heavy vehicle inspection centres

also, what is a roadside inspection site, do they have the same power as a heavy vehicle inspection centre ?

So we have a weight problem do we :)

In the past, vehicle inspection stations and weigh bridges where fixed installations.

These days just about every state has mobile scales and all sorts of devious devices they move arround at will.

While I still se a few fixed weigh bridges, I see far more roadside hard stands specifically installed for the purpose.

If you see a slab of concrete by the side of the road that seems to have no particular purpose...guess what.
If there is some sort of roadside rest area, with a slab of crete in the middle of a whole pile of dirt..guess what.
If some obscure rest area or truck stop has recently been refurbished mostly butumen and some gardens, bins tables and a toilet and there is a nice piece of flat crete in the middle of the carpark there..guess what.

Seriuolsy fix your problem.

If they have a mind to pull up and inspect caravans, they can set up anywhere to do the inspections......if there is not a suitable piece of flat ground where they want to pull you over they will set up on one nearby....if they have reasonable suspicion they will take you to a place where they can weigh you.

Back in the day before national standardised towing regulations...the transport inspectors and the police would set up just north of the QLD/NSW border and turn round northward bound caravans by the dozen.

They have had portable scales and mobile inspection ramps up here in QLD for decades.
All they need is a piece of reasonably flat hard ground.....and less than you may think.

cheers

I don't know what sort of rig you have, but if it's 8 tonnes GCM or over AND legal, I can't see that you'd have a problem other than inconvenience of having to stop for an inspection. Would have to be one hell of a caravan and tug.

If you have a big 5th wheeler and a big tug you might be captured by the rules (open to correction and advice on that), but I've never seen one of them in an inspection station either.

In NSW the signage on the fixed inspection stations is for vehicles 8 tonne GVM and over. I presume that with standardised heavy vehicle regulations it is the same for all states.

In 50 years of driving, 8 of them in retirement and touring, I have NEVER seen a caravan in a fixed heavy vehicle inspection station in any state.

In regard to mobile roadside inspections, in NSW they have the same powers. There is one frequently used site near my home on an arterial road I frequently use. They can pull over anyone they like but I've only ever seen them pull over trucks, and not all of them were large. Some were suburban delivery trucks and the like, my guess under the 8 tonnes used at the fixed stations. Never seen a caravan or RV in there.

Actually, as I write this I now recall an occasion years ago when my then young son was pulled over for a random check by the then RTA. He had inherited our VH Commodore wagon and had put new wheels on it. It did look good. He was pinged for having the wrong offset on the wheels and no engineering certificate. Couldn't have been many trucks around that day :-)

Cheers

Laser1
Whilst u may or may not have a weight issue, I can only hope u haven't and yr desire to avoid the authorities is a passing aberration.

Otherwise, you are all that is wrong with people behind the wheel of a bigger rig.

It would be a fine thing if in yr misguided logic you were the only person placed at risk. But we all know that's usually not the case. So all of us on this forum reading this post hope yr actually doing the right thing on the road. And I'm sure the rta members of the forum hope so too. Many believe a forum is next to anonymous. Not so. Easily traced.

thanks everyone for your 'concern' that we have a weight issue and are automatically doing the 'wrong thing' and trying to avoid the authorities
we are in no way doing this i was unaware that this forum was full of such judgemental people

In answer to your question, as an ex interstate truck driver of over 40 years I have never yet seen with my own two eyes any private vehicle, towing a caravan or not, on a government (RTA,Vic Roads,etc) road side weighbridge. There are quite a few sites along the route you are taking where these departments are able to stop and inspect heavy vehicles, however as all the laws and rules have changed most trucks now have to carry a description and weight documents regarding their loads. Thus the portable scales are now rarely used.

thanks for your responses and advice everyone, ill leve it at that for now seeing you seem to have drawn your own conclusions already

Bear in mind that the transport authorities do specifically target caravans and 4wds from time to time......when they do that it is in places where they frequent.

For example...QLD transport have been known to set up an all singing all dancing inspection station near the Whitsunday turnoff at the height of turtle migration season.

There was a prominant case where they set up an all singing all dancing inspection station on one of the major beach exits at the end of a long week end....and wrote defect notices till they ran out of tickets to write on.
A few interstate vehicles had to be towed or trailered all the way to the border.

Its been a while since I heard of a trailer blitz at the dump...but they do happen.

there is a local park in a working class area that they very regularly set up on of those inspection sites at......I've see that car park full of cars parked up that either have to be made road worthy or towed.....I've see car trailers, tow trucks, and groups of blokes pushing sets of wheels down the road.
I've been pulled up ane breath tested there and had a game of 20 questions....but my vehicles comply & I don't drink..so its all good.

Its always the same package..it starts with a breath test, a game of 20 questions and basic vehicle inspection by a police officer.....if he has reasonable suspicon...you are handed over to the transport inspectors........if it is not bussy they will stop every single car......if it gets a bit bussier they might be stopping every second third or forth.

The odds arent good if you happen to be there at the time.

There is only one reason people avoid inspection stations.....they know they have a problem.

cheers

If you have a concern for weigh bridges then your setup must be over weight and is a danger to you and other road users...... you deserve to get pinged.

If you have to worry all the time about it and pick you route accordingly you might as well stay home.....