http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/1998/article/3The Road Vehicles (Authorisation of Special Types) (General) Order 2003VehiclesRoad and pathway maintenanceWeight limitsSpeed limitsHedge cuttingROAD TRAFFICStatute Law Database2024-12-02Expert Participation2023-05-31 This Order makes provision authorising certain types of vehicles to be used on roads notwithstanding that they do not fully comply with the requirements that generally apply to vehicles permitted on roads. The Order specifies the requirements that must be met by vehicles seeking to rely on such authorisation. PART 131In this Order—“abnormal indivisible load” has the meaning given in paragraph 2 of Schedule 1 to this Order;“abnormal indivisible load vehicle” has the meaning given in paragraph 3 of Schedule 1 to this Order;“agricultural motor vehicle”, “agricultural trailer” and “agricultural trailed appliance” have the meaning given in article 19(3);“AILV” has the meaning given in Schedule 1;“articulated vehicle” has the same meaning as in the Construction and Use Regulations;“authorisation requirements” has the meaning given in article 9(2);“axle” has the meaning given in article 7(1);“axle weight” has the meaning given in article 7(1);“the Authorised Weight Regulations” means the Road Vehicles (Authorised Weight) Regulations 1998;“chief officer of police”—in relation to England and Wales, has the same meaning as in the Police Act 1996; andin relation to Scotland, has the same meaning as in the Police (Scotland) Act 1967;“the Construction and Use Regulations” means the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986;“engineering plant” has the meaning given in paragraph 2 of Schedule 3 to this Order;“foremost point”, in relation to a vehicle, has the meaning given in article 4(3);“forward projection”, in relation to a load carried on a vehicle, has the meaning given in article 6(1);“gross weight”—in relation to a motor vehicle, means the sum of the weights transmitted to the road surface by all the wheels of the vehicle; andin relation to a trailer, means the sum of—the weights transmitted to the road surface by all the wheels of the trailer; andany weight of the trailer imposed on the towing vehicle;“group of axles” has the meaning given in article 7(1);“lateral projection”, in relation to a load carried on a vehicle, has the meaning given in article 5(1);“the Lighting Regulations” means the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989;“local excavation vehicle” has the meaning given in paragraph 1 of Schedule 10 to this Order; “longer semi-trailer” means a semi-trailer, (other than an abnormal indivisible load vehicle, a low loader or a stepframe low loader), in respect of which the longitudinal distance from the axis of the king pin to the rear of the trailer exceeds—12.5 metres, in the case of a car transporter, or12 metres, in any other case(but a semi-trailer which is capable of extension is only a longer semi-trailer when extended so that it exceeds the above distances);“low loader” has the same meaning as in regulation 3(2) of the Construction and Use Regulations; “mobile crane” has the meaning given in paragraph 2 of Schedule 2 to this Order;“motor vehicle of category N3” means a motor vehicle of category N3 (motor vehicles over 12,000 kilograms maximum weight), as defined in Annex II of Council Directive 70/156/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the type-approval of motor vehicles and their trailers;“motorway” means a special road which—in England or Wales (except as otherwise provided by or under regulations made under, or having effect as if made under, section 17 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984) can be used by traffic only of Class I or II as specified in Schedule 4 to Highways Act 1980: orin Scotland can be used by traffic only of Class I or Class II as specified in Schedule 3 to the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984; “operator” means—a person who holds an operator’s licence in respect of a longer semi-trailer under section 2 of the Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995;if there is no such person, the driver of the motor vehicle towing the longer semi-trailer where the towing vehicle belongs to the driver or is in the driver’s possession under an agreement for hire or hire-purchase, or a loan;in any other case, the person whose employee or agent the driver of the towing vehicle is; “overall length”, in relation to a vehicle, has the meaning given in article 4(2);“overall width”, in relation to a vehicle, has the meaning given in article 4(1);“Part 2 vehicle” has the meaning given in article 10(2);“Part 2 vehicle-combination” has the meaning given in article 10(3);“pneumatic tyre” has the same meaning as in the Construction and Use Regulations;“rearmost point”, in relation to a vehicle, has the meaning given in article 4(4);“rearward projection”, in relation to a load carried on a vehicle, has the meaning given in article 6(2);“recognised category of special vehicles” has the meaning given in article 8(2);“road recovery vehicle” has the meaning given in paragraph 1 of Schedule 4 to this Order; “semi-trailer” has the same meaning as in regulation 3 of the Construction and Use Regulations “special type agricultural vehicle” has the meaning given in article 19(2); “stepframe low loader” has the same meaning as in regulation 3 of the Construction and Use Regulations; “track-laying”, in relation to a vehicle, has the same meaning as in the Construction and Use Regulations;“trailer of category O4” means a trailer of category O4 (trailers over 10,000 kilograms maximum weight), as defined in Annex II of Council Directive 70/156/EEC on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to the type-approval of motor vehicles and their trailers;“vehicle-combination” means a motor vehicle towing one or more trailers, any trailer or trailers towed by it and any other motor vehicle used for the purpose of assisting the propulsion of the trailer or trailers on the road;“warning beacon” has the same meaning as in the Lighting Regulations;“wheel” is to be construed in accordance with article 7(2) and (3);“wheeled”, in relation to a vehicle, means a vehicle so constructed that the whole weight of the vehicle is transmitted to the road surface by means of wheels;“wheel-track combination vehicle” has the meaning given in paragraph 1 of Schedule 3; and“wheel weight” has the meaning given in article 7(1).2In this Order, any reference to a motor vehicle towing a trailer in an offset manner is a reference to the vehicle towing the trailer so that the longitudinal axis of the trailer and the longitudinal axis of the towing vehicle are parallel but lie in different vertical planes.3For the purposes of any provision of this Order requiring a person to do something within a specified number of days, no account is to be taken of any day which is a Saturday, a Sunday or a public holiday in any part of Great Britain. S.I. 1998/3111. 1986 c. 16. 1967 c. 77. S.I. 1986/1078. S.I. 1989/1796. OJ No. L 42, 23.2.1970, p. 1. Annex II of the Directive was substituted by Directive 92/5053/EC. 1984 c. 27. Section 17 was amended by the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991, Schedule 8, paragraph 28 and Schedule 9 and by the Road Traffic Act 1991, Schedule 4, paragraph 25 and Schedule 8. 1980 c. 66. 1984 c. 54. Art. 3 in force at 25.8.2003, see art. 1(2)Words in art. 3(1) inserted (31.5.2023) by The Road Vehicles (Authorisation of Special Types) (General) (Amendment) Order 2023 (S.I. 2023/524), arts. 1(1), 3(a)Words in art. 3(1) inserted (31.5.2023) by The Road Vehicles (Authorisation of Special Types) (General) (Amendment) Order 2023 (S.I. 2023/524), arts. 1(1), 3(b)Words in art. 3(1) inserted (31.5.2023) by The Road Vehicles (Authorisation of Special Types) (General) (Amendment) Order 2023 (S.I. 2023/524), arts. 1(1), 3(c)Words in art. 3(1) inserted (31.5.2023) by The Road Vehicles (Authorisation of Special Types) (General) (Amendment) Order 2023 (S.I. 2023/524), arts. 1(1), 3(d)