Marker Boards in France
I'm aware of the requirement that in Spain, 'long vehicle' marker boards are required if outfit length (car & caravan or motorhome) is 12 metres or longer. I'm sure I read somewhere that in France, the same applies if outfit is 13 metres or longer. I would be grateful if anyone can confirm the latter?
Additionally, my outfit (12.74 metres) will be over 3,500 kg (caravan MTPLM 1550 kg - car's kerb weight 2115 kg) so therefore have to comply with reduced speed restrictions in France. Are marker boards a legal requirement in view of my heavy outfit?
Just want to be legal when we head off to French soil in May 2020 - no matter whatever the BREXIT outcome will be. Regards
Comments
-
S far as I am aware neither is required-but if you want a 'definitive' answer why not contact the clubs technical peeps?
Re the speed, this applies if the cars Max train weight is over 3500kg irrespective of the weight of what you are towing.
Lets hope nothing changes now you are committed to going!!
0 -
AllanandJean - thanks so much for your reply. Will do as you suggest & contact the club's tech experts.
I understood the Max Train Weight to be the combined weight of tow vehicle AND caravan. My vehicle's kerb weight is as I stated, 2115kg but with me, my wife, fuel & other equipment, will probably be in the region of 2,400kg - 2,500kg. Add on my caravan and I'll be well over the 3,500kg???
The foregoing is confirmed by the information contained on the CAMC site....unless I'm reading it incorrectly.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_combined_weight_rating
0 -
As far as the French speed limit for bigger outfits is concerned, it's not the actual weight that counts but the plated gross train weight, so neither the car's kerbweight nor the caravan's MTPLM enter the equation.
Marker boards are not a legal requirement for France. In fact, on another forum someone claimed that they were even illegal in that country. I don't know where whoever got that information from, so I can't confirm it or otherwise. All I can say is that I've got marker boards on my caravan and have never been stopped because of that in France.
0 -
I have stick on ones as i need them for Spain just being over the 12m limit, however, we travel to and from Spain via France with the marker boards attached and never had a problem. Met a guy at the ferry who was caught in Zaragozza Spain without boards, he had 2 choices, pay euro 100 fine or purchase a set of stick on boards from that nice policeman for euro 30.
0 -
To allow you to whizz down French autoroutes unchallenged at speeds greater than 90kph all you need on your caravan is a small oval sticker marked NL.
2 -
Lutz, I am very grateful for your reply and the information contained in your post. I appear to have difficulty copying & pasting a link to .pdf documents.
However, if you highlight each of the following in turn individually and press the 'open link in new window' for the first one & 'go to https' for the second, you will be able to read the information that I have been reading and perhaps interpreting incorrectly.
https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/globalassets/pdfs/content/overseas/spanish-regulations.pdf
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_combined_weight_rating
I remain convinced that the combined weight of my laden caravan + the laden weight of my tow vehicle applies when reading the penultimate paragraph of the CAMC Information sheet.
BTW - my boards have been attached to the rear of my 'van since my visit to Spain in 2017 throughout my 2018 tour of France. As a retired Royal Navy Police Officer, I'm always accused by family and friends to be too particular for my own good.
eurotraveller - I admire your cynical humour but concur the sentiment of your remark. Regards to all.
0 -
LewJack, I hope you get official confirmation of speed limits when towing on French autoroutes.
There are websites out there which confidently say it only depends on the actual combined on the road weight of car and caravan being above or below 3.5 tonnes, and yet other websites spell it out differently just as Lutz has done. There is confusion.
All I can say is that for years I have towed a very stable caravan on French toll autoroutes at 60/65 mph (approximately 100 kph.) and pairs of French motorcycle police have always sailed past me without showing any interest or displeasure.
0
