Lorry with different numberplates

[Ninja59]

Was cruising on the M20 in the current 50 mph roadworks, when I noticed a lorry with a Romanian numberplates being displayed on the cab, but the trailer was displaying a number plate from the Netherlands.

What is the legality of such setups or is it straight illegal?

[Cat]

It's legal. In many European countries trailers have their own registration plate rather than displaying the towing vehicle's plate. For example check out any Dutch artic and you'll see the trailer plate differs from the tractor unit.

Cat

[FiF]

In the Netherlands, along with many other nations, UK being an exception, trailers have their own number plates. Even caravans carry their own registration. Small trailers (max weight <750kg?) carry the same number as the towing vehicle.

[Ninja59]

Interesting cheers chaps, learn something new every day!

[magooagain]

My French plated car transporter trailor has its own plate and also it's own insurance. Most European countries are the same.
Of course the uk has to be different! But be aware if you pull a trailor behind a car or van make sure the vehicle doing the towing is insured to do so.

[GC8]

FiF said:

In the Netherlands, along with many other nations, UK being an exception, trailers have their own number plates. Even caravans carry their own registration. Small trailers (max weight <750kg?) carry the same number as the towing vehicle.

British trailers are registered too (with VINs and MOTs), but they dont display the trailers number.

People involved in accidents with European lorries should take the registered number off the traction unit.

[FiF]

GC8 said:

FiF said:

In the Netherlands, along with many other nations, UK being an exception, trailers have their own number plates. Even caravans carry their own registration. Small trailers (max weight <750kg?) carry the same number as the towing vehicle.

British trailers are registered too (with VINs and MOTs), but they dont display the trailers number.

People involved in accidents with European lorries should take the registered number off the traction unit.

Yes, but it goes further into much smaller trailers, for example when I took my small unbraked boat trailer to Sweden, if towing behind a UK registered vehicle it was OK to display the UK plate. But for towing behind a Swedish vehicle, it had to be taken to Transportstyrelsen, registered, tested, and detail things like the rear fog light swapped over to the other side before its own registration plate, different to the towing vehicle, could be issued. Even small camping trailers are registered.

[GC8]

Interesting. Every trailer has its own identity and compliance record?

My point was more that UK HGV trailers have O licences, VINs, MOTs and 'registrations', but they carry the traction units registered number on the road, whereas a lot of foreign vehicles will only have the 'proper' registered number displayed on the traction unit, with the trailer displaying it own number. I think that a fair number of people have struggled with insurance claims after noting the trailer number only.

[FiF]

GC8 said:

Interesting. Every trailer has its own identity and compliance record?

My point was more that UK HGV trailers have O licences, VINs, MOTs and 'registrations', but they carry the traction units registered number on the road, whereas a lot of foreign vehicles will only have the 'proper' registered number displayed on the traction unit, with the trailer displaying it own number. I think that a fair number of people have struggled with insurance claims after noting the trailer number only.

Yes, understood what you were getting at with your post re LGV trailers.

Out of interest there's a thread on local.se here where some of the frustration is aired. Particularly around the cost of the must have CoC on Ifor Williams UK purchased trailers where they are not available from IW in UK, who refer you to their sole importer, who want to charge about £1200 for a bit of paper, which strangely brings the UK price up to the Swedish market price. Smells more fishy than Grimsby docks.

Plus once you've got it through and registered by whatever means, sod's law usually says that for a trailer used fairly irregularly when a need for it crops up that usually prompts a bit of a scramble to sort it and get it tested quickly.

[TooMany2cvs]

FiF said:

Out of interest there's a thread on local.se here where some of the frustration is aired. Particularly around the cost of the must have CoC on Ifor Williams UK purchased trailers where they are not available from IW in UK, who refer you to their sole importer, who want to charge about £1200 for a bit of paper, which strangely brings the UK price up to the Swedish market price. Smells more fishy than Grimsby docks.

Plus once you've got it through and registered by whatever means, sod's law usually says that for a trailer used fairly irregularly when a need for it crops up that usually prompts a bit of a scramble to sort it and get it tested quickly.

Probably why so many Swedish petrol stations rent trailers.