UK Pickups - reviews

[JD450A]

that page is a huge can of worms Rory ..... compounded by their mix of abbreviations/terms ... MAM / MGW / GTW / GPW ???? and just what they are trying to say there ??

MAM - Maximum Allowable Mass
MGW - Maximum Gross Weight
GTW - Gross Train Weight
GPW - Gross Plated Weight

Bottom line is any trailer under 3.5t is exempt from a O license..... the argument is that it has to be under 1.020t but realistically I think you would struggle to get a drawbar braked trailer that is heavier than that unladen.

 

[Brendan]

Gross plated weight only refers to the mam of the vehicle not the train weight and with a trailer under 1020kg unladen weight it's exempt under light trailer rule as long as it's carriage of own goods.
Same for no tacho if own goods and within 60mile radius of base

 

[Brendan]

MAM - Maximum Allowable Mass
MGW - Maximum Gross Weight
GTW - Gross Train Weight
GPW - Gross Plated Weight

Bottom line is any trailer under 3.5t is exempt from a O license..... the argument is that it has to be under 1.020t but realistically I think you would struggle to get a drawbar braked trailer that is heavier than that unladen.

My 3.5t tipper trailer is around 900kg but some of the mobile stages that have seen pickups tow would be far heavier I would have thought that would be o license territory?

 

[JD450A]

My 3.5t tipper trailer is around 900kg but some of the mobile stages that have seen pickups tow would be far heavier I would have thought that would be o license territory?

Depends what they are classed as. A mobile display may well come under showmans regs, which are again a even bigger kettle of fish.

 

[V8Druid]

My 3.5t tipper trailer is around 900kg but some of the mobile stages that have seen pickups tow would be far heavier I would have thought that would be o license territory?

your average fast food stand / mobile catering trailer must be well over the 1020kg limit ... ditto all those types of trailer

 

[V8Druid]

Depends what they are classed as. A mobile display may well come under showmans regs, which are again a even bigger kettle of fish.

you'd need to have it registered as a showman's unit, to qualify under that though Rory ... and probably need the towing vehicle registered showman's too

 

[Grahams]

not quite.

vans 3500KG or below dont need O licence.

trailer unladen weight 1020KG or less are exempt. Which is all plant trailers really.

So as my trailer weighs 975kg I’m back on for a standard van with just a tacho.
Why it has to be so complicated I don’t know.
Graham

 

[JD450A]

So as my trailer weighs 975kg I’m back on for a standard van with just a tacho.
Why it has to be so complicated I don’t know.
Graham

It's complicated because each time someone exploits a loophole in court the governing bodies patch the system rather than overhaul the rules to suit the year 2018......

Encourage people to buy, maintain and run vehicles with more than enough capacity to meet there requirements safely instead of chastising them..... and then prosecute those that still take the piss out of existence.

 

[V8Druid]

MAM - Maximum Allowable Mass
MGW - Maximum Gross Weight
GTW - Gross Train Weight
GPW - Gross Plated Weight

Bottom line is any trailer under 3.5t is exempt from a O license..... the argument is that it has to be under 1.020t but realistically I think you would struggle to get a drawbar braked trailer that is heavier than that unladen.

I know what they all mean Rory .... was trying to convey the point that they don't all use the same language/sing from the same song sheet, from one dept./agency, to another ...... as you say it's one 'patch'/'Elastoplast', after another ..... it all needs a total overhaul and dragging into a new millennium, screaming

 

[Quattromike]

One thing that I've been pondering about this : if you're towing a trailer no matter what you drive you have to stick to the 50 mph limit. However once you unhook the trailer in a van you're still stuck with the 50mph limit but with a double cab pick up you seem to get away with 60mph or national speed limit. I'm sure the letter of the law states commercial vehicles are 50mph but most pick ups sit at national speed limits with no issues.

 

[Brendan]

One thing that I've been pondering about this : if you're towing a trailer no matter what you drive you have to stick to the 50 mph limit. However once you unhook the trailer in a van you're still stuck with the 50mph limit but with a double cab pick up you seem to get away with 60mph or national speed limit. I'm sure the letter of the law states commercial vehicles are 50mph but most pick ups sit at national speed limits with no issues.

Only if it's a double cab pickup that can send power to all four wheels (can be part time 4x4) and when unladen weighs under 2040kg they will class as dual purpose vehicles so get car speed limits, otherwise they are van speed limits.
On the latest rangers the XL is under 2040 so gets classed as dual purpose but all the others are over so have van speed limits

 

[Quattromike]

Only if it's a double cab pickup that can send power to all four wheels (can be part time 4x4) and when unladen weighs under 2040kg they will class as dual purpose vehicles so get car speed limits, otherwise they are van speed limits.
On the latest rangers the XL is under 2040 so gets classed as dual purpose but all the others are over so have van speed limits

Yes but who actually drives these pickups at different speeds?

 

[Jimbo69]

One thing that I've been pondering about this : if you're towing a trailer no matter what you drive you have to stick to the 50 mph limit. However once you unhook the trailer in a van you're still stuck with the 50mph limit but with a double cab pick up you seem to get away with 60mph or national speed limit. I'm sure the letter of the law states commercial vehicles are 50mph but most pick ups sit at national speed limits with no issues.

I've got a crew cab Transit Custom, what speed should I be doing? Every time I read up on it I interpret it differently. I've passed the camera vans a few times at the higher speed limit and had no tickets yet.

 

[Brendan]

I've got a crew cab Transit Custom, what speed should I be doing? Every time I read up on it I interpret it differently. I've passed the camera vans a few times at the higher speed limit and had no tickets yet.

Pretty sure there is not enough glass on the sides so would be van speed limits if you check your v5 if it says n1 beside vehicle type it's a van and speed limits.
If you had a tourneo it would be car limits

 

[Brendan]

Yes but who actually drives these pickups at different speeds?

I'm guilty of driving at car limits even though my ranger is van limits.
Should be 50mph on single, 60mph on dual and 70mph on motorway

 

[Jimbo69]

Pretty sure there is not enough glass on the sides so would be van speed limits if you check your v5 if it says n1 beside vehicle type it's a van and speed limits.
If you had a tourneo it would be car limits

I think you're right. It's a bit daft really, could have a dozen passengers and be running the same weight but are allowed to go faster because it has more windows

 

[Quattromike]

I was down the A9 to Stirling today, done the same trip many times and with the average speed cameras on the route I set the cruise at 58 on the transit and never had any issue. On dualer sections I boot up to about 68. You still get the odd delivery van tramping past so I dunno if they have insider information on which cameras are actually watching

 

[Jimbo69]

I was down the A9 to Stirling today, done the same trip many times and with the average speed cameras on the route I set the cruise at 58 on the transit and never had any issue. On dualer sections I boot up to about 68. You still get the odd delivery van tramping past so I dunno if they have insider information on which cameras are actually watching

We've got those bloody cameras between Stoney and Dundee. I set the cruise control to 75 and not had any issues. Yet!

 

[Brendan]

It's fine till they start bringing in the smart cameras that are linked to vehicle database which will know speed limit for the vehicles

 

[Smiffy]

I think you're right. It's a bit daft really, could have a dozen passengers and be running the same weight but are allowed to go faster because it has more windows

No different to a coach can run faster than an hgv and i think coaches can run to 20 tonne on 2 axles as opposed to 18