The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 1991

Citation and Commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 1991 and shall come into force on 17th October 1991.

Preliminary

2.  The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986(1) shall be further amended as follows.

Vehicle Length

3.—(1) Regulation 3(2) shall be amended as follows.

(2) In the definition of “overall length” in the Table, the word “or” immediately following sub-paragraph (m) shall be omitted, and after sub-paragraph (n) there shall be added the following words:—

“or

(o) any rearward projecting buffer made of rubber or other resilient material.”

4.—(1) Regulation 7 shall be amended as follows.

(2) In the Table in paragraph (1)—

(a) for the entry in column 2 of item 1, there shall be substituted the following entry—

• “A motor vehicle drawing one trailer, where the combination of vehicles does not meet the requirements of paragraph (5A) and the trailer is not a semi-trailer.”; and

(b) after item 1 there shall be inserted the following item—

“1A

A motor vehicle drawing one trailer where the combination meets the requirements of paragraph (5A) and the trailer is not a semi-trailer.

18.35”

(3) In paragraph (2), there shall be added at the end the words “and item 1A in the Table does not apply”.

(4) In paragraph (3), after “1”there shall be inserted “,1A”.

(5) After paragraph (5), there shall be inserted the following paragraph—

“(5A) The requirements of this paragraph, in relation to a combination of vehicles, are that at least one of the vehicles in the combination is not a goods vehicle or, if both vehicles in the combination are goods vehicles that—

(a) the maximum distance measured parallel to the longitudinal axis of the combination of vehicles from the foremost point of the loading area behind the driver’s cab to the rear of the trailer, less the distance between the rear of the motor vehicle and the front of the trailer, does not exceed 15.65m; and

(b) the maximum distance measured parallel to the longitudinal axis of the combination of vehicles from the foremost point of the loading area behind the driver’s cab to the rear of the trailer does not exceed 16m;

but sub-paragraph (a) shall not apply if both vehicles in the combination are car transporters.”

(6) After paragraph (6), there shall be inserted the following paragraph—

“(6A) For the purposes of paragraph (5A)—

(a) where the forward end of the loading area of a motor vehicle is bounded by a wall, the thickness of the wall shall be regarded as part of the loading area; and

(b) any part of a vehicle designed primarily for use as a means of attaching another vehicle to it and any fitting designed for use in connection with any such part shall be disregarded in determining the distance between the rear of a motor vehicle and the front of a trailer being drawn by it.”

(7) In paragraph (7), for the words from “the transverse plane” in the second place they occur to the end of the paragraph there shall be substituted the words “the rear of the semi-trailer”.

(8) After paragraph (7A), there shall be inserted the following paragraph—

“(7B) For the purposes of paragraphs (5A), (6) and (7)—

(a) a reference to the front of a vehicle is a reference to the transverse plane passing through the extreme forward projecting points of the vehicle; and

(b) a reference to the rear of a vehicle is a reference to the transverse plane passing through the extreme rearward projecting points of the vehicle,

inclusive (in each case) of all parts of the vehicle, of any receptacle which is of a permanent character and accordingly strong enough for repeated use, and any fitting on, or attached to the vehicle but exclusive of—

(i) the things set out in sub-paragraph (i) of the definition of “overall length” in the Table in regulation 3(2), and

(ii) in the case of a semi-trailer, the things set out in sub-paragraph (ii)(a) of that definition.”

(9) After paragraph (8) there shall be inserted the following paragraph—

“(9) No person shall use or cause or permit to be used on a road, a trailer with an overall length exceeding 18.65m unless the requirements of paragraphs 1 and 2 of Schedule 12 are complied with.”

5.  Regulation 7 as amended by these Regulations is set out in the Schedule to these Regulations.

6.  In paragraph 1(a) of Schedule 12, after sub-paragraph (i) there shall be inserted the following sub-paragraph—

“(ia) in a case to which regulation 7(9) applies, the overall length of the trailer,”

Vehicles carrying long or wide loads

7.  In regulation 81(d), for the words “rests on” where they appear in sub-paragraphs (i) and (ii) there shall be substituted the words “is borne by”.

8.—(1) Regulation 82 shall be amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph (2)(b)(ii)(A), for the words “paragraph 1” there shall be substituted the words “paragraphs 1 and 5”.

(3) For paragraph (4), there shall be substituted the following paragraph—

“(4) A load shall not be carried so that its weight is borne by a vehicle or vehicles if either—

(a) the length specified in paragraph (5) exceeds 18.65m; or

(b) the load is borne by a trailer or trailers and the length specified in paragraph (6) exceeds 25.9m,

unless the conditions specified in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Part I of Schedule 12 are complied with.”

(4) In paragraph (5), for the words “load rests on” where they appear in sub-paragraph (a) and (b) there shall be substituted the words “weight of the load is borne by” and for the words “on which the load rests” where they appear in sub-paragraph (c) there shall be substituted the words “which bear the weight of the load”.

9.—(1) In Schedule 12, after paragraph 4 there shall be inserted the following—

“Marking of wide loads

5.

 (a) Subject to sub-paragraph (d), every load carried on a vehicle in circumstances where this paragraph applies shall be fitted on each side and in the prescribed manner, with—

(i) a prescribed marker in such a position that it is visible from the front of the vehicle, and

(ii) a prescribed marker in such a position that it is visible from the rear of the vehicle,

(b) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (a)—

(i) a marker on a side of the load is fitted in the prescribed manner if at least part of it is within 50mm of a longitudinal plane passing through the point on that side of the load which is furthest from the axis of the vehicle; and

(ii) a prescribed marker is a marker of the size, shape and colour described in Part II of this Schedule.

(c) Every marker fitted pursuant to this paragraph shall be kept clean and between sunset and sunrise be illuminated by a lamp which renders it readily visible from a reasonable distance and which is so shielded that its light, except as reflected from the marker, is not visible to other persons using the road.

(d) If the load does not extend beyond the longitudinal plane passing through the extreme projecting point on one side of the vehicle, it shall not be necessary for a marker to be fitted to the load on that side.”

(2) In paragraph 3(f) of Schedule 12, for the words “during the hours of darkness” there shall be substituted the words, “between sunset and sunrise”.

(3) In Part II of Schedule 12, for the words in the heading “(see paragraph 3(a) of this Schedule)” there shall be substituted the words “(see paragraph 3(a) and 5(b) of this Schedule)”.

Parking in Darkness

10.  In regulation 101(1), the words “half an hour after” and the words “half an hour before” shall be omitted.

Signed by authority of the Secretary of State

Christopher Chope

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State,

Department of Transport

20th September 1991