'Off the road'

[Skeeter]

Random though I had the other day, does a car on a trailer where the trailer is parked on the road count as the car being off the road, therefore allowing it to be SORN?

If so, then what actually defines being 'off the road'? If you put a car on axle stands so all 4 wheels are off the road, is that off the road? What about just putting a paving slab under each wheel? Or if thats ok, whats to stop you just putting a sheet of paper under each tyre?

Whats defined as off the road?

 

[franneh12]

Off the public road, meaning any road that the govement/council maintain so technically those instances would still be on the road as such.

 

[Gribs]

On private property.

 

[Skeeter]

Off the public road, meaning any road that the govement/council maintain so technically those instances would still be on the road as such.

Thats what I thought, but clearly this doesn't apply to cars on trailers?

 

[Dup]

It needs to be touching the ground as such. Otherwise people transporting SORN vehicles would have a nightmate when parked.

 

[franneh12]

It needs to be touching the ground as such. Otherwise people transporting SORN vehicles would have a nightmate when parked.

would have thought if transporting a sorn vehicle to stop temporary be fine just has to be put on private land as soon as possible.

 

[Skeeter]

I'm fairly positive a car on a trailer doesn't need to be taxed. Otherwise any transported car, any race car, any new car being delivered on a transporter, etc would all be breaking the law.

 

[lordrobs]

I imagine that the trailer being attached to a taxed and insured vehicle would be a key point?

 

[Scania]

A vehicle on a trailer is off road, as long - as already said - it's wheels don't touch the ground.

It does not matter if the trailer is coupled to a towing vehicle or not.

 

[Skeeter]

A vehicle on a trailer is off road, as long - as already said - it's wheels don't touch the ground.

Ok, so if the wheels off the ground bit is the key, is this off the road (if it was positioned on a road)?

 

["andy"]

Ok, so if the wheels off the ground bit is the key, is this off the road (if it was positioned on a road)?

Id guess if they wanted to "get you" then that car is now a permanent/temporary structure and your never getting permission for placing it on a street

 

[Skeeter]

But in the eyes of road tax, is it off the road?

 

[DogsBody]

I would have thought this is fairly simple to answer.
On a trailer = ok,
on axle stands, on a piece of paper, on a paving slab all not ok

 

[Haggisman]

I would have thought this is fairly simple to answer.
On a trailer = ok,
on axle stands, on a piece of paper, on a paving slab all not ok

What about on a trailer on axle stands?

 

[Skeeter]

Is there a rule anywhere defining this?

 

[Vonhelmet]

Is there a rule anywhere defining this?

The legislation refers to the duty being due on vehicles that are "used or kept on a public road", so you'd be into definitions of what it means to "keep" a vehicle somewhere. There's no definition of what it means to "keep" a vehicle in the legislation, and there's no such definition in the Interpretation Act 1978 either, at which point you fall back to ordinary dictionary definitions.

I find it very hard to believe that putting a car on axle stands, or paving slabs, or anything else of that kind would get you out of a position in which the vehicle is seen as being "kept" on the road. Conceptually, keeping it on a trailer strikes me as different, though, because it's the trailer you're keeping on the road, and the car is part of the trailer's load at that point, rather than a vehicle on the road. I don't think you can make the same distinction with putting the car on paving slabs or whatever.

 

[-westy-]

would have thought if transporting a sorn vehicle to stop temporary be fine just has to be put on private land as soon as possible.

If you're towing a car on the public road, it must be taxed. However if it's on a trailer it'd be fine.

 

[rodenal]

The only time I think you'd get away with axle stands would be if the car had no wheels on (or rather if they came looking the only way I think you'd get away with it). Even then you run into the issue of it still technically being "on" the road, even though there would clearly be no intent to drive it.

 

[Skeeter]

The legislation refers to the duty being due on vehicles that are "used or kept on a public road", so you'd be into definitions of what it means to "keep" a vehicle somewhere. There's no definition of what it means to "keep" a vehicle in the legislation, and there's no such definition in the Interpretation Act 1978 either, at which point you fall back to ordinary dictionary definitions.

I find it very hard to believe that putting a car on axle stands, or paving slabs, or anything else of that kind would get you out of a position in which the vehicle is seen as being "kept" on the road. Conceptually, keeping it on a trailer strikes me as different, though, because it's the trailer you're keeping on the road, and the car is part of the trailer's load at that point, rather than a vehicle on the road. I don't think you can make the same distinction with putting the car on paving slabs or whatever.

Yeah, that was the conclusion I was getting to. If you use a trailer the space on the road is occupied by the trailer, which is allowed to be there, and the car is just on that. Whereas the car just being on the road itself, no matter what its held up with, is the car occupying the space on the road.

I would assume a car in a skip or a car in a container would be ok to be left on the road too, then?

Like this guy:

 

[Haggisman]

So then how do you define a trailer? Couldn't you just bolt 3 wheels onto a few floorboards and (assuming it was strong enough to hold the car's weight) you'd be fine?