such trailer) exceeds five tons ; or

(c) forms part of an articulated combination which is such that—

(i) if the trailer comprised in the combination has a relevant plated weight, the aggregate of the unladen weight of the motor vehicle comprised in the combination and the relevant plated weight of that trailer exceeds sixteen tons ;

(ii) in any other case, the aggregate of the unladen weights of the motor vehicle and the trailer comprised in the combination exceeds five tons.

In any provision of this subsection " relevant plated weight" means a plated weight of the description specified in relation to that provision by regulations; and in paragraph (b) of this subsection " small trailer " means a trailer having an unladen weight not exceeding one ton.

(7) Subsection (1)(b) of this section shall apply to the carriage of an amount exceeding eleven tons in weight of any prescribed goods in two or more vehicles forming part of a vehicle combination such as is mentioned in subsection (6)(b) or (c) of this section as it applies to the carriage of such an amount in a single vehicle, whether forming part of such a combination or not.

(8) In this section—

• " hauling vehicle " means a motor tractor, a light loco-' motive, a heavy locomotive or the motor vehicle comprised in an articulated combination ;

• " pallet " means a moveable deck on which a quantity of goods can be assembled for the purpose of being handled, loaded or transported as a single unit, and " surface area " in relation to a pallet means the area on which the goods can be assembled as aforesaid.

(9) Nothing in this section shall apply to the use of a vehicle by any person for the carriage of goods otherwise than for hire or reward or for or in connection with any trade or business carried on by him.

(10) Any person who uses a vehicle in contravention of this section shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £200.