Article 7 Interpretation: axles, wheels, axle weights and wheel weightsI1

In this Order—

• “axle” means any number of wheels in a transverse line;

• “axle weight” means the sum of the weights transmitted to the road surface by all the wheels of any one axle;

• “group of axles” means a group of two or more axles that are so linked together that the load applied to one axle is applied to the other; and

• “wheel weight” means the weight transmitted to the road surface by any one wheel of an axle.

For the purposes of this Order, any reference to a wheel of a vehicle is a reference to a wheel, the tyre or rim of which is, when the vehicle is in motion on a road, in contact with the ground.

For the purposes of this Order, any two wheels of a vehicle are to be treated as one wheel if their centres of contact with the road are less than 460 millimetres apart.

For the purposes of this Order, any wheels, or lines of wheels, whose centres can be contained between two transverse lines less than 0.5 metre apart are to be treated as one axle.

For the purposes of this Order, the distance between any two axles of a vehicle or vehicle-combination is to be taken as the shortest distance between the line joining the centres of the areas of contact with the road surface of the wheels of one axle and the line joining the centres of the areas of contact with the road surface of the wheels of the other axle.