S.I. No. 119/1983 - Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use of Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulations, 1983.

S.I. No. 119 of 1983.

ROAD TRAFFIC (CONSTRUCTION, EQUIPMENT AND USE OF VEHICLES) (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS, 1983.

The Minister for the Environment in exercise of the powers conferred on him by sections 5 , 11 and 12 of the Road Traffic Act, 1961 , (No. 24 of 1961) hereby makes the following Regulations:—

1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use of Vehicles) ( Amendment) Regulations, 1983.

(2) The Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use of Vehicles) Regulations, 1963 to 1981 and these Regulations shall be construed as one and may be cited together as the Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use of Vehicles) Regulations, 1963 to 1983.

2. In these Regulations "the Principal Regulations" means the Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use of Vehicles) Regulations, 1963 (S.I. 190 of 1963).

3. Article 5 of the Principal Regulations shall be amended by the substitution for sub-article (2) of the following sub-article—

"(2) For the purposes of this Part of these Regulations the weight transmitted by an axle of a vehicle or trailer shall be taken as the weight transmitted by all the wheels of that vehicle or trailer the centres of which lie in a vertical plane extending across the full width of the vehicle or trailer at right angles to its longitudinal axis and any reference to the distance between any two axles shall be construed as the distance between the respective vertical planes in which the centre of the wheels of such axles lie."

4. Article 7 of the Principal Regulations shall be amended by the substitution for sub-article (2) of the following sub-article—

"(2) ( a ) The weight transmitted to the surface of a road by a single axle of a vehicle or of a trailer attached to a vehicle shall not exceed 10 tons.

( b ) The weight transmitted to the surface of a road by any two adjacent axles of a vehicle or of a trailer attached to a vehicle shall not exceed that shown in column 2 of the Table below where the distance between the axles is as set out in Column 1 of the Table.

TABLE

Column 1 Where the distance between the two axles is—	Column 2 Maximum weight
less than 3 feet 4 inches	11 tons;
not less than 3 feet 4 inches and less than 3 feet 11 inches	17 tons;
not less than 3 feet 11 inches and less than 4 feet 5 inches	18 tons;
not less than 4 feet 5 inches and less than 4 feet 11 inches.	18½ tons;
not less than 4 feet 11 inches and less than 6 feet 1 inch	19 tons;
6 feet 1 inch or more	20 tons.

( c ) The weight transmitted to the surface of a road by 3 successive axles of a semi-trailer shall not exceed 22½ tons."

5. Article 7 of the Principal Regulations shall be amended by the substitution for sub-article (3) of the following sub-article—

"(3) ( a ) The weight laden of a vehicle, not being an articulated vehicle, or of a trailer attached to a vehicle shall not exceed—

(i) where the vehicle or trailer has two axles, 16 tons;

(ii) where the vehicle or trailer has three axles and the distance between the extreme front and rear axles is:—

less than 16 feet 1 inch

16 feet 1 inch or more

22 tons;

24 tons;

(iii) where the vehicle or trailer has four or more axles and the distance between the extreme front and rear axles is:—

less than 18 feet 4 inches

25 tons;

not less than 18 feet 4

inches and less than 19 feet 4 inches

26 tons;

not less than 19 feet 4

inches and less than 20 feet 8 inches

28 tons;

20 feet 8 inches or more

30 tons.

( b ) The weight laden of a mechanically propelled vehicle which forms part of an articulated vehicle shall not exceed—

(i) where the mechanically propelled vehicle has 2 axles, 16 tons;

(ii) where the mechanically propelled vehicle has 3 or more axles and the distance between the extreme front and rear axles is:—

less than 14 feet 1 inch	22 tons;
14 feet 1 inch or more	24 tons.

( c ) The weight transmitted to the surface of a road by an articulated vehicle shall not exceed the maximum laden weight shown in column 3 of the following Table in relation to the distances shown in column 2 of the Table for an articulated vehicle having the number of axles shown in Column 1.

TABLE

Column 1	Column 2	Column 3
Number of axles	Distance between rearmost axle of drawing component and the rearmost axle of the semi-trailer.	Maximum laden weight.
	less than 8 feet 6 inches	22 tons;
3 axles	not less than 8 feet 6 inches and less than 9 feet 6 inches	23 tons;
	9 feet 6 inches or more	24 tons;
	less than 11 feet 6 inches	25 tons;
	not less than 11 feet 6 inches and less than 12 feet 6 inches	26 tons;
	not less than 12 feet 6 inches and less than 13 feet 5 inches	27 tons;
4 or more axles	not less than 13 feet 5 inches and less than 14 feet 5 inches	28 tons;
	not less than 14 feet 5 inches and less than 15 feet 5 inches	29 tons;
	not less than 15 feet 5 inches and less than 16 feet 5 inches	30 tons;
	not less than 16 feet 5 inches and less than 17 feet 5 inches	31 tons;
	17 feet 5 inches or more	32 tons."

6. In sub-article (2) of article 11 of the Principal Regulations "50 feet 10 inches" shall be substituted for "49 feet".

GIVEN under the Official Seal of the Minister for the Environment

this 5th day of May, 1983.

DICK SPRING,

Minister for the Environment.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

These Regulations provide for increases in the maximum permissible weights of certain types of vehicles and an increase in the maximum permitted length of articulated vehicles. The maximum permitted vehicle weights are subject to detailed controls in relation to axle spacings.