NSW Police’s Macarthur Highway Patrol have released the results of its ‘education event’ to check towing vehicle and caravan weights.
Writing on its Facebook page, the police said 44 combinations of towing vehicles and caravan/camper trailers were weighed at the Cataract Activity Centre in Appin last month.
Each vehicle owner pre-booked their slot at the event, and there was no enforcement conducted.
Here’s what police discovered in the various categories tested:
VEHICLE LOADING AS A PERCENTAGE OF GVM:
Overweight: 16
90-99 per cent: 20
80-89 per cent: 8
TRAILER LOADING AS A PERCENTAGE OF ATM:
Overweight: 17
90-99%: 19
80-89%: 7
<79%: 1
TRAILER LOADING AS A PERCENTAGE OF THE GTM:
Overweight: 6
90-99%: 19
80-89%: 15
<79%: 3
* 1 van had no listed GTM
OVERALL COMBINATION STATUS OF GCM:
Overweight: 8 (18% of all weighed combinations), with the highest overweight reading being 699kg).
90-99%: 19 (43% of all weighed combinations. 9 of these 16 were between 96% and 99% of their listed GCM).
80-89%: 9 (20% of all weighed combinations).
<79%: 8 (19% of all weighed combinations).
“Our recommendation to those who tow caravans / loaded trailers is that you should know your limits and weights of your own tow vehicle and trailer, and any time you replace one of them, have your weighing re-done,” police said.
Don’t wait on the hope for a free quick weigh day. There are many reputable businesses who are mobile, and they will come to you for a relatively small charge, where they will invest more time with you and your vehicles to help you understand where you are currently at in relation to your weights.
“They can shift weights around inside your van or tow vehicle whilst they are on the scales and you can make a more informed decision on what you are going to take away with you and how you should load it.”
Other police tips included:
- If you are buying a caravan brand new, just be aware that your original van tare weight, and the actual weight once your options have been added may have in fact resulted in a compliance plate that no longer displays the correct weights. This is an issue which may cause you a few hundred extra kilograms of stress that you didn’t know about.
- We would suggest that before you make changes to your standard tow vehicle, talk to qualified industry experts about what GVM upgrades are available for your vehicle, and then weigh your loaded caravan before you choose which level GVM upgrade you should choose. Do it once and do it right.
Ahead of the busy holiday season, police are cracking down on overweight caravans, with fines and demerit points being handed out for those doing the wrong thing.
Those caught exceeding weight limits while towing caravans in Queensland can expect fines of up to $287 and three demerit points, $469 and three demerit points in NSW, $238 to $1580 in Victoria, up to $591 in South Australia and $130 to $735 in Tasmania.