transit HGV ???????

[100ps_drw_hicube]

i took the van for an mot today only to be told that they cant test it as it a hgv, and that it has to go to a special ministry testing station, when i investigated this further it turns out surrey police force the (previous owners) had the van uprated to 3995kg from 3500kg, all for carrying 6 dogs and their handlers , anyway have been on phone all afternoon trying to find out how to downrate it to 3500kg again but have had no luck i have to either downrate it somehow or sell it, as i am only 18 so legally cant drive van, but i have been for the past year without knowing this, does anyone know how to do this or experienced similar probs?

[madmark]

hi mate what a bumer! does the vin plate say its over ???? the reason i ask is my transit was a ministry plated van in its life time but when i got it it had just a normal mot ,and looking through the paperwork its got a old plate certificate!
i have had this with some vans in the past ,and just took them for a mot and forgot about the plate !
just looking at my old plate certificate and it says gross weight 3500 and train weight watever the f*** that is 4400 and unladen 1760 ,if you dont have the plate certificate inside the van then just take it for a mot somewere else , if you do have the plate then take it out and say you dont have the old mot! .mark

[Luke]

How did they tell it was over 3.5T - just by the plate or do they have it on computer now
Could you not just re-stamp the plate

I have done this in the past but only on a mk1 i just made my own plate with the chassis number and the weight! but the rules may be different as that was pre73

[100ps_drw_hicube]

yes there is a plate on passengers step that is stamped as 3995kg max gross weight where as my previous van was 3500kg and the guy at test place spotted that it was a 3995kg i could try taking it elsewhere and see if they spot it but as the chassis no is stamped right next to it i think they will spot it if i was over 21 i wouldnt worry but as i cant drive it legally on my licence i need it downrated what annoys me is that one rule for police and one rule for the public from what i have read so far it should have a tacho? have spoken to someone this afternoon who said it could take upto a month to sort out as the minisrty need proof that it is the correct weight the old mot isnt a problem as the police cocked it up where it says max design weight it has the vans payload it is just anyone looking at the id plate will see 3995kg does anyone know if you can get these plates remade with 3500kg on it ?? or is it only the ministry that can make these plates? it hasnt even got uprated suspension the rear has 3leafsprings so normal for a 190 twin wheel and the front has standard suspension

[Luke]

you can get plates made up but there expensive!!!

i just made mine out of a bit of scrap ally! - you could try that untill you get it sorted - other than that can you flatten it an stamp the 3 back as a 2 ie 2995kg?

[100ps_drw_hicube]

where can i get hold of a stamp?? not the sort of thing that halfords sell is it? do you think it is worth taking it to the place that mot'd it last year??
what topped it all was that was the testers last check on the van up until then it had passed

[Luke]

I think to make it more difficult the stamp is reversed - you will need a reversed stamp!!!

[UK_ANDY]

Try here http://www.tagplates.com/

[ovlov]

You should be able to take it to your local HGV testing station and they should be able to alter it you might have to have a new plate made, Ive uprated my truck from 41t to 44t just alter paperwork cost £19 why cant you drive it if you dont use it for hire & reward you shouldnt need a tacho or anything, I wouldnt a forge a new plate. The ministry seem to stop a lot of vans nowadays if they see it you be in deep sh*t Anyway how many coppers have HGV licences

[Luke]

why cant you drive it if you dont use it for hire & reward

if you passed your test after 1997 i think!! you need an HGV test to drive owt above 3.5T
100ps_drw_hicube is only 19 or 20 or summat young anyway!!!

[ovlov]

You prob right Luke Ive had a class 1 for years so dont no much about new licences, But I wouldnt have thought it would be a prob downrating the van its usually uprating em that causes probs In my experences of dealing with ministry (and theres been a few )your better off going to the testing station to speak to someone as they just fob you off on the phone At least if your there you can get someone to look at the plate

[Luke]

I wonder about this! how i would get on with my mk1 pickup! its now a twin wheeler, log book says weight 1300kg unladen and thats it!
no chassis plate on van not even chassis number!!
i was going to stamp my own with GVW3500KG - do you reckon this would be ok?

a mate has a mk1 twin wheeler and his log book says 3500kg gross!!

[wayne509]

Aha
I was in exactly the same boat till last week.I also purchased an Ex police van

I had another problem aswell as the gtw weight was wrong aswell.
After many phone calls it turns out that Ford made the cock up and have sent me out a new vin plate.

It still showed the gross weight as 3850 though.
Luckily for me Ford aranged with Vosa for it to be downrated to 3500 as a paperwork excersize only .£22 later and im happy again.

Take it to your local Vosa station and i'm sure yours will be a simple paperwork excersize too.
You dont get a new vin plate though,you just get a certificate which overrides the plate.

And to top it all off i took it for an MOT that day and it only failed on handbrake adjustment

Has been a major pain in the ass but now it is all sorted i have a nice clean well looked after TURBO diesel van cheap as chips

[FredTransit]

Aha
I was in exactly the same boat till last week.I also purchased an Ex police van

I had another problem aswell as the gtw weight was wrong aswell.
After many phone calls it turns out that Ford made the cock up and have sent me out a new vin plate.

It still showed the gross weight as 3850 though.
Luckily for me Ford aranged with Vosa for it to be downrated to 3500 as a paperwork excersize only .£22 later and im happy again.

Take it to your local Vosa station and i'm sure yours will be a simple paperwork excersize too.
You dont get a new vin plate though,you just get a certificate which overrides the plate.

And to top it all off i took it for an MOT that day and it only failed on handbrake adjustment

Has been a major pain in the ass but now it is all sorted i have a nice clean well looked after TURBO diesel van cheap as chips

I thought this was the answer to your problem hicube until I got to the bit about not getting a new plate. I can see either the certificate getting mislaid (if it were me!) or just not in the van when you get stopped. Bear in mind MOTs ar rapidly going computerised, and it will be easy to check soon if you not only HAVE an MOT, but it's the right one (if it's over 3500kgs you can't have a class 7), and if you rely on the short sited MOT tester idea, you may come unstuck. Also if the plate is changed, you won't get a sharp eyed tester to do it anyway, never mind you have a pice of paper to prove otherwise. I would get your van a new vin plate quite honestly, try the link that UK Andy put up. After all, you are not trying to defraud anybody, just make life easier for yourself. To be sure, try just sending off your log book with the amended wieght.

[wayne509]

Actually you get 2 certificates.One to be kept in the van and one to be kept at home.

Probably cost you more to get the plates made up than it would getting it downrated.