Caravan Mot by 2017

[Parksy]

Draft legistaltion has been introduced in the European Parliament which could mean the introduction of MOT testing for caravans in 2017. Click Here for more information.
If passed this will be the thin end of the wedge that could spell the end of the British touring caravan industrty. For MOT testing purposes a caravan would need to have some sort of registration which then opens up the possibility of excise duty for tourers.
Write to your MEP to request that they oppose this proposal.

 

[RayS]

Well done Steve - thanks so much for picking this up.
I have just 'followed the links' and e-mailed our local MEP's I would urge all other readeers to do the same - it's easy. Just put in your post code and you will see a list of your MEPs and an email form. I think the key points are well contained within the Caravan Club article accessed from the first link, but this does perhaps not emphasise the other virtues of caravan touring holidays from a personal level e.g. the suitablity for all age groups and those on limited budgets, the family bonding which goes on during such holidays - seemingly much missing from many other areas of our society, and the fact that a requirment for roadworthyness is already explicit or implied in many insurance policies. At worst such proposed testing should be an add-on to annual service routines at main dealers or Approved Workshops - we do not want to have (possibly) to get a van out of storage and tow it to some remote testing station for a 30 minute but doubtless expensive test.

Come on folks - get typing - the vote is in early July.

 

[Dustydog]

So an annual one billion pound British industry is about to be scuppered by Brussells!

I can't wait to see the Dyson Euro vac cleaner at 800 watts or less.

Time we pulled out of this ridiculous rubbish

 

[JamesH]

The link to find your local MEP is :-
http://www.europarl.org.uk/view/en/your_MEPs.html

 

[johnandrew70]

Why are we having to do what the Europeans tell us too?
Typical of this country, if it means that David Cameron can bring in another tax to screw us all with the chances are it will happen.
The government have obviously seen the rise in caravan sales and thought bingo caravan MOT and TAX. Yet more money we can take from british taxpayers and send to some country half of us will never visit, or worse still give to some assylum seeker who has come over here with nothing to offer us. you can see why our country is no longer a great Britain but in fact a rediculous Britain.
My Grandad would be turning in his grave if he knew that the country he faught for had turned out the way it has.

 

[ProfJohnL]

Now I'm not in favour of more taxes, but I am in favour of trying to ensure that road vehicles are as safe as possible. I happen to agree with some formal checks on the road condition of caravans and other trailers, having seen the condition of some that some customers brought to our works for assistance.

The current MOT stations are not capable of handling a caravans without some major changes to the ramps and brake testers, so its not going to happen quickly. and I know from previous research that the UK government has not supported the idea of tests for private/non commercial trailers, citing the historical record of minimal issues with private trailer road safety, the cost of monitoring the records and the costs of adapting test centres.

That said its not inconceivable that trailer may be targeted as a revenue generator, though I would prefer the removal of road fund tax and loading fuel duty more heavily, so those who use more pay more, and the poorer consumption we all get when towing will mean we do pay a bit more for using them.

As others have pointed out it will need some form of registration control, but exactly how is difficult to foresee as it will need to integrate with the current vehicle registration system.

As for the size of UK caravan business as quoted by Lord Sugar at £1bn, that is slightly misleading. The UK caravan industry is not just new touring caravans, but it also includes static and Mobile homes. But even that is not the whole extent, you have to include second hand sales, accessories, Site fees, Insurance, increased retail trade in holiday areas and on a sadder note - redundancy where businesses have closed.

In fact figures suggest that whilst the current caravan industry number of units is only half the size it was back in the 1980-1990's. Despite a blip in 2009-2010 The current sales trends are downwards probably as a result of the continuing financial squeeze.

 

[Surfer]

I am yet to find out how a caravan MOT will improve road safety. A MOT does not prevent speeding, overloading or poorly loaded outfits on the roads. Also cracked tyres is not a MOT failure. The British government did a study into this last year and 0nly .06% of accidents involved caravans. There are no statistics to show how many of these was due to faulty running gear.
Here is the report from last year regarding rejection of MOT by our government. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmeuleg/86-xv/86xv.pdf
The cost of setting up a MOT station would be enormous and take a long time to recover the outlay unless the fees were high plus the fact that the place would have to have storage facilities as not every one can take a day off work for a caravan MOT. Would you get enough caravans going through it each day to justify the outlay. How far would you need to travel to your local caravan MOT test station? What about seasonal caravans whicha re only moved once or twice a year when the park closes?

 

[paws]

Thanks Parksy for the information.
I have written to all 7 of the MEP's who represent my area of the UK asking them to do all in their power to prevent these regulations coming into force ...(over here!)
Thanks also to those who provided the extra links that made the whole thing so much easier.
Lets hope that the Sprouts (the folks from Brussels who dream up this sort of stuff and get paid handsomely for doing it) will find something more important and useful to occupy themselves with....

 

[otherclive]

I echo people's views on this possible idea. I thought the UK did not support it for trailers less than 3500 kg, and were pretty neutral for heavier ones. As per registration if every sheep, cow and horse in UK is registered its not impossible to register caravans but the multitude of other trailers could be a nightmare. I will contact my MEP but also my MP as these can have quite an influence on Government thinking. Governments need MPs returned to govern they don't need MEPs!

 

[RayS]

Great idea Clive - I'd forgotten about this aspect. The proposed rip-off would of course apply to all the cattle trailers and horse trailers since these are likely to be above 750kg, so perhaps we should enlist the Pony Club, eventers, NFU etc.

 

[Gagakev]

All done written to all 3 that cover my area.

Now time to remove my caravan from the CRIS register, these will be the first to pay any excise duty.

 

[Surfer]

Maybe every one is panicking about nothing. In the House of Commons paper it was rejected outright due to cost implementation. Secondly finding the actual proposal is quite difficult, but on
this docume (http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/pressroom/content/20130527IPR10575/html/Transport-Committee-rules-motorbikes-out-of-roadworthiness-test-package)nt
it states;

They also rejected a Commission proposal to introduce
periodic roadworthiness tests for light trailers with a maximum permissible
mass of 2,000 kg or less, but voted in favour of testing light caravan trailers. Individual member states would nonetheless be
able to require testing of trailers under 2,000 kg if they so chose.

From the above I gather that it will be up to the
individual state to decide whether to test caravan trailers.

 

[seth1]

I think its a very good idea and at the least we should have a road worthyness test.If people have their caravan serviced once a year as should,there shouldnt be a problem come MOT or road worthyness time.If budgets are that tight that this test could cause a problem,perhaps people should look at whether a caravan is for them.Why would the adoption of a registration mark dictate a Tax charge?Commercial trailers dont require a road fund license and they carry a registration number.Im amazed at the amount who are agaist it after all the preaching that goes on,on this forum.This is actually a legitamate way to prove your vehicle is safe to use the public highway.

 

[colin-yorkshire1]

the problem is seth it comes under the realms of thin end of the wedge, remember how the car mot started, Brakes Lights and Steering,
now it covers every part of the car even the towing electrics wether they are used or not. and forget about servicing twice a year they allways find something.
on the face of it a caravan mot is a good idea, untill you think of the possiblities what are they going to test, lights, tyres, and brakes.
fair enough these should be sound anyway, but what's next!! gas certificate, electric certificate, damp test!! fail for a crack in the windscreen!! the possiblities are endless, just like the car mot has become and all at £40 a throw.
and that is besides, registering every trailer, hauling it to the test station where ever one is, and if you have a seasonal pitch and the mot 's due half way though the season, tough you won't be taking it home without it is tested, first.
no thanks too much hassle just for a hobby.

 

[paws]

UPDATE,
I wrote asking my MEPs to vote against the European proposals for caravan MOTs..... (I dont think they actually read the content of my email at all)...because this is the response I received.....
Many thanks for your email regarding the periodic roadworthiness testing of caravans.
The European Commission presented a new road safety and roadworthiness package in July 2012.
The aim of the Commission’s proposals is to improve testing standards to reach the road safety targets set and agreed by the European Parliament and the 27 Member States of the European Union. As part of these testing standards the initial proposal from the Commission included trailers below 750kgs, and trailers between 750kgs and 3.5 tonnes.

I have received lots of emails from members of my constituency regarding their concerns over the proposals as well as correspondence from representatives of The Caravan Club, who have all provided detailed information to me.

Some constituents expressed specific concerns regarding costs and whether registration schemes would be introduced.

The European Parliament as a whole voted on the roadworthiness package on the 2nd July. I am pleased to inform you that it was voted through so will raise safety standards for vehicles on Europe’s roads.
In the vote, MEPs also backed a deal pushed through the Transport Committee by MEP Phil Bennion with support from business and farming leaders to exclude trailers lighter than 2 tonnes from MoT tests.

After the vote, Phil Bennion said:

“"The proposed new rules will also make our roads safer by ensuring that vehicles from other EU countries being driven on UK roads will have to be properly maintained and tested.
We have also secured flexibility for member states to implement changes so that the UK's own unique system of vehicle testing, registration, and taxing can stay in place and be improved.
I have also worked closely with the Federation of Small Businesses to cut costs and unnecessary bureaucracy for small businesses and farmers, by winning an exemption for the lightest trailers and agricultural tractors from the proposed new testing regime.
I will continue to campaign for caravans, trailers between 2 and 3.5 tonnes and current motorcycles to be excluded from the regulations in negotiations between Parliament and national governments.
I don't agree with the Eurosceptic line that we should not have common EU safety standards at all. I visited an MOT station in Tamworth recently to discuss it with their management and they were positive about the changes. The new proposal will bring laggards up to the standard of better member states, like Britain. We need to get the detail right but the principle is sound.”

This vote will be followed by negotiations between the Parliament and Council (made up of relevant Ministers from each EU Member State). If the UK government can find sufficient allies, it may well be able to negotiate the remaining trailers and caravans in this category out of the scope of the legislation.

Many thanks once again for your email and I hope this information is useful to you.

Yours sincerely,

Catherine Bearder MEP

Liberal Democrat member of the European Parliament for the South East of England
Constituency Office
27 Park End Street
Oxford
OX1 1HU
+44 1865 249838
www.bearder.eu

It looks like the "spouts" have won the first round...
Regards
paws

 

[Dustydog]

Duplicate Post

 

[Dustydog]

Obviously your MEP is not a caravanner.
I can see a large number of tuggers migrating to UKIP.

Not wishing this to become a political thread I'm happy for any political reference to be removed.

 

[Gafferbill]

I thought all along that MOT tests for caravans would never happen in the UK.

Simply because you would have to have a registration system that identified each trailer as a unique vehicle that prevented the passing off of one vehicle as another at the MOT test.
Such a registration system and MOT testing regime is already in place in the UK for trailers over 3.5 tons.
If such a verifying system was not set up for lighter trailers then any MOT test would be a farce.

Since trailers up to 2 tons are to be exempt from having a UK MOT then that covers most caravans I know of.......so no need to worry.

The EU does not even have a uniform system for testing motor cars so I would not hold your breath of there being any sort of uniform testing of trailers.

e.g..... the French do not test motor cars until they are 4 years old and then their test is every 2 years!!
Here in the UK (as you know) it is at 3 years old and then every year.

 

[RogerL]

There was a threat that EU regulations would impose 2-year MoT tests on cars but trade and enthusiast representation persuaded the UK government to opt out and retain annual tests - lets hope they opt out of this one as well.

 

[Surfer]

I thought all along that MOT tests for caravans would never happen in the UK.

Simply because you would have to have a registration system that identified each trailer as a unique vehicle that prevented the passing off of one vehicle as another at the MOT test.
Such a registration system and MOT testing regime is already in place in the UK for trailers over 3.5 tons.
If such a verifying system was not set up for lighter trailers then any MOT test would be a farce.

Since trailers up to 2 tons are to be exempt from having a UK MOT then that covers most caravans I know of.......so no need to worry.

The EU does not even have a uniform system for testing motor cars so I would not hold your breath of there being any sort of uniform testing of trailers.

e.g..... the French do not test motor cars until they are 4 years old and then their test is every 2 years!!
Here in the UK (as you know) it is at 3 years old and then every year.

Trailers under 2000kg are exempt, but caravans are not exempt according to the proposal. How weird is that as I would think more trailers which includes horse boxes are probably involved in accidents than caravans! The UK government does not want it as they know that it will have to completely funded by governments as most dealers have no interest in getting involved in MOTs.

 

[otherclive]

It's not difficult to see why the MoT station that Mr Bennion visited in Tamworth were supportive of testing. I think it's called increased turnover and profit! However unlike a car where most MoT stations can fix a defect I guess the Tamworth one would then have to train its staff to repair caravans too and source parts, or else a "failed' van would have to be taken back to store, or to a caravan repairer etc. Nightmare scenario. I really cannot see why when new legislation is proposed by UK or Europe a detailed cost benefit analysis isnt presented. Set a committee a task and its bound to come up with something to justify its existance. If it were up to me I would standardise tyre tread depth for replacement at 3.0mm across Europe and enforce it hard. That would require minimal legislation, no expensive registration and testing regime and would improve safety by far more than testing trailers. It would also potentially help keep some drivers moving in a bit of snow too.

 

[ProfJohnL]

With the history of capitulation of UK governments to the mirriad EU regulations that have been introduced, I cannot share Surfers confidence that some form of periodic safety testing of the roadworthyness of trailers won't be introduced in the future. I know he has more recently put a 10year time limit on his views, but I have a sneaking suspicion we may see draft legislation going before Parliament in less than 10 years.
I am one of the first to point out that the numbers of caravan related incidents in the UK is already low but despite that statistic there will be some incidents where trailers have not been roadworthy, and this is a worry, how do we stop or reduce dangersous outfits from running?
We currently rely on the abilities of caravan service centres to maintain most of our caravan's running gear, and bearing in mind the number of compaints we see about non road gear poor workmanship, logically it has to cast doubt about the possible number of shoddy or incomplete jobs carried out on running gear by these same service centres. There is currently no independant and trustworthy process to confirm running gear has been maintained or set up properly.
No one (except governments and Jeremy Clarkson) want's to see government revenues from caravanners to increased, but it think it will be an inevitable consequence of the EU's push for greater standardisation of vehicle (and trailer) testing.

Another method of extracting cash from motorists.

 

[Surfer]

With the history of capitulation of UK governments to the mirriad EU regulations that have been introduced, I cannot share Surfers confidence that some form of periodic safety testing of the roadworthyness of trailers won't be introduced in the future. I know he has more recently put a 10year time limit on his views, but I have a sneaking suspicion we may see draft legislation going before Parliament in less than 10 years.
I am one of the first to point out that the numbers of caravan related incidents in the UK is already low but despite that statistic there will be some incidents where trailers have not been roadworthy, and this is a worry, how do we stop or reduce dangersous outfits from running?
We currently rely on the abilities of caravan service centres to maintain most of our caravan's running gear, and bearing in mind the number of compaints we see about non road gear poor workmanship, logically it has to cast doubt about the possible number of shoddy or incomplete jobs carried out on running gear by these same service centres. There is currently no independant and trustworthy process to confirm running gear has been maintained or set up properly.
No one (except governments and Jeremy Clarkson) want's to see government revenues from caravanners to increased, but it think it will be an inevitable consequence of the EU's push for greater standardisation of vehicle (and trailer) testing.

Another method of extracting cash from motorists.

It is a pity that there are no statistics on the cause of caravan accidents. You may find that they are all lumped together with trailers. As it is going to happen now, I wonder who will be installing the MOT stations as I don't think dealers would want the expenditure of setting one up as it will take a long time to recoup the investment.
More than likely the government will set up MOT stations in the bigger cities initially, but first they will have a logistical nightmare registering all caravans. Perhaps they will only insist on a MOT when the caravan is 4 years old and thereafter every 2 - 3 years which makes it even less viable for a dealer to instal MOT equipment.
I think this is going to cause the government a big headache because if they request a registration fee uptake is going to be slow. If they tax caravans to cover the cost of implementing the MOT, that means they have to tax vehicles that are tax free at the moment.
Of course the government can always tell the EU to go get stuffed like the French do, but I think this is unlikely!

 

[SirRogerFFS]

Right I have today recieved another letter the House of CommonsRt Hon Patrick Mcloughlin MPThe UK position is that we do not support the mandatory testing of trailers below 3500kg .The porposal to test caravan trailer over 750kg has arisen from negotiations at European Parliaments Transport Committee .This ammendament still has to be a pproved by the full European Parliament which is uncertain at this time.It maybe helpful for your constituent to contact his MEPand let them know his views.This letter was addressed to Chris Heaton Harris our Local MP I hope this clarifies some what.
Sir Roger .

 

[seth1]

Im all for caravan mot,s after all why not they do use the highways.I would probably say both my motorcycle and my 33 year classic lorry do far less miles a year than the van yet they both need testing by law and rightfully so.Its not going to be a problem,a well serviced van wont change one year to the next.
As for the massive investment,what actually extra would be required to test a van?I can think of three items extra.
1,An adaption on the four poster i.e length of channel for the jockey wheel to run on.
2,A Scrutineer to work the road lights.
3,A form of equipment to work the service brakes,although i would expect the brake calculations could be done on the handbrake as there is no proper parking brake fitted.