| Motors
Hitching up? Tow safely with VW
Commercial vehicles
While adding a trailer behind your van to carry additional
equipment may seem a simple process, a lack of
knowledge about vehicle load weights and towing laws
could mean that drivers are potentially breaking the law.
esearch
undertaken by
Volkswagen
Commercial
Vehicles found that
a worrying 53 per
cent of van drivers didn’t know
their vehicle’s maximum load
carrying capacity, and nearly half
of businesses do not monitor the
weights of company vehicles on a
regular basis. In 2015, the DVSA
stopped over 10,800 vans on UK
roads and found 89 per cent to be
driving overloaded.
With trailers offering an easy
and cost effective method for
businesses to carry additional
equipment or products,
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles
is urging customers to ensure they
know their vehicle’s towing
capacity before hitching up. On a
UK full car licence, anyone can
drive up to 3.5 tonnes Gross
Vehicle Weight (GVW). However
R
when adding a trailer, the laws
become more complicated, with
restrictions on a permissible
vehicle and trailer weights for
those who obt ained their driving
licence after 1997*.
Going above these weights
(without the right licence) or a
tachograph being fitted can lead to
large fines for businesses.
Companies can also potentially
face a court summons and even
immobilisation of the vehicles for
failing to comply.
Using the wrong vehicle for
towing can also affect driving
performance, for example
reducing acceleration and
increasing stopping distances,
particularly in the wet, and can
cause long term detrimental
damage to the vehicle.
Part of Volkswagen Commercial
Vehicles’ ‘Working with You’
promise means Van Centre staff
can help businesses select the
MTC Subaru
Perkins
Cambridgeshire
01733 822 943
www.mtc-subaru.co.uk
Essex
01371 483 379
www.perkins-subaru.co.uk
Cambridge Subaru
Pinkstones Subaru
Cambridgeshire
Tel. 01223 841 616
www.cambridge-subaru.co.uk
Staffordshire
01782 484 959
www.pinkstones-subaru.co.uk
64 | Farming Monthly | August 2016
right vehicle for their needs,
ensuring vehicles are capable of
towing the right weight.
Volkswagen Commercial
Vehicles offers a range of towbar
solutions, and prices have recently
been reduced to ensure they are
as competitive as possible. They
now start from £400 for a fixed
Amarok towbar with 13 pin
electrics, including fitting and VAT.
All Van Centre fitted towbars are of
course applied by qualified staff
and covered by Volkswagen’s
comprehensive warranty.
Trevor Hodgson-Phillips, Head
of Service and Parts at
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles
comments: ‘Towing can cause a
serious legal minefield for
businesses and damage to
vehicles. We aim to help our
customers by advising on the right
vehicle and towbar fitment to suit
their needs. Working hand-in-hand
with our customers, we can ensure
they have the peace-of-mind their
vehicle will be equipped with the
correct towbar for the job in hand.’
To find your nearest Van Centre
or details of Volkswagen
Commercial Vehicles’ range of
towbars and accessories, visit
www.volkswagen-vans.co.uk
Central Motors
Somerset
01460 64747
www.centralmotors.co.uk
www.farmingmonthly.co.uk