15.—(1) The Secretary of State, upon registering a trailer, must as soon as practicable assign a registration mark of one letter followed by seven numbers to the trailer.
(2) The Secretary of State may—
(a)assign a registration mark to a trailer to which another registration mark has previously been assigned;
(b)withdraw a registration mark for the time being assigned to a trailer; or
(c)re-assign to a trailer a registration mark previously assigned to it but subsequently withdrawn.
16.—(1) The registered keeper or the user of a registered trailer must not use it on a road, or cause or permit it to be so used, unless a registration plate(1) (displaying its assigned registration mark) is fixed on the trailer in compliance with this regulation.
(2) A registration plate is fixed on a trailer in compliance with this regulation only if—
(a)the specification of the registration mark displayed upon it is in accordance with paragraph 1 of Schedule 2;
(b)the specification of the registration plate is in accordance with paragraph 2 of Schedule 2; and
(c)the registration plate is fixed to the trailer in accordance with regulation 17.
(3) A person who keeps a trailer or a user of a trailer must not use it on a road, or cause or permit it to be so used, with a plate fixed on the trailer that displays a mark which is—
(a)consistent with the specification of a registration mark in paragraph 1 of Schedule 2; and
(b)not assigned to that trailer by the Secretary of State under regulation 15.
(4) Paragraphs (1) and (2) do not apply in relation to a registered trailer if a person is not recorded in the register as the person who keeps the trailer at the time of an alleged offence under regulation 19(1)(g).
17.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), the registration plate must be fixed—
(a)on the rear of the trailer;
(b)vertically or, where that is not reasonably practicable, in a position as close to the vertical as is reasonably practicable;
(c)in a position that is as far as reasonably practicable from the position of any plate that is required to be fixed to the trailer by the Road Vehicles (Display of Registration Marks) Regulations 2001(2); and
(d)in such a position that in normal daylight the characters of the registration mark are easily distinguishable from behind the trailer.
(2) If it is not possible to fix a registration plate on the rear of the trailer, a registration plate must be fixed to both sides of the trailer and in such positions that in normal daylight the characters of the registration mark are easily distinguishable from either side of the trailer.
(3) The registration plate must not be fixed to the trailer by means of a screw, bolt or other fixing device of any type or colour placed in any position or in any other manner which—
(a)has the effect of changing the appearance or legibility of any of the characters of the registration mark;
(b)renders the characters of the registration mark less easily distinguishable to the eye; or
(c)prevents or impairs the making of a true photographic image of the plate through any device.
18. The amendments in Schedule 3 have effect.
“Registration plate” is defined in section 15(3) of the Haulage Permits and Trailer Registration Act 2018.
S.I. 2001/561, to which there are amendments not relevant to these Regulations.