Parking a HGV in a residential street?

clever_username

Just took the little girl over the school for her concert and down the road this huge lorry is parked in the street again. It's there once a week or so lately.

You shouldn't be parking a monster like that in a residential street surely? It's one of the lorries used to deliver bricks and building supplies on pallets, made up of a flat-bed lorry with a similar-sized trailer.

I didn't think you were allowed to park things this big in the street any more?

Bowling_4_Gold

I think, as long as they have Tax and Insurance, they can park wherever they like.

The only thing that may oppose this is how (I think) they had to prove to the place they bought it from that they had suitable premises to store the truck (off the street) to be able to buy it. Not sure how much legal stance that would have after the sale has taken place, though.

clever_username

Bowling_4_Gold wrote: »

I think, as long as they have Tax and Insurance, they can park wherever they like.

Maybe. I'll be honest though I've got a feeling that this isn't true when it comes to big articulated lorries.

esmerobbo

As long as there is no weight restriction or it is not causing an obstruction they can park. However it should have parking lights on during the hours of darkness if it has an unladen weight exceeding 1525Kg.

Although the local Vosa office may take an interest. As stated to gain their licence to operate they have to have premises to park.

Bowling_4_Gold

clever_username wrote: »

Maybe. I'll be honest though I've got a feeling that this isn't true when it comes to big articulated lorries.

Well, yes that's what I meant by how they have to prove they've got suitable premises to store the vehicle when not in use. I haven't had to use this information in a long while, that's why I'm a bit unsure of it.

Surely if they were banned from parking anywhere, drivers wouldn't be able to sleep or take the statutory break they must have every 4 hours?

clever_username

Bowling_4_Gold wrote: »

Surely if they were banned from parking anywhere, drivers wouldn't be able to sleep or take the statutory break they must have every 4 hours?

I think you'd agree that there is a marked difference between leaving the vehicle unattended on the street for 14 hours or more from 5 o'clock in the afternoon and having the few hours statutory break?

optimus_primera

esmerobbo wrote: »

As long as there is no weight restriction or it is not causing an obstruction they can park. However it should have parking lights on during the hours of darkness if it has an unladen weight exceeding 1525Kg.

Although the local Vosa office may take an interest. As stated to gain their licence to operate they have to have premises to park.

That depends on the type of Operators Licence issued.
The premises where the vehicle is based has to be able to keep the vehicle without causing an obstruction, but it does not mean it has to be kept there all the time (hence seeing HGV'S parked up at night in laybys and lorry parks)

As long there is not a weight restriction on the rd, nor is the vehicle obstructing other users, then on the face of it there's not much you can do.

However, contacting the local VOSA office may help

vikingaero

VOSA only deal with the roadworthiness and ensuring the driver sticks to the tacho hours.

You can I believe make a complaint about HGVs to your local Traffic Commissioner:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/tpm/trafficcommissioners/

These people deal with operators licences and I believe it would be looked at very unfavourably if a HGV is parked on a residential street (unless the registered operating centre is in a residential area).

mrbadexample

vikingaero wrote: »

VOSA only deal with the roadworthiness and ensuring the driver sticks to the tacho hours.

No, VOSA will deal with the parking too (because the vehicle operator commits an offence of using an unauthorised operating centre, as the residential street will not have been authorised as an operating centre by the Traffic Commissioner.) The office of the Traffic Commissioner will forward any such complaint to VOSA to investigate.

A complaint to either VOSA or the local Traffic Commissioner should result in a fairly quick disappearance of the said vehicle.

ROY47

if it's left overnight no as stated below :


A Heavy Goods Vehicles is classed as a vehicle 3.5 Tonnes or above in weight. Heavy goods vehicles of this nature should have an Operator's Licence which entitles them to operate the vehicle on the highway.

As part of the Licence requirement the owner must state where their Operating Centre is. An Operating Centre is an off-street location where the vehicle will be garaged / parked at night. This is declared at the time of issuing an Operator's Licence. This does not include such things as overnight stops for long distance journeys where official areas are usually used.

The potential offence being committed by the owners of vehicles is one of not parking the vehicle overnight in its specified, off street parking area.

In order to inform the Traffic Commissioner that this licence is being abused there has to be proof that the vehicle has parked overnight in a location other than its Operating Centre. Information such as the offending vehicle's registration number, location and the dates when the vehicle is being parked overnight, the unit can then pass on the information to the Traffic Commissioner.

The Traffic Commissioner will investigate the matter and if he feels that an offence is being committed he will write to the owner of the vehicle to inform them that this action contravenes the conditions of their Licence.

This course of action is usually enough to stop the owner re-offending, as the ultimate sanction is that the Traffic Commissioner would withdraw the licence, making it impossible for the owner of the vehicle to continue to operate.

mrbadexample

ROY47 wrote: »

The potential offence being committed by the owners of vehicles is one of not parking the vehicle overnight in its specified, off street parking area.

Not quite. That would make it an offence of not parking it where they should. In this case, it's using an unauthorised operating centre, i.e. parking it where they shouldn't.

Semantics? Yeah, probably.

Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995

7. Operating centres to be specified in operators’ licences.

(1) A person may not use a place in the area of any traffic commissioner as an operating centre for vehicles authorised to be used under any operator’s licence issued to him by that commissioner unless that place is specified as an operating centre of his in that licence.
(2) Any person who contravenes subsection (1) is guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale.