Nearly half of van drivers overload their vehicles despite the vast majority of them knowing the legal weight restriction for their light commercial vehicles.
That’s according to a new survey from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, which found that 48 per cent of UK van drivers admitted to overloading their vans in the last year despite it carrying a fine of up to £300. Collectively, the nation’s van drivers could be risking a £703 million fine for putting too much weight into their vehicles.
Vans loaded beyond 30 per cent of their gross vehicle weight could see owners hit with a court summons and even a custodial sentence in the most extreme circumstances.
The survey of 1,000 van drivers found that 66 per cent of drivers aged between 18 and 24 had overloaded their van in the last year, followed by 63 per cent of over-65-year-olds.
The tradespeople most likely to overload their vans were carpenters, too, followed by builders, electricians and painter decorators.
A DVSA spokesperson said: “DVSA’s priority is to protect everyone from unsafe drivers and vehicles. It is the driver’s responsibility to ensure their vehicle is safe to drive. They should make sure they know the maximum permitted gross vehicle weight and limits on each axle of their vehicle.
“We take enforcement action against drivers and operators who risk people’s lives by overloading or not securely loading their vehicles. Our accessible online guidance provides everyone with the information they need to load their vehicle safely and avoid risking the lives of other road users.”
In the UK, the maximum gross vehicle weight for a light commercial vehicle is 3.5 tonnes or 4.25 tonnes for an alternatively-fuelled vehicle. Even exceeding this gross vehicle weight by 9.99 per cent carries a £100 if caught, too.