HL Deb 27 September 2000 vol 616 c163WA
Lord Berkeley

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What estimate they have made of the proportion of heavy goods vehicles operating over their weight limits; and what studies have been undertaken to support these estimates. [HL3778]

Lord Whitty

Of the 64,000 heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) weighed by the Vehicle Inspectorate (VI) in the year to April 2000, 5 per cent were overloaded by 5 per cent or more on either axle or gross weight. But VI weighs vehicles that are likely to be overloaded and this figure is not representative of the HGV fleet as a whole.

Through the Continuing Survey of Road Goods Transport (CSRGT), the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions monitors the freight carried by HGVs registered in Great Britain and the proportion of journeys where cargo is limited by weight, as distinct from volume. The CSRGT figures show that in 1999 about 30 per cent of laden HGV journeys involved loads limited by weight. As a proportion of all HGV journeys, this figure would be lower, around 22 per cent.

1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000
Total Employees 1,559 1,582 1,633 1,726 1,808
Numbers on HGV enforcement 193.7 200.7 197.1 193.2 205.3

Lord Bradshaw

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many lorry weight checks were carried out by the Vehicle Inspectorate and other agencies during the last year for which figures are available between 18.00 hours and 06.00 hours on Mondays to Thursdays. [HL3762]