21Determination of vehicle mass and wheel, single axle, axle group, aggregate axle, coupling and towbar loads

21 Determination of vehicle mass and wheel, single axle, axle group, aggregate axle, coupling and towbar loads

(1)  For the purposes of these regulations, the mass, wheel load, single axle load, axle group load or aggregate axle load of a vehicle or combination, or the load on a coupling or towbar of a vehicle or combination, may be determined by a police officer, or an authorised officer, in accordance with this regulation.

(2)  A police officer or an authorised officer may determine the mass, wheel load, single axle load, axle group load or aggregate axle load of a vehicle or combination, or the load on a coupling or towbar of a vehicle or combination –

(a) by causing to be placed on a weighbridge –

(i) any wheel separately; or

(ii) all the wheels on any single axle; or

(iii) all the wheels on any axle group; or

(iv) all the wheels on the vehicle; or

(b) by causing to be placed on a portable weighing device or devices, tested in accordance with regulation 23  –

(i) any wheel separately; or

(ii) a wheel or wheels on any single axle; or

(iii) a wheel or wheels on each axle of any axle group; or

(iv) the outer wheels on each axle of the vehicle; or

(v) the coupling of the trailer of the vehicle.

(3)  A mass or load, or the sum of any masses or loads of a vehicle or combination, determined under subregulation (2) is the mass, wheel load, single axle load, axle group load, aggregate axle load, coupling load or towbar load, as the case may be, of the vehicle or combination to which it relates –

(a) measured in circumstances where any wheel of the vehicle or combination was, at the time of determination, within 150 millimetres of alignment in the same horizontal plane in relation to any other wheel of the vehicle or combination; and

(b) if a mass is determined under subregulation (2)(b)(v) , measured in circumstances where the coupling of the trailer is not more than 50 millimetres higher or lower than it was when attached to the vehicle towing the trailer immediately before the measurement was made.

(4)  The mass and aggregate axle load of a vehicle or combination may be determined by adding together the axle loads of all the axles and the mass measurement at the coupling of the trailer, provided that each measurement is made independently of each other measurement.