Compliance checks by country

[BillWeb]

From experience, in which countries (including UK and Ireland) are you most likely to be checked for weight and any compliance issues?
We will soon be ferrying to northern Spain and then into Portugal.

 

[Suenliam]

Not sure of details, but if you are over weight in one country you will be over weight in the next one regardless as to whether you are caught or not.
Sue

 

[Verteuil Man]

From experience, in which countries (including UK and Ireland) are you most likely to be checked for weight and any compliance issues?
We will soon be ferrying to northern Spain and then into Portugal.

Do you think you will be over your limit?

 

[Speve]

In ten years have never been stopped for anything regarding compliance of van from Finland down to Spain and Portugal

 

[Brains]

Driven over much of western europe in large vans/small lorries.
Only ever had weight checked in the UK.

I think unless you are obviously overweight the local plod would rather you simply carried on as you will soon be out of their jurisdiction and also they don't fancy long protracted problems in a foreign language.

In much of the EU, most motorhomes are max 3.5t, local plod would not expect a 'conventional' looking motorhome (excluding 8m+, A class, and tag axle etc.) to be above 3.5t
if you are plated higher I think a quick stop, realise the difference and let you go.

That said, you really do not want to drive overweight, other than the potential fines there is also the issue of insurance payout in the event of an accident, even if you were not the cause.

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[Winger]

My philosophy has always been if it fits in the wagon it’s going down the road irrespective of weight from Class 1 HGV downwards.
I’ve been weighed once with a HGV trailer plated at 18 tonne cos plod asked me what weight I was and my reply was ‘guesstimate around 10 tonnes’ he wasn’t pleased and took me to the nearby bridge where I weighed in at 10.2

 

[Verteuil Man]

If you put the Angles Mort stickers on the will think you are over 3500kg.

But I would never "knowingly" drive a vehicle that was over weight regardless of the probability of being pulled and checked. Numerous things can happen which are not in your control which could result in an incident and then checked and found illegal and in more trouble.

 

[BikerGraham]

Reminds me of an assessment I was doing at a clients last week. Related in a way, attitude really.

A curtain sider (HGV) turned up for a delivery which had travelled from Spain to the north east of England. Through the channel tunnel.

One opening it up to offload the 5 pallets, I noticed everything else on the vehicle (15 pallets) were flammable substances. The vehicle was not marked up or identified in any way as to the dangerous goods being transported. The driver was not ADR competent and certified either.

As a certified (by the DfT) DGSA, which had nothing to do with why I was there. I had no choice but to report this.

Bloody dangerous idiot.

 

[maison]

We have seen Police carrying out weight checks, at motorway service stations, in both France and Spain. The only time we have been stopped and weighed was in the U.K. and was over twenty years ago.