Despite having written I would not investigate the law concerning the adoption of MTPLM as part of the legally enforceable masses of caravans, Information has come to light which may shed some light on the subject.
The matter is enshrined in EU law as set out in various EU directives. The raw directives are complex documents, but have been thoroughly interpreted and approved for us in the UK. However specifically in relation to vehicle weights (more accurately Masses) the acronyms we have become used to are often transposed, so whilst we glibly use MTPLM (Maximum Technically Permissible Laden Mass) the EU documentation refers to TPMLM or Technically Permissible Maximum Laden Mass. It is accepted by the UK agencies that these two terms are interchangeable and have the same meaning.
The most relevant document is
“The primary Directive 97/27/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 July 1997 relating to the masses and dimensions of certain categories of motor vehicles and their trailers and amending Directive 70/156/EEC
Annex 1 of the directive sets out the scope and method and relevance of each weight/mass measurement. You can of course obtain a copy and read it for chapter and verse, but to summarize the matters relating to caravan MTPLM. I state the following:-
The Directive recognises that commercial vehicles and trailers are often manufactured in two or more distinct operations and not necessarily by the same organisation. This is because a standard chassis can be used to support specialist bodies for carrying loads. In the case of caravans the chassis and axle manufacturer may be entirely separate organisation to the caravan body and fitting out business.
The directive also recognises that the components that make up a complete lorry or trailer may not all have the same load bearing capacities as each other. It therefore makes logical sense to set the stated capacity of the vehicle so that the weakest load bearing component will not be overstressed. This means quite frequently the TPMLM of a caravan will be legitimately set lower than the capability of the chassis components or the the axle’s maximum capacity.
Because there are also some other factors that may affect the choice of body and chassis, there can be justified reasons for artificially setting an even lower TPMLM so for example the caravan may be legitimately towed by some smaller vehicles, or by licence holders with out heavier categories entitlements.
Its these mechanisms in the Directive that recognises the Caravan manufacture and not the chassis manufacture as the authority for setting the caravan’s TPMLM (MTPLM).
The directive also states the data plate containing the relevant weights(masses) must be attached to the trailer.
Generally Directives of this nature are not retrospective, but in most cases the directives are based on regulations that were already in force, so its likely there is prior lawful obligations relating to the weights ratings and marking of trailer caravans.
So in short the plate must be attached, and the MTPLM is the obligatory weight limit for the caravan.
Facebook
Twitter