# The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986, Regulation 78: Maximum permitted wheel and axle weights

Extent: E+W+S

(1) The weight transmitted to the road by one or more wheels of a vehicle as mentioned in an item in column 2 of the Table shall not exceed the maximum permitted weight specified in that item in column 3.
(2) The Parts of the Table have the following application—
(a) Part I applies to wheeled heavy motor cars, motor cars and trailers which comply with the relevant braking requirement and to wheeled agricultural motor vehicles, agricultural trailers and agricultural trailed appliances; items 1(b) and 2 also apply to buses;
(b) Part II applies to wheeled heavy motor cars, motor cars and trailers which do not fall in Part I;
(c) Part III applies to wheeled locomotives; and
(d) Part IV applies to track-laying vehicles.
TABLE
(regulation 78(1))
PART I
(wheeled heavy motor cars, motor cars and trailers which comply with the relevant braking requirement and wheeled agricultural motor vehicles, agricultural trailers and agricultural trailed appliances; and, in respect of items 1(b) and 2, buses)
1
2
3
Item
Wheel criteria
Maximum permitted weight
(kg)
1
Two wheels in line transversely each of which is fitted with a wide tyre or with two pneumatic tyres having the centres of their areas of contact with the road not less than 300 mm apart, measured at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle—
(a) if the wheels are on the sole driving axle of a motor vehicle not being a bus,
10,500
(b) if the vehicle is a bus which has 2 axles and of which the weight transmitted to the road surface by its wheels is calculated in accordance with regulation 78(5),
10,500
(c) in any other case
10,170
2
Two wheels in line transversely otherwise than as mentioned in item 1
9,200
3
More than two wheels in line transversely—
(a) in the case of a vehicle manufactured before 1st May 1983 where the wheels are on one axle of a group of ... closely spaced axles ...,
10,170
(b) in the case of a vehicle manufactured on or after 1st May 1983,
10,170
(c) in any other case
11,180
4
One wheel not transversely in line with any other wheel—
(a) if the wheel is fitted as described in item 1,
5,090
(b) in any other case
4,600
PART II
(wheeled heavy motor cars, motor cars and trailers not failing in Part I)
1
2
3
Item
Wheel criteria
Maximum permitted weight
(kg)
5
More than two wheels transmitting weight to a strip of the road surface on which the vehicle rests contained between two parallel lines at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle—
(a) less than 1.02 m apart,
11,180
(b) 1.02 m or more apart but less than 1.22 m apart,
16,260
(c) 1.22 m or more apart but less than 2.13 m apart
18,300
6
Two wheels in line transversely
9,200
7
One wheel, where no other wheel is in the same line transversely.
4,600
PART III
(wheeled locomotives)
1
2
3
Item
Wheel criteria
Maximum permitted weight
(kg)
8
Two wheels in line transversely (except in the case of a road roller, or a vehicle with not more than four wheels first used before 1st June 1955)
11,180
9
Any two wheels in the case of a wheeled locomotive having not more than four wheels first used before 1st June 1955 , not being— (a)a road roller;
(b)an agricultural motor vehicle (other than a category T tractor) which is driven at or below 20 mph; or
(c)a category T tractor which is driven at or below 40 km/h.
Three quarters of the total weight of the locomotive.
PART IV
(track-laying vehicles)
1
2
3
Item
Wheel criteria
Maximum permitted weight
(kg)
10
The weight of a heavy motor car, motor car or trailer transmitted to any strip of the road surface on which the vehicle rests contained between two parallel lines 0.6 m apart at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle
10,170
11
Two wheels in line—
(a) heavy motor cars or motor cars with 2 wheels,
8,130
(b) heavy motor cars or motor cars with more than 2 wheels
7,630
12
One wheel, where no other wheel is in the same line transversely, on a heavy motor car or a motor car
4,070
(3) In the case of an articulated bus, or, subject to paragraph (4), of a bus first used before 1st April 1988, the laden weight, for the purposes of ... regulation 75, and the weight transmitted to the road surface by wheels of the vehicle, for the purposes of items 1 and 2 of the Table in this regulation, shall be calculated with reference to the vehicle when it is complete and fully equipped for service with—
(a) a full supply of water, oil and fuel; and
(b) weights of 63.5 kg for each person (including crew)—
(i) for whom a seat is provided in the position in which he may be seated; and
(ii) who may by or under any enactment be carried standing, the total of such weights being reasonably distributed in the space in which such persons may be carried, save that in the case of a bus (not being an articulated bus) only the number of such persons exceeding 8 shall be taken into account.
(4) The weights for the purposes referred to in paragraph (3) may, in the case of a bus to which that paragraph applies, be calculated in accordance with paragraph (5) instead of paragraph (3).
(5) In the case of a bus first used on or after 1st April 1988, the weights for the purposes referred to in paragraph (3) shall be calculated with reference to the vehicle when it is complete and fully equipped for service with—
(a) a full supply of water, oil and fuel;
(b) a weight of 65 kg for each person (including crew)—
(i) for whom a seat is provided, in the position in which he may be seated; and
(ii) who may by or under any enactment be carried standing, the total of such weights being reasonably distributed in the space in which such persons may be so carried, save that in the case of a bus (not being an articulated bus) only the number of such persons exceeding 4 shall be taken into account;
(c) all luggage space within the vehicle but not within the passenger compartment loaded at the rate of 100 kg per m3 or 10 kg per person mentioned in sub-paragraph (b) above, whichever is the less; and
(d) any area of the roof of the vehicle constructed or adapted for the storage of luggage loaded with a uniformly distributed load at the rate of 75 kg per m2.
(6) Regulation 75 shall not apply to a two axle bus if—
(a) its laden weight as calculated in accordance with paragraph (5) does not exceed 17,000kg; and
(b) the distance between the two axles is at least 3.0m.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1986/1078/regulation/78 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/road-vehicles-construction-and-use-regulations-1986/regulation-78
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.