On Monday 23 January the Department for Transport (DfT) published draft regulations which will amend the Road Vehicles (Authorised Weights) Regulations 1998 (AWR) to increase weight limits for certain zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) or alternatively fuelled vehicles (AFVs).
The new regulations will amend Authorised Weights Regulations to increase the maximum authorised weights for certain ZEVs and AFVs in domestic traffic.
The vehicle categories having their weight limit increased, where they are ZEVs. are:
- Articulated lorries and road train combinations with 5 or 6 axles whose conventional technology weight limit is 40 tonnes.
- Articulated lorries and road train combinations with 4 axles, normally limited to 36 or 38 tonnes.
- Two axle motor vehicles (other than buses, which already have a higher limit), normally limited to 18 tonnes.
- Three axle motor vehicles, normally limited to 25 to 26 tonnes.
- Three axle articulated buses, normally limited to 28 tonnes.
In the first two cases, an extra one tonne allowance for AFVs is also introduced (for the last three cases the one tonne allowance for AFVs has been permitted since around 2017.
No additional weight allowance for ZEVs or AFVs will apply to articulated lorry and road train combinations at 44 tonnes or four axle motor vehicles at 32 tonnes. Maximum weight limits for individual axles are also unchanged.
The additional weight limit for AFVs is intended to offset the additional powertrain weight, up to a maximum of one tonne. Where the additional powertrain weight due to the alternative fuel technology is less than one tonne, the actual additional weight is the amount allowed. The additional weight allowance for ZEVs is a flat two tonne increase for relevant vehicles.
SOURCE: Logistics uk
