A truck with a gross vehicle weight exceeding 3.5 t is pulling a trailer. By what percentage may the gross weight of the trailer exceed the actual weight of the car pulling it?
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Correct answer
C. 40%.
Explanation
In the photo, a lorry trailer with a tarpaulin, uncoupled from the towing vehicle. The actual total mass of a trailer pulled by a lorry with a maximum permissible mass of over 3.5 t may exceed the actual mass of this lorry by 40 per cent - answer C.
The Road Traffic Act states that the actual total mass of a trailer pulled by a lorry with a maximum permissible mass exceeding 3.5 t must not exceed the actual total mass of this lorry increased by 40 per cent. Example: if your lorry weighs 10 t at the moment, the trailer may weigh no more than 14 t. With lighter vehicles the rule is stricter - a trailer pulled by a passenger car or a lorry up to 3.5 t must not exceed the actual mass of the towing vehicle, and a trailer behind a motorcycle must not weigh more than the unladen mass of the motorcycle and not more than 100 kg. The rule does not apply to semi-trailers. The point is that the towing vehicle must have enough mass and grip to control the combination when braking and on a bend - a trailer that is too heavy starts to "push" the towing vehicle.
Legal basis: Art. 62 para. 1 point 1-3 and para. 2 of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym)