# Weighbridge Certificates for France



## Tucano (Jun 9, 2006)

MUST I have a weighbridge certificate before travelling around France. Each time in the past I have ensured that I had one before travelling but I wonder if other people bother.
I am tempted not to this time, your comments would be appreciated, many thanks.
Norman.


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## Twm-Twp (Jun 14, 2012)

Haven't heard that one before and never carried one.

If you are stopped by the boys in blue and they want to weigh you - my thinking is that they'll weigh you .... even if you can show them a weighbridge ticket stamped and signed by the french president himself.

Having spent many years driving trucks through France, I'm very cynical when it comes to the gendarmerie and the municipal lot .... sorry !!


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

You could overload the van after you've been weighed so a certificate is pretty meaningless to plod I would have thought.

I've never seen anything to say you have to carry one.

Pete


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## Tucano (Jun 9, 2006)

Pete,
Thanks for that, I was told awhile ago now that it was mandatory in France, will save me a little cash by not bothering this time.
Norman.


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Maybe you should tell the person who told you Norman, to stop spreading wild and unfounded malicious rumors around. 

Ray.


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

Have never heard such a thing and our MH is just being reregistered in France and they have not asked for one (yet).

There are quite a lot of free weighbridges in France - you d not get a certificate but it is useful to keep an eye on things (like how many more bottles of wine you can justify "it will keep the back end down" :lol: ).

We have driven our MH in France for 7 years and a caravan before tha and never heard of such a thing, nor seen it on a list f what to bring from the CC, the C&CC, the AA, the RAC or any of the French expat type forums......  

Methinks your "friend" has not been giving you honest info perhaps because he had been mislead before...... :? 

Dave


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## tonyt (May 25, 2005)

There must be several hundred thousand tons of British motorhomes wandering the lanes of France and I doubt there's one carrying a weighbridge certificate as part of his "You Must Have" kit.


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## Twm-Twp (Jun 14, 2012)

tonyt said:


> There must be several hundred thousand tons of British motorhomes wandering the lanes of France


I've told you a million times ........ stop exaggerating !!!!

But you're right about the weighbridge ticket ...... it's strange some of the advice given out.

There was a scheme many years ago that applied to HGV's only - if stopped and checked / weighed etc the gendarmes issued you with a dated ticket that you could display in your windscreen with the aim of showing you had been cleared at a roadside check ..... and this (I think) was supposed to give you some sort of clearance for a month. The only time I was ever given a clearance ticket, I had it in my windscreen until the sun bleached all the print off it !!!!!!


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

Yes and you DONT need a breathalyser kit until November so don't waste money as they have a 2 yr shelf life at best so if you're going for the last time this year and before November leave it till next year . If you're [pulled the worse that can happen is a warning and then perhaps buy one.


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## Pet12 (Oct 10, 2011)

My Friends were traveling back up through France earlier this year and were pulled and weighed all ok sent on their way, they have an Elldis with a Fiama box on the bike rack so may have looked a bit loaded. Pete


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## palaceboy (Mar 9, 2008)

What a bunch of pussies we Brits are . Everybody in Europe ignores the EU rules but not us and motorhomers seem the worst of the lot


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

A weighbridge ticket is only correct at the time of weighing.

Dave p


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

DTPCHEMICALS said:


> A weighbridge ticket is only correct at the time of weighing.
> 
> Dave p


and after lunch would be way out ! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Dave


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## bognormike (May 10, 2005)

palaceboy said:


> What a bunch of pussies we Brits are . Everybody in Europe ignores the EU rules but not us and motorhomers seem the worst of the lot


this isn't EU rules, it's something that doesn't exist at all :!:


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

We don't half see some uninformed tripe on here.

I am not referring to the OP, he did the sensible thing and questioned what he had been told. 

Question everything is my philosophy, Alan.


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

why? :lol:


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Why not? :lol:


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## davidmac (Jan 15, 2012)

Hi my motorhome is taxed as a 3.5t but has a s-v-tech plate for 4.1t, which one would the gendames go by? 
Regards David


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## seanoo (Mar 31, 2007)

as a add on i have been weighed twice this year by the gendarmerie. both times i was waved off the motorway and onto an aire de service and they took my v5 and put the details into a laptop and weighed my van first front axle then rear and also my trailer with the car on. the first time there was a dutch van and a belgian behind me waiting to be weighed as well. sean


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

They will go by what's on your V5 which must correspond with the most recent plate. They may not be interested is seeing plates and just go by the V5 which is definitive. 

Some vans have several plates which have been fitted at various stages in the build, Alan.


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## seanoo (Mar 31, 2007)

the gendarmes go by the weight on your v5 which will be your uprated one sv techgave you


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

I think they'd want to know why your V5C and taxation class did not agree with your new gross? can't have jam on it too


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## seanoo (Mar 31, 2007)

they wont be interested in your road tax at all. just the weight on your v5


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

Road tax should have been surrendered for a new one at your local DVLA office when submitting your changes and SVTech certificate


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## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

I've just returned from a great month in France travelling over 2000 miles. I never got stopped to check if I had a breathalyser, including the 'compulsory' spare, beam deflectors, hi viz vests, any of my driving or vehicle documents or to check the weight of my vehicle.
I did notice a lot of new speed indicator signs, always co located with a speed limit sign and in some cases a speed camera shortly afterwards. There were still loads of pre warning signs of cameras.
Lesley fell off her bike dislocating her shoulder requiring a two night stay in Agen hospital. Great service from the emergency and hospital personnel and I was welcome to park the MH at the hospital using it as my base.
France is to me still the perfect place to tour with the camping car and we spent less than £100 in nightly fees, these were at Atlantic coast sites with all the others free. The pick of the bunch were Mortagne sur Gironde at €7pn, Gastes at €7pn, Vieux Boucau at €11pn and Gourdon and Uzerche which were free.
Ray


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Techno100 said:


> I think they'd want to know why your V5C and taxation class did not agree with your new gross? can't have jam on it too


They will agree if you have completed the process properly.

No foreign cop will pay any attention to the details on a tax disc except perhaps to verify that the registration number corresponds to the one on the vehicle. UK road tax is of no interest to anyone outside the UK, except maybe a clever jobsworth. In any case there is no foreign law requiring a UK tax disc. I am not suggesting that people should drive untaxed, just pointing out that the requirement for a UK tax disc is a UK requirement, Alan.


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## davidmac (Jan 15, 2012)

Hi,thanks for our replies.I think the 4.1t is the original plate and the previous owner had it down plated perhaps for age reasons,
Regards David


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

Ah now that makes sense


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## davidmac (Jan 15, 2012)

Hi with 1/4 tank of fuel me and not much more it weighed in at 3772kg so obviously overweight on taxation class but from what I have heard it is about £400 to get the paperwork changed,
Regards David


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

No David
It is £240 plus VAT £288 and you'll get some road tax back then £165 tax per year as PHGV.

If SVTech up or downgraded it in the past they'll have it on file I expect ?

EDIT
Let me add! if you have the original SVTech weight certificate and the plate is still on the vehicle then it should cost you nothing to simply fill in the changes section on your V5C and submit it for change of taxation class and weight at you local DVLA (about an hour of queueing)


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## davidmac (Jan 15, 2012)

Hi ,thanks for that information Andy,I do not have the weight certificate but will contact SVTech and see if they can suppy a duplicate and then take it from there.
Regards David


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## grizzlyj (Oct 14, 2008)

Hiya 

I got pulled last year by the Gendarmes off a motorway into a service area, then got reasonably thoroughly searched, but by the Douane customs. That was all very firmly done, with me subtly prevented from getting close to the camper while it was being searched, just bodies between me and it but it felt like I shouldn't push things. 

Once they were satisfied it became friendly, explaining that my camper looked rear heavy (which it does, but only because the front is relatively unladen), and they thought it must have been stuffed full. I don't know of what. 

It was weird how the Police pulled me on the basis of looking overladen, but then no weighing, or even a glance by anyone at any paperwork, and off I trundled. 

A strange experience!


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

davidmac said:


> Hi ,thanks for that information Andy,I do not have the weight certificate but will contact SVTech and see if they can suppy a duplicate and then take it from there.
> Regards David


I cannot imagine them (I dealt with Stephen Heap) charging you the full fee.
As I understand it, after the initial weight change they will change it again within 12 months at no extra cost. 
Provision of a copy of the last weight upgrade should be FAIR? speak to Steve


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## davidmac (Jan 15, 2012)

Hi ,I spoke to Steve Heap at SVTech on Thursday,he said to send him photos of the SVTech plate on my motorhome which I did. Had an e-mail from him Friday that said all nesasary paperwork would be in the post that night, it arrived this morning. No charge!!!!!! Top people. Off to the local DVLA next week to get weight registration changed.
Thanks to all who replied.
Many thanks David[/quote]


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

Tucano said:


> MUST I have a weighbridge certificate before travelling around France. Each time in the past I have ensured that I had one before travelling but I wonder if other people bother.
> I am tempted not to this time, your comments would be appreciated, many thanks.
> Norman.


I was obliged to have one of these stuck on my motorhome at the last Controle Technique. (MOT)


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

Good result David thanks for concluding the thread


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