The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) Regulations 1990

Amendments to regulation 7 (length of vehicle and combinations of vehicles)

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

(2) In the Table in paragraph (1)–

(a)in column 2 of item 3, after the words “An articulated vehicle” there shall be inserted the words “the semi-trailer of which does not meet the requirements of paragraph (6) and is not a low loader.”;

(b)after item 3 there shall be inserted the following items–

(c)in column 2 of item 7, there shall be inserted after the words “after 1st of May 1983” the words “which does not meet the requirements of paragraph (6) and is not a low loader”; and

(d)after item 7 there shall be inserted the following item–

(e)in column 2 of item 8, after the word “trailer” where it first occurs there shall be inserted the words “(not being a semi-trailer or composite trailer)”.

(3) for paragraph (3) there shall be substituted the following paragraphs–

“(3) Items 1, 3, 3A and 3B of the Table do not apply to–

(a)a vehicle combination which includes a trailer which is constructed and normally used for the conveyance of indivisible loads of exceptional length, or

(b)a vehicle combination consisting of a broken down vehicle (including an articulated vehicle) being drawn by a motor vehicle in consequence of a breakdown.

(3A) Items 6, 7, 7A, 8 and 9 of the Table do not apply to–

(a)a trailer which is constructed and normally used for the conveyance of indivisible loads of exceptional length,

(b)a broken down vehicle (including an articulated vehicle) which is being drawn by a motor vehicle in consequence of a breakdown, or

(c)a trailer being a drying or mixing plant designed for the production of asphalt or of bituminous or tar macadam and used mainly for the construction, repair or maintenance of roads, or a road planing machine so used.

(3B) Furthermore item 7 does not apply to–

(a)a semi-trailer which is a car transporter,

(b)a semi-trailer which is normally used on international journeys any part of which takes place outside the United Kingdom.”.

(4) For paragraph (6) there shall be substituted the following paragraphs–

“(6) The requirements of this paragraph, in relation to a semi-trailer, are that–

(a)the longitudinal distance from the axis of the king pin or if there is more than one king pin, the foremost one, to the rear of the semi-trailer does not exceed–

(i)12.5m in the case of a car transporter, or

(ii)12m in any other case; and

(b)no point in the semi-trailer forward of the transverse plane passing through the axis of the king pin or, if there is more than one king pin, the rearmost one, is more than–

(i)4.19m from the axis of the king pin, in the case of a car transporter, or

(ii)2.04m from the axis of the king pin, in any other case.

(7) For the purpose of paragraph (6) the longitudinal distance from the axis of the king pin to the rear of a semi-trailer is the distance between a transverse plane passing through the axis of the king pin and the transverse plane passing through the extreme rearward projecting points of the semi-trailer inclusive 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 the things set out in paragraphs (i) and (ii)(a) of the definition of “overall length” in the Table in regulation 3(2).

(8) Where a broken down articulated vehicle is being towed by a motor vehicle in consequence of a breakdown–

(a)paragraph (5) shall have effect in relation to the combination of vehicles as if sub-paragraph (b) were omitted, and

(b)for the purposes of paragraph (4) and of paragraph (5) as so modified, the articulated vehicle shall be regarded as a single trailer.”.