Watch your weight: France

GMJ

GMJ

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A poster on another forum I am a member of just posted this message, which I thought I would share with you...


"On a recent extended driving trip in France we were pulled over twice by the gendarmes in random laybys for a weight check. This involves us driving onto scales and then they checked the VIN plate of the vehicle. The V5 registration document, my insurance and my license to prove I could drive that weight. As I am 53 you have what is called grandfather rights which means I can drive anything up to 7.5 tons without an additional license. Our van is rated at up to 4.5 tons.

Apparently the fine is very high if you are over weight so just a word of warning if you are in any way unsure go to a local weighbridge.

We managed to establish in our poor French that they are doing this a lot more nowadays"

Graham
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GMJ said:
A poster on another forum I am a member of just posted this message, which I thought I would share with you...


"On a recent extended driving trip in France we were pulled over twice by the gendarmes in random laybys for a weight check. This involves us driving onto scales and then they checked the VIN plate of the vehicle. The V5 registration document, my insurance and my license to prove I could drive that weight. As I am 53 you have what is called grandfather rights which means I can drive anything up to 7.5 tons without an additional license. Our van is rated at up to 4.5 tons.

Apparently the fine is very high if you are over weight so just a word of warning if you are in any way unsure go to a local weighbridge.

We managed to establish in our poor French that they are doing this a lot more nowadays"

Graham
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How does the MGW show up on the insurance certificate?
 
I guess the insurance proved he could drive the vehicle on the V5. Google is your friend as well these days...

Just passing on the info Ray....

Graham
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GMJ said:
I guess the insurance proved he could drive the vehicle on the V5. Google is your friend as well these days...

Just passing on the info Ray....

Graham
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Click to expand...
Ah! Many thanks, I see now, I read it wrongly. I should have read it as "they checked the V5c and the insurance plus also checked the licence for the C1 category. "
 
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They collared me last year, weighed both axles, it looked as though I
was I was 1.2 tonnes overweight, whereas I knew I was 1.9 tonnes
underweight. Which they didn't seem to think was credible, spent
quite a bit of time looking at the VIN plate before they embarrassingly
realised that my van just happened to look very similar to a much lighter
MGVW model. But I couldn't laugh could I! They showed me an A4 sized frontal
image of my van and very crisp and clear it was too, could easily identify the driver
and passenger. It's those light coloured gantries right across the road here and there
festooned with a dozen cameras that click you.
 
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DGB I've posted your comment across on my other forum if that's OK...in the spirit of sharing
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Thanks

Graham
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If the French are so hot on overweight motorhomes why do they go and produce all the various Chausson models that are too heavy to start off with and then claim they are OK to use with nothing in them??????????????
 
I doubt most of us have anything remotely worth spying on!

"I'm not paranoid ....but I know you lot think I am!"

Graham
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It's not only France! on a recent trip to Norway whilst travelling in Germany on the E40 around junction 10 near Duisberg, the authorities have set up a weigh station on the motorway (both direction carriageways), basically they funnel all traffic down to two lanes with the inner signed for over 3500 Kg and the outer for up to 3500 Kg. There is signage ref speed through the area, although it was not necessary when we went through as the volume of traffic meant we were literally crawling along for several Kms. you then enter into a stretch with barriers to segregate the lanes which pass over a weighbridge with multiple cameras focused on each lane, shortly after this they have constructed a lay by with multiple exit lanes to an inspection area. An attendant indicates to any vehicle they wish to check to enter the indicated turn off.
The episode caused a delay of around twenty minutes from the start of the jam caused by the process to actually exiting the area, but I guess they don't care about us tourists :)
 
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