The Road Vehicles (Authorised Weight) Regulations 1998

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations make new provision for the weights of wheeled motor vehicles and trailers which fall within category M₂, M₃, N₂, N₃, O₃ or O₄ of the vehicle categories defined in Annex II of Council Directive 70/156/EEC as amended. They do not apply to vehicle combinations that meet the requirements for combined transport in Schedule 11A to the Motor Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986.

Regulation 4 introduces the three Schedules, which respectively lay down maximum authorised weights for individual vehicles (Schedule 1), for vehicle combinations (Schedule 2) and for axle weights (Schedule 3), and prohibits the use of a vehicle on a road if any of these weights are exceeded.

A vehicle which complies with the provisions by regulations 75 to 79 of the 1986 Regulations is taken to comply with these Regulations (regulation 4(2)).

The new weight limits are, in accordance with regulation 5, also subject to the overriding limit in regulation 80 of the 1986 Regulations, to which amendments are made by the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No. 7) Regulations 1998 (S.I. 1998/3112).

This Regulation has been notified to the European Commission pursuant to Directive 83/189/EEC of 28th March 1983 laying down a procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical standards and regulations (OJ 1983 L109, p.9) as amended by Council Directive 88/182/EEC of 22nd March 1988 (OJ 1988 L81, p.75) and European Parliament and Council Directive 94/10/EEC of 23rd March 1994 (OJ 1994 L100, p.30).