Weighty issue for van drivers

Research has shown that nearly fifty per cent of UK van drivers do not know their vehicle’s maximum load carrying capacity.

The study, commissioned by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, also found that three quarters of businesses do not realise that driving a vehicle with a payload beyond the legal weight limit could potentially invalidate the insurance policy.

Gordon MacDonald, Vehicle Product Manager at the DVSA, commented: “The research highlights that a large proportion of van drivers could be breaking the law and posing serious safety risks to themselves and other road users. Overloading is a real issue on our roads and it is the responsibility of both the driver and the business to load vehicles correctly and keep their van within its legal weight limit.”