DUAL PURPOSE VEHICLES

[w3526602]

Hi,

I've just been browsing Google about Operator's Licences, came across this.

The dual purpose catergory generally includes cars, estates, pick-ups [ with second row of seats (crewcab) only] and domestic 4x4 vehicles such as Land Rovers, Jeeps, and other similar vehicles below 2040kg unladen weight.

So why was I charged the COMMERCIAL vehicle toll to cross the Severn Bridge in my Mazda B2500 Double -cab? OK not quite comparing like with like, but surely one definition of a vehicle should suffice?

When I howled in protest, the nice lady, handed me a slip of paper to justify the higher charge.

Nice lady? The toll was something like £11, and I only had a tenner on me, which she accepted.

Oh yes, a small pick-up truck is NOT a car-derived van, so is restricted to goods vehicle speed limits. I assume that applies to double cabs too, if they are only 4x2.

602

[plugspanner]

I found this annoying when I went over the severn bridge in my hilux d/cab, had to pay commercial fees.
when my wife does the odd car boot sale some of the organisers want to charge her for a van, and yet a Volvo estate can carry a similar sized object.
it differs greatly sadly.
not sure what my max speed should be on a motorway, but I rarely do over 60 as it drinks the diesel up too much!

[Xpajun]

So what about if you had a windowed Truckman on the bed?

[plugspanner]

[brava199]

then its car rate they justfie it becuse you can cary a loade pallets so on my mate vans both long wheel base only diffrend is side winow on drives side he payed less becuse he told them it was a 5 seater as the windo was tinted the let him go at a lowere rate

[w3526602]

Hi,

My Mazda Double-cab had side windows in the canopy, four doors, five seats, and lots of bling ... probably not sold as a goods vehicle. But the toll was double that of a car.

Some years ago, I phoned the Severn Crossing Co, and was told that ALL Land Rovers cross at the car rate. More recently, I have heard this was due to a farmer's pressure group representing local Land Rover owning farmers who would need to cross the bridge. I wonder if that can be true?

When the bridge first opened, the goods vehicle toll only applied to trucks over 3 tons unladen. This soon became "any goods vehicle". A letter to my MP produced the reply that the original definition was confusing, so they changed it.

Tricycles with a roof are tolled at the car rate. Tricycles without a roof are considered motorcycles, so cross for free.

Changes in VAT do not affect the toll, the price is posted inclusive of VAT, so written in stone.

Certain disabled people cross the bridge for free ... and that includes passengers. Find yourself a friendly badge holder, offer him a ride out. My last recovery driver had the disabled paperwork, so I didn't have to pay his toll ... it covered his tip.

The bridge will revert to the Government when collected tolls reach a billion pounds. That's not too far away, but I bet HMG will still collect tolls.

602

[Muddymoss]

Hi all, I had the same problem earlier in the year across the Severn bridge, I think it was about £12 in my Rodeo Denver double cab with windowed truckman top. So classed as a commercial. I use the Dartford crossing daily and it's classed as a car. No logic to it.

[Xpajun]

How about a series of double cabs at each booth refusing to pay a commercial fee - that would back traffic up a fair bit

[Twiss]

I was going to say... if I was not in a genuine commercial vehicle I would just sit in front of the barrier until they let me go

[RichardD]

My 110 CSW is registered as a commercial vehicle so it could be legally sold in the EU and I got the lower VED rate. As a result it is listed on insurance databases as a van although my insurers have taken a view on that and have agreed to insure it as a passenger car.

You can't get everything your own way I suppose but that shouldn't stop you from trying

[w3526602]

Hi,

I found this on Google. Interesting as I didn't know about the Admin Charges, nor how to provoke them.

602

Dear Dick Turpin,
I am in receipt of your threatening demand for money and escalating consequences, dated 05Sep2011 and received on 07Sep2011. I also note that you have not clearly identified yourself, although your actions have given you away. Apparently, your "Toll Plaza" (how posh a name for fleecing the motorist) signage clearly indicates your assumptions- a pity you cannot clearly indicate your identity.

I note from your chart, that you categorise my vehicle as a Category 2 “Goods Vehicle up to 3500kg”. An assumption on your part seems to be that my vehicle, by it’s design, must therefore be being used on commercial business- a fantastically incorrect assumption. My vehicle has not, and will not be used as a commercial vehicle whilst in my ownership- it is a private car.

Having used the Severn crossing HUNDREDS of times during my 30 years of driving, it came as a surprise to receive your letter. The Mitsubishi L200 (which I have owned for only a few weeks) is used purely as a private car, and as such I gave absolutely no thought to paying for anything other than the car toll, the vehicle being identical in my mind to a Range Rover or Discovery (vehicles I owned, and in which I have crossed the Severn for over 10 of that 30 years). From your presumably photographic evidence, you will note that although strictly classed as a ‘pick-up’ on the V5, the vehicle has 5 seats and has a hard top fitted which is used to carry a very large dog.
I would dispute that your signs ‘clearly indicate’ that my vehicle is not a car- they class vehicles in a haphazard way, not based on size, nor weight, nor whether they are used for commercial purposes or not…

It would have been entirely appropriate to have given me the opportunity to defend my position and state facts in response to your flawed assumptions, or pay the excess charge/toll, without adding threats of court action and an exorbitant charge for “administration” which, generated and issued by your computer system without human intervention is therefore totally unjustified. I calculate that, even if the letters are generated by a person, the ownership information being obtained by direct access to the DVLA database, it would take a maximum of 5 minutes to paste such information into a template, print the letter and stuff an envelope- therefore given a 7.5 hour day, 25 day holiday year and 8 days of bank holidays, each your administration staff are salaried at £615,000. Pity such highly paid persons have such poor attention to detail- I’d be offended if I were female and had noticed that you haven’t capitalised ‘Madam’, whereas you have capitalised ‘Sir’.

However, I can picture the scene now- identical to a certain television program- if you’ve even read this far- “computer says no”…, so, under the most extreme duress, I enclose payment, as I seem to have no opportunity to have my say in this dictatorship.

Carry on letting the 9 seat minibuses ply their trade for the toll cost of a car, and the horse boxes (as long as they have a bed) though….

Oh, and one final word- congratulations on the longest address in the world by the way- it must be really difficult finding such a large building of people carrying out legalised highway robbery in that particular barren landscape.

I’d normally end with polite words closing my letter, but why should I?

[w3526602]

Hi again,

My wife has restricted movement in her right arm, such that she is unable to put her right hand out the window. On the other hand, she would be offended if anyone described her as disabled ... although 70+ years of one arm doing the work of two is taking its toll on her good arm. It is not easy for her to hand money to the toll booth attendant with her left hand. She did once throw coins into the automatic basket ... and missed.

Maybe its time to suggest that she stops about 3ft from the toll booth, and gets out of the car to pay, or insists that the attendant comes to her? Which would cause the most disruption?

Maybe she should insist on one booth being dedicated to drivers who are handicapped, but not in receipt of Disability Allowance.?

602

[jeepmadmike]

You can get away with a car charge in a VW T5 with a side window (sign written van!)

Don't get charged as a commercial in my D4 van, shogun van or outlander van (all with just 2 seats)......

206 car derived van, get charged as a commercial........

Always seems to be impossible to argue in a double cab pick up even it you tell them it's private....

[Nightbar]

They charge the higher rate because they can