Van driver on M1 fined £300 for having too many tissues in the back

A van driver was caught by police and fined £300 on the M1 motorway - because he had too many tissues in the back.
By Alex Evans
Published 10th Aug 2019, 14:40 BST
The van was pulled over and the van driver fined 300 for having too many tissues on board. Photos: West Yorkshire PoliceThe van was pulled over and the van driver fined 300 for having too many tissues on board. Photos: West Yorkshire Police
The van was pulled over and the van driver fined 300 for having too many tissues on board. Photos: West Yorkshire Police

The load of soft, strong and ultra absorbent tissues turned out to be too big for the van.

Police stopped the Ford Transit Luton van at junction 45 of the M1 and found it was overweight.

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The van was 23% heavier than the law permits it to carry, meaning the load of tissues was too heavy to be legal for the van's specified maximum load.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Police's Roads Policing Unit said: "Ford Transit Luton van stopped M1 Jct45. Driver carrying a load of tissues.

"Vehicle weighed and found to be 22.8% overweight.

"Driver issued with a £300 fine and immediate prohibition notice. Remember to check your weights!."

How do I know how much I can legally carry before my car or van is overweight?

Unladen weight

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The unladen weight of any vehicle is the weight of the vehicle when it’s not carrying any passengers, goods or other items.

It includes the body and all parts normally used with the vehicle or trailer when it’s used on a road.

It doesn’t include the weight of:

fuel

batteries in an electric vehicle - unless it’s a mobility scooter or powered wheelchair

Maximum authorised mass

Maximum authorised mass (MAM) means the weight of a vehicle or trailer including the maximum load that can be carried safely when it’s being used on the road.

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This is also known as gross vehicle weight (GVW) or permissible maximum weight.

It will be listed in the owner’s manual and is normally shown on a plate or sticker fitted to the vehicle.

The plate or sticker may also show a gross train weight (GTW), also sometimes called gross combination weight (GCW). This is the total weight of the tractor unit plus trailer plus load.