3.5 ton vehicles towing trailers ?

[Administrator]

change in legislation: 3,500kg (3.5t) vehicles and towing trailers

as from the 4th December 2011 if you tow a trailer and are moving goods for hire and reward with a light commercial vehicle with a gross weight of 3,500kg (3.5 tons), you will be required to hold an operators licence and comply with all the relative legislation

historically companies or individuals have been able to tow a trailer behind a vehicle which has a gross weight less than 3,500kg (based on the trailer weighing less than 1,020kg/1 ton) with the vehicle running on a tachograph only while towing

to bring us in line with European legislation as of the 4th December anybody towing for hire and reward will have to hold an operators licence which will require someone in the organisation holding a CPC, submitting the vehicle/s and trailer/s to periodic safety checks and keeping detailed records of the vehicle usage and various other mandatory obligations

the introduction of the change in legislation on towing a trailer has received little publicity and will effect hundreds of companies and individuals who move products, plant and equipment or cars around the country for hire and reward by using a 3.5 ton truck and trailer

we see the above having a massive impact on companies in the UK who currently deliver goods in this manner. Where companies have Mercedes, Iveco, Ford or Fiat 3.5 ton trucks, although lending themselves to towing with high gross train weights do not particularly have good payload capacity on the truck itself
If the operator does not want to go down the route of applying and maintaining an operators licence what they can now carry on the vehicle itself will be greatly restricted due to it’s high kerb weight and low payload