The Spaniards are adapting their national regulations governing the securing of loads to the EU guidelines. The General Directorate of Road Traffic (DGT) will conduct inspections in terms of their compliance. This will happen only after the transitional period.
Royal Decree 563/2017 of June 2 last year, which regulates roadside technical inspections of commercial vehicles traveling on Spanish territory, establishes new obligations of carriers in the scope of proper securing of loads in lorries.
The decree will come into force on May 20 and will apply to all vehicles transporting goods at speeds exceeding 25 km/h – both domestic and foreign. Annually, at least 5 percent of all trucks moving around Spain will be controlled in regards to compliance with cargo securing regulations.
Checks after the transitional period
As the Spanish federation of transport associations informs, DGT will not inspect vehicles from the moment of entry into force of the legislation, but only after the transitional period. There is no detail on how long the transitional period will last.
We will keep you informed about planned DGT control activities and penalties.
The services will use special measuring tools
During a roadside check, DGT officers can check whether the load is secured in a way that does not interfere with safe driving, or pose a threat to life, health, property or the environment. The services will also be allowed to check whether the position of the load will not change in all operational situations of the vehicle, including in emergency situations and during uphill maneuvers.
For this purpose, agents will use various measuring and verification elements: stationary or mobile scale, tensiometers, protractors and special calculators (application called „safe load”).
Photo: Fotolia