Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1999

Plates for goods vehicles and buses

79.—(1) This regulation applies to—

(a)a wheeled heavy motor car or motor car first used on or after 1st January 1968 not being—

(i)a dual-purpose vehicle;

(ii)an agricultural motor vehicle;

(iii)a works truck;

(iv)a pedestrian-controlled vehicle; or

(v)save as provided in sub-paragraph (b), a passenger vehicle;

(b)a bus first used on or after 1st November 1983;

(c)a wheeled locomotive or motor tractor first used on or after 31st December 1976 not being—

(i)an agricultural motor vehicle;

(ii)an industrial tractor;

(iii)a works truck;

(iv)engineering plant; or

(v)a pedestrian-controlled vehicle;

(d)a wheeled trailer manufactured on or after 1st January 1968 which exceeds 1,020 kg in weight unladen not being—

(i)a trailer not constructed or adapted to carry any load, other than plant or special appliances or apparatus which is a permanent or essentially permanent fixture, and not exceeding 2,290 kg in total weight;

(ii)a living van not exceeding 2,040 kg in weight unladen and fitted with pneumatic tyres;

(iii)a works trailer;

(iv)a trailer mentioned in regulation 21(3)(b) to (g); or

(v)a trailer which was manufactured and used outside the United Kingdom before it was first used in Northern Ireland; and

(e)a converter dolly manufactured on or after 1st October 1990.

(2) A vehicle to which this regulation applies shall be equipped with a plate securely attached to the vehicle in a conspicuous and readily accessible position which either—

(a)contains the particulars required, in the case of a motor vehicle, by Part I of Schedule 11 or, in the case of a trailer, by Part II of that Schedule, and complies with Part III of that Schedule; or

(b)complies with the requirements specified in the Annex to Community Directive 78/507 or, in the case of a vehicle first used before 1st October 1982, in the Annex to Community Directive 76/114, such requirements being in any case modified as provided in paragraph (3).

(3) Instead of the particulars required by items 2.1.4 to 2.1.7 of that Annex, the plate required by paragraph (2)(b) shall show, for a vehicle of a class specified in column 2 of the Table against an item of that Annex so specified in column 1, the following particulars—

(a)the maximum permitted weight for that class, if any, shown in column 3 of the Table;

(b)where the maximum weight shown in column 4 of the Table exceeds the maximum permitted weight, the maximum weight in a column on the plate to the right of the maximum permitted weight; and

(c)if no weight is shown in column 3 of the Table, the maximum weight shown in column 4 of the Table, in the right hand column of the plate.

(4) Part III of Schedule 11 applies for determining the relevant weights to be shown on a plate in accordance with this regulation.

(5) Where in accordance with the provisions of this regulation and of Schedule 7, a motor vehicle first used, or a trailer manufactured, after 19th July 1999, is required to be equipped with a plate showing the maximum gross weight and the train weight in the United Kingdom, and the maximum weight in the United Kingdom for each axle of the vehicle, the plate may instead show particulars of the maximum authorised weight for the vehicle and the maximum authorised weight for each axle of the vehicle.

(6) In paragraph (5) the references to the maximum authorised weight for a vehicle, and maximum authorised weight for the axle of a vehicle mean those weights determined in accordance with the Motor Vehicles (Authorised Weights) Re gulations (Northern Ireland) 1999(1).

(7) The plate for a vehicle which falls within paragraph (1)(a) and which is a motor vehicle first used after 19th July 1999 need not include the particulars referred to in paragraph 9 or 10 of Part I of Schedule 11.