You’ve done the conversion, you’ve packed up for your epic road trip, you’ve loaded the kids and the dog; but are you driving an overweight Campervan?
Some Campervan owners might be aware of this common pitfall, but even the most researched but get caught out.
How heavy is your Campervan?
You might be tempted to say the weight that is on your logbook.
‘My log book says my Sprinter Campervan is 3.5 tonnes’
However, you would be wrong.
The weight on your logbook is your ‘Maximum Authorised Mass’ and not what the actual weight of your Campervan.
Maximum Authorised Mass vs Actual Weight
The ‘Maximum Authorised Mass (also known as Gross Vehicle Weight) is, in fact the maximum weight a vehicle can carry safely.
The actual weight of your Campervan is; the weight of your vehicle, plus anything and everything you carry in it.
Say you fancy taking your dog for a walk by the beach and you take your Camervan to get there. You actual weight, is the weight of your van, plus your conversion (bed, seating, cooker, storage units, solar panels, batteries etc. etc.). Then you load your dog (say 13kg) and your vehicles actual weight goes up 13kg, then you get into the vehicle yourself and your vehicles actual weight goes up by the same amount you weigh!
A vehicles actual weight goes up and down all the time depending on what you carry in it.
Think about a delivery driver; one day they could be delivering a load of boxes of feathers, the next a load of boxes full of rocks.
Overweight Campervan
If your Campervans actual weight, exceeds its maximum authorised mass, you have an overweight Campervan.
This is called being ‘overloaded’ and is an offence.
Overloading is an offence that is taken very seriously by the Police and the DVSA.
What happens if I have an overweight Campervan?
Imagine you are embarking on a week long road trip.
You have filled your Campervan with everything you could possibly need for your trip. You have brimmed the petrol tank and loaded the family and the pets.
You make it half a mile down the road and a DVSA officer pulls you over for a vehicle check.
They will instruct you to drive straight onto a weighbridge to determine your actual weight. You will not be allowed to remove anything or any one beforehand.
If they find that your Campervan’s actual weight exceeds your vehicle’s ‘Maximum Authorised Mass’ you’re in trouble.
You will not be permitted to move your Campervan, until you have removed enough items to bring your Campervan’s weight to under it’s ‘Maximum Authorised Mass’
Imagine having to leave your wife, kids, or dog, but the roadside just to be able to move your Campervan! (I’m sure they will have measures in place so you can’t pick them up 100m down the road too!).
What are the penalties for having an overweight Campervan?
According to the DVSA guidance, as published on the Gov.uk website, the penalties for driving an overweight campervan are as follows (the severity percentage refers to the amount of the ‘maximum authorised mass’ exceeded):
| Severity | Endorsable | Fixed penalty amount |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 10% | No | £100 |
| 10% up to but not including 15% | No | £200 |
| 15% and over | No | £300 |
A £100 penalty will be given for a 0% to 9.99% overload, but DVSA examiners will allow a 5% leeway before issuing a fixed penalty or prohibition, unless the relevant weight has been exceeded by 1 tonne or more.
Normally, a fixed penalty would be inappropriate for serious cases of overloading – for example when the vehicle is overloaded by 30% and over, or the excess weight is 5 tonnes – so a court summons would be issued instead.
If the excess weight and the way the load is carried is having a significant effect on road safety – for example, serious instability or loss of control, these other offences will mean a court summons, with the excess weight being part of the offence/s.
Basically, if you only exceed your ‘Maximum Authorised Mass’ by 5%, you might just receive a stern ticking off.
If you exceed you ‘Maximum Authorised Mass’ by 5-10% you will not be able to move your vehicle until your actual weight is below this and you will receive a fine.
The fines then increase up to a 30% overload where you will then face the prospect of a court summons.
How do I avoid having an overweight Campervan?
You need to get your Campervan weighed. Simple.
But – you need to make sure you weigh it when it is heavy as it will ever be to be safe. Weighing an empty campervan will not help you!
Fill your Campervan with everything and everyone you might ever need to travel with. Brim the fuel and water tanks and go to your nearest public weigh bridge (click here to find weighbridges in your area).
Pro Tip!
You cannot be prosecuted for having an overweight vehicle when travelling directly to and from, your nearest weighbridge.
Get your fully loaded Campervan weighed. If it is under your ‘Maximum Authorised Mass’ all well and good. If its not, you can take steps to rectify it.
So what next?
Unfortunately, this is only the tip of the ice-burgh when it comes to Campervan weights. So much so I can’t fit it all in one post!
I will be posting further information in the next few days so keep your eyes peeled!
If your Campervan is under its Maximum Authorised Mass, why not check out a wonderful campsite to take it on its next worry-free adventure!
