Richard Larrington talks about his concerns with regards to the present transport regulations and their impact on the farming community

Update: After putting the petition onto our website we have been contacted by Peter Garbutt from the NFU and held a meeting at our factory to discuss issues raised by the petition.

We have also been contacted by Simon Henley from Farmers Guardian who have written an article on the subject of greater trailer weights. The article will be published this week.

As stated on the petition (below) I feel we should MOT tractors, however following discussions with concerned parties it appears it is unlikely that this will happen. Any requirement that might increase government cost’s will not be accepted ,as an owner and operator of tractors and farm machinery there is a duty of care to make sure all equipment is fit for purpose already within the health and safety regulations. I am told that the wet brake system on tractors is built for the life of the tractor, and again following good management and regular services this should help us keep tractors in good working order.

Generally we agree that the trailers should be tested by trained service engineers within the agricultural industry and certificates provided with service identification highlighted on the rear of the trailer. This would give VOSA and the police instant notification that the trailer had been correctly maintained. I also stated that the farmer should pay a licence fee for any tractor travelling over 20mph of £350.00 per year, however this is not the opinion of the NFU.

We are presently focusing on the 1998 weight regulations, specifically looking at how close a 40 ton high speed trailer/tractor combination comes to complying to these regulations. This is an important section as it details the maximum amount of weight per axle, distances between axles, the drawbar and the towing vehicle allowing us to carry 18 tons on two axles and 24 tons on three axles, plus the drawbar weights and then the towing vehicle.

We are getting a response from our petition, of which the majority would like to be able to drive down the road legally with a good load and a large heavy tractor which is well capable of controlling the trailer. For the petition to make a difference we need more signatures. Remember, sitting on the fence will change nothing and means you will stay illegal over 24390 kg, so please help us help you.

Please read and sign the petition, if you have already signed it, ask your friends to read and sign it.

Thank you.
Richard

Petition:

LAMMA (the UK’s largest agricultural show) has once again resulted in many discussions around the subject of legal trailer weights.

At the show there were over 20 manufacturers displaying trailers. When fully laden all of these trailers would be over the legal weight imposed by the Department of Transport, when taken on to the public highway.

The majority of our customers respect the law but this does not alter the increasing anger and frustration they feel as a result of the legal requirements that have to be complied with when crops are transported on the public highway.

Tractor and trailer haulage is fundamental to all agricultural/forestry business, enabling crops from the field to be transported to the farm store, mill or factory. A HGV vehicle cannot, and would not be expected to travel on the soft and slippery conditions of the land.

The Construction and Use Regulations dated 1986 state that an agricultural tractor and trailer combination shall not exceed 24,390kilos, which was acceptable when the average was a 120hp tractor weighing 5500 kg with a trailer weighing 4500 kg; giving just over 14 tonnes as the load. 25 years on things are vastly different.

I can clearly remember the average farm having a 100hp tractor, now the average is 200hp, the trailed beet harvester has now transformed into a 30 tonne monster lifting 6 or 9 rows at a time, the combine harvester has a grain tank that can hold 10 tonnes. Farming is a business and we must use the machinery available to stay competitive within the market place or perish. We all know of neighbours who have given up tenancies, even moving to other countries to start again.

Here in the UK our archaic transport laws have not changed, so the largest of trailers and tractors are used, making road haulage safer and for that you can get prosecuted. It’s time for change and if we don’t start shouting now the alternative is to sit on our hands, do nothing, and wait another 10 years before change will be considered. Cut backs in government spending may affect the speed and weight laws. When all the civil servants with any knowledge of our dilemma have gone we will have to start again and that will take years, so we need to strike now and quickly.

In simple terms what is the problem? Our machinery is well capable of meeting any road regulation that is put before us as both the trailers and tractors all use common products developed from the commercial transport sector.

I have great respect for the road haulage association and the difficulties that they have making ends meet with increased fuel cost, time restrictions, speed restriction and test’s. It’s hard for them too and we in the agricultural business need to respect their problems including an ever increasing license fee; currently £1274.00 for 44 tonnes. And how much are we paying for the tractor licence even at the permissible weight of 24 tons? Nothing.  We use the roads and now travel at speeds up to 50kph and still pay nothing, so one thing is certain the road haulage association is not on our side.

BAGMA, the AEA are trying to get 31 tonnes all that does is cover the higher tractor weights presently being used, there is no consideration for your actual requirements or the machinery that is now being used. The NFU are trying to get the DOT to accept a weight per axle which is along the lines as the commercial vehicle have and already writen into law. I believe the gross weight should be 40 tonnes, not 31 which only gains a paltry 2 tons maximum and means a small tractor is still needed.

Of course there is a vast difference between the HGV vehicle and the agricultural tractor. They can legally be kept apart through restriction of the distance they travel and towing hitch connection, whilst allowing large loads to be delivered from the field to the store.  We need to convince both the Road Haulage Association that we have no intension of intruding on their patch and the Department of Transport that we are responsible people who are already supplying and buying the correct type of machinery to be safe and will pay for the privilege of travelling on the public highway.

My thoughts of what is required, is this:

1. Drivers (21 + years) would undertake a higher driving test associated with agricultural vehicles and trailer haulage.
2. Be prepared to pay at least £520.00 per year = £10.00 per week for the tractor license if your weight limit was increased over the present 24390 limit.
3. Have your tractor and trailer tested every year, similar to the present MOT.
4. There is no intention to replace your existing road haulage, only utilise the increased weights within the existing 15 mile distance, already in place, from the edge of your land.
5. You would agree that commercial vehicles cannot be used on the land as they cannot cope with wet and slippery conditions and that the increase in tractor trailer haulage will assist in reducing carbon footprints by minimising the amount of journeys undertaken to get your crops from the field to the store.
6. Make the trailers compatible with the latest machinery alread3y being used by ourselves and our European partners
7. Build agricultural trailers to comply with existing commercial regulations. By adding additional axles and tyres damage to the roads would be substantially reduced. By making the trailers stronger, easier to tow and using larger and stronger tractors will make agricultural road haulage safer than existing laws which presently put a small tractor on a large trailer.
8. An acceptable combination would be 8 tonnes per axle plus 3 tonnes on the tractor hitch, 10 tonnes for the tractor and the load at 20 tonnes. This makes 37 tonnes total haulage weight.

Please add your details and/or comments to the petition below. Our intention is to present this petition to the department of transport to make them aware of the concerns of farmers who need to move their goods safely and efficiently over a short distance, with a reduced carbon footprint.

If you agree that we need the legal weight increased to 40 tons for total combination for tractor, trailer and load, please add your details to this petition.

A selection of comments made by signatories so far: