Can a cargo cause a truck to exceed the maximum permissible capacity of the vehicle?
Show the correct answer
Correct answer
C. No.
Explanation
In the photo there is a three-axle lorry with a tipper body, shown from the side. The load must not cause the permitted payload to be exceeded - the answer is C.
The Road Traffic Act states directly that the load must not cause the maximum permissible mass or the permitted payload of the vehicle to be exceeded. The permitted payload is the largest mass of load and people that the vehicle may carry, that is the difference between the maximum permissible mass and the unladen mass. The law does not allow any 20% tolerance (answer A), and exceeding the payload is prohibited even when the axle loads are within the limits (answer B) - these are two separate requirements that must be met at the same time. An overloaded lorry takes longer to brake, handles worse and damages the road faster, and during an inspection the carrier may be given a financial penalty.
Legal basis: Art. 61 para. 1 and 2 point 1 and Art. 2 point 56 of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym)