Overweight

[colanbo]

Hi, I recently went to Spain where the police stopped me for being overweight. They took me to a MOT station where they weighed the front axles first and then the rear axle. They added them both together and made that the total gross weight. Is this correct??
They said it was and fined me 950 euros, payable on the spot.

 

[DonnaG]

Hi, I recently went to Spain where the police stopped me for being overweight. They took me to a MOT station where they weighed the front axles first and then the rear axle. They added them both together and made that the total gross weight. Is this correct??
They said it was and fined me 950 euros, payable on the spot.

We have the van weighed in Plymouth every year (front, rear and both together) before we come over, so I just dug out the certificates and added it up. The front and rear do add up to the same figure as the overall, so I'd say your Spanish guy was correct. What a whopping fine, were you very overweight?

 

[mpdcymru]

This is technically called a "split weigh". It would not be legal in the UK as there is always the chance that front and rear axles would not add up to the actual "gross weight" because of a movement in the load. However, that is not to say that it would not be legal in Spain and I for one could not argue such a technechality in Spanish.

 

[TonyJones]

I'm with you there Malcolm - never try to argue about the local law, with the nice man in the sunglasses, especially since he probably carries a gun!
By the way, welcome - to both you and Colanbo. Although you're both recent, since you're clearly genuine motorhomers I've upgraded you both so you shouldn't have to copy the squiggly letters every time you post.

 

[KeithChesterfield]

How far overweight were you and did you have to unload anything before they let you continue on your journey?

Was it cash or a Credit Card they made you pay with?

For not going to a weighbridge in the UK and paying out around a fiver to get the MH weighed it was a very costly holiday.

Certainly a message to the rest of us!