Did you know, the word lorry originates from the verb “lurry”, which means to lug or pull about. 

Sometimes people who are not in the industry get confused between the terms lorry and truck, but the truth is that both terms are acceptable.

Truck is typically used in American contexts whereas lorry is more common in the UK – both are classed as HGV vehicles. (Anything over 3.5 tonnes is classed as a HGV).

Regardless of what you call it, knowing how to weigh them is important to make sure you adhere to road laws and avoid penalties from overloading.

Luckily, there are a few options available when it comes to weighing a lorry. Let’s cover this in more detail.

Why Should You Weigh a Lorry?

Overloaded lorries can cause some damage and create problems you may not have even thought of.

Consequently, a lorry that has exceeded its weight limit and goes onto the roads increases the risk of accidents and destroys road surfaces.

The reason being, is that an overloaded lorry becomes unstable, particularly when the weight has not been evenly distributed. 

And, the more weight a vehicle has, the longer it needs to stop, it’s more likely to overspeed when driving down a hill and cause congestion due to slower speeds. In the event of a crash, the damage can be fatal.

Furthermore, an overloaded lorry reduces tyre tread a lot quicker, which can result in tyres overheating and thus increases the risk of tyre blowout.

Hence, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) are now enforcing harsh penalties on businesses who are not compliant with current legislation. Penalties are based on each axle point and depends on the excess weight, but is usually a fine of £5000 per axle. As some lorries have up to 6 axle points, these fines can rack up to a hefty £30,000, and that’s not including court fees, transportation costs and other insurance premiums!

How Do You Weigh a Lorry?

As it stands, there are two ways you can directly weigh a lorry: weighbridges or axle weigh pads.

But, there is always the option of weighing cargo prior to loading which can be done through pallet truck scales or platform scales.

It’s worth noting here, a lorry can be overloaded on all its axles, gross weight or trail weight, which would all be considered as separate offences. For instance, if a lorry was overloaded on 2 axles and its gross weight, this would result in 3 different fines.

Typically, weight limits are stated on the manufacturer’s plate and are determined by the technical specification of the lorry.

Weighbridges

Weighbridges are huge platforms that a lorry can drive onto a park to be weighed.

They’re an ideal solution for measuring lorries because of its robust design and the ability to choose between pit and surface mounted variants, depending on preference or intended use.

And it calculates the exact load as the lorry is weighed when empty and loaded, which is common in applications where the net weight of lorries is used to determine the price of product, tax and other financial metrics.

On the plus side, having a weighbridge onsite is the easiest way to ensure your lorry is complying to regulations and avoid overloading it.

But on the other hand, weighbridges require significant space which is not always available, and they can be quite costly.

Axle Weigh Pads

As the name suggests, axle weigh pads are used to record the weight imposed on each of the lorry’s axles.

And this is great to determine whether there are any balancing issues that need to be corrected, or highlight any signs of wear and tear to avoid potential risks on the road and adhere to legislation.

For instance, overloading on one particular axle can make it hard to manoeuvre the lorry which could result in a crash in serious cases.

In terms of design, axle weigh pads are lightweight and portable, giving them the attractive benefit of being easily transported with the lorry, meaning it can be weighed anywhere, at any time.

In addition, they’re more cost effective than installing a weighbridge and arguably provides more accurate readings; weighbridges determine the gross weight but axle weigh pads can calculate the total weight of each axle.

Contact us today for more information.

In the meantime take a look at our Vehicle Weight Checker solutions.

You may also like:

1. How to Weigh a Business Van
2. 3 Factors Affecting the Accuracy of your Weigh Scales
3. Choosing the Right Axle Weighing Solution for your Business

The post A Complete Guide on Weighing a Lorry appeared first on Weightru.

The EU has proposed a new phasing out of gas-powered combustion engine vehicles by 2035, as part of a wider effort to reduce carbon emissions throughout the continent.

To combat global warming, the EU aims to speed up the switch to zero-emission electric vehicles.

The European Commission proposed a 55% cut in CO2 emissions by 2030 compared to the levels it is at today and by 2035, a 100% cut, which means dealers will no longer be able to sell any fossil fuel powered vehicles across the 27 countries.

Most car manufacturers have already announced massive investments in switching to electric vehicles in anticipation of such announcements.

Last month, Volkswagen announced it would stop selling cars with combustion engines in Europe by 2035, followed by China and the US later in an effort to shift to electric vehicles.

But, there is growing concern whether or not the EU will back them by building charging stations and how quickly hybrid vehicles need to be phased out.

Despite these advances though, EU emissions have actually increased in more recent years, hence why new measures are being brought into place to fall in line with the overall strategy of getting to net zero emissions by 2050.

Chief Executive of Climate Group, Helen Clarkson says, “the science tells us we need to halve emissions by 2030, so for road transport it’s simple – get rid of the internal combustion engine.”

On the other hand, the European Car Industry Association (ACEA) said that banning certain technologies is not the answer.

Instead, they suggest that internal combustion engines, hybrids, battery electric and hydrogen vehicles all need to play a role for an easier transition.

Powering Up

Last year, Europe saw a spike in low emission car sales, despite COVID-19 and national lockdowns.

In fact, one in every nine new cars sold were either electric or a plug-in hybrid – so it’s clear to see consumers are more environmentally aware.

However, the switch to a fully electric environment is still a long way away, especially with worries surrounding the lack of public charging stations.

Nevertheless, Brussels has proposed legislation that requires countries to install public charging points within 37.5 miles apart by 2025, in an effort to boost electric vehicle sales.

They have predicted that by 2030, there will be 3.5 million public charging stations, which is set to rise to 16.3 million by 2050.

Furthermore, manufacturers have suggested they will only accept emissions targets, should public investment into charging points be returned.

To overcome this, BMW has made big investments into plug-in hybrids (both combustion engines and electric motors) – but this is only a midterm solution.  

But, green credentials of hybrid vehicles are constantly being challenged, so if the phase includes hybrid cars too, their investment would have been wasted if pushed out too soon.

An Electric Future

The Commission has estimated that between €80 – €120 billion is needed to invest into public and private charging points across the EU by 2040.

But, this proposal needs to be approved by all 27 countries and the European Parliament; but there could be resistance

For instance, France is currently mapping out an internal combustion phase out by 2040 and looking for more wiggle room on hybrids.

Away from the EU, the UK already has plans in place to ban the sales of new combustion engine cars by 2030 and California, USA expects the same by 2035.

If you would like to know more, please get in touch today.

Please check our Vehicle Weight Checker solutions in the meantime.

You may also like:

1. Electric Vehicles: Is The Future Light?
2. Why Are Electric Vehicles Heavier than Gas Powered Vehicles?
3. 4 Effective Ways to Reduce The Weight of Your Car

The post EU Sets to Ban Gas Powered Vehicles by 2035 appeared first on Weightru.

With the amount of commercial vehicles rising year on year, there is growing concern for the safety of workers on the road.

Every employer must ensure that work equipment is kept in an efficient state, good repair and in working order by law; under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

Essentially, making sure that vehicles are safe to use is a basic requirement for any mobile workforce.

As such, companies must carry out important, regular checks to identify any problems early on to minimise risks that a badly maintained vehicle can impose.

With this in mind, operators must have a maintenance plan that is in line with the Traffic Commissioner before an operator’s licence is granted.

Of course, the best approach depends on the circumstances of your operations, but an effective maintenance plan should cover two main areas; daily and maintenance checks.

Let’s explore this further… 

Daily Checks

All drivers must check their vehicle before driving; it should be part of a daily routine.

Don’t worry, this does not have to be an intense investigation, but simply a quick walk around to check for any obvious problems.

Usually, this should be done at the beginning of the day, and all observations must be kept on record.

In the event that there’s more than one driver, then the new driver who takes over should carry out their own check.

In addition to this, many companies will check the vehicle once more after duties have finished, in case there’s been any issues along the way.

Arguably, short checks are inconvenient for workers, however it can have big repercussions if not completed.

Above all, a system must be in place to ensure all vehicles are safe to drive to avoid fatalities in the future.

A few checks you should make include:

• Oil leaks
• Tyres
• Bodywork
• Mirrors
• Lights
• Mileage 

Maintenance Checks

Maintenance checks go beyond annual MOT’s, services and the daily checks carried out by drivers.

And, the type of these checks will vary from business to business, depending on their operations.

The different types of maintenance checks are as follows:

First Use 

It goes without saying, new vehicles (whether hired or not), must have an initial check before leaving the premises.

Typically, companies will have a safety checklist that all vehicles must comply with.

So, all first use vehicles must be inspected to reduce any potential risks.

Scheduled

Different vehicles are used for different operations, and some will be subject to wear and tear before others.

Therefore, scheduled checks will be determined by the type of use the vehicles are being put to.

According to The Driver and Vehicle and Standards Agency (DVSA), frequency of these checks should be based on;

• Age of vehicle 
• Nature of the work
• How heavy the loads are
• Typical terrain and climate
• Distance and speed of journeys made

To put simply, vehicles driving off-road and in difficult conditions should be checked every 4 weeks, whereas lightly loaded vehicles, operating in easy conditions should be checked every 13 weeks.

Mileage

A popular way to determine checks is based on different mileage intervals.

Again, this will depend on the type of vehicle and what it’s used for.

Furthermore, checking vehicles based on mileage heavily relies on a solid system where accurate records are placed and mileage across the workforce can be monitored.

To be safe, a combination of scheduled and mileage checks could be used as a flexible approach.

Final Remarks

Ultimately, employers have a responsibility, to its employees and the general public, to ensure vehicles are being properly inspected and maintained.

Failure to do so, and it could lead to serious accidents on the road.

So, make sure inspection and maintenance of commercial vehicles is a regular procedure. 

For more information get in touch today.

Please check our  Vehicle Weight Checker solutions in the meantime.

You may also like:

1. How To Weigh a Business Van
2. Vehicle Overloading Penalties Explained
3. The Dangers of Driving an Overloaded Vehicle

The post Commercial Vehicles: Inspection and Maintenance appeared first on Weightru.