As awareness over the importance of grey nomads and other caravanners loading their rigs correctly grows, so too does the opportunity for travellers to educate themselves about their own set-ups.
As well as more companies offering weighing services, local authorities are also increasingly offering road safety and caravanning advice.
For example, free caravan weighing days are being offered to caravanners in the NSW towns of Leeton and Narrandera on May 18 and May 19.
Leeton Shire Council, Narrandera Shire Council and Transport for NSW will co-host the caravan weighing days alongside ‘Your Weigh Mobile Vehicle Weighing’ to educate caravanners about correctly calculating their caravan’s weight, how to load their caravan for even weight distribution, safe driving tips while towing, and ways to reduce the risk of being involved in a crash.
Many local authorities now hold occasional free caravan weighing days. PIC: Leeton Shiire Council
Leeton Shire Council’s Road Safety Officer, Steph Puntoriero, said that as caravanning has grown in popularity, so too has the need to ensure caravans are being operated safely.
“Simple things like adding a toolbox to the back of the van, popping a kayak on the roof or travelling with full water tanks can cause the caravan, tow vehicle or combination to become overweight or non-compliant and may increase the risk of a crash,” she said. “An incorrectly loaded caravan can lead to snaking, swaying or loss of control of your caravan and vehicle.”
Ms Puntoriero said the days were a great opportunity for drivers of registered caravans to learn more about their vans and more about safe driving … for the benefit of everyone on the road.
“Driving while towing a caravan is a different experience to normal driving and requires a higher level of knowledge and skill, a need for greater stopping distances, and consideration of environmental factors such as high winds, wet roads and uneven surfaces,” she said. “As part of our free weighing days, owners can calculate the actual aggregate trailer mass (ATM) of their caravan, actual gross trailer mass (GTM), actual gross vehicle mass (GVM), actual ball weight and actual gross combination mass (GCM) of their caravan and vehicle.”
More information on safe caravanning can be found on the Transport for NSW website.
In recent years, the number of accidents involving caravans has continued to be a matter of significant concern. Many believe that overweight, and incorrectly loaded, rigs are a significant contributory factor to a large number of incidents.
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With caravan weights being so important, there should be more free weigh stations, even if it only allows you to see your total weight.
If everyone concerned is serious about caravan and towing safety, government weighbridges should be available for free use, when not monitoring heavy vehicles.
This is already available at some sites.
Simply position axle/axles or tow-ball on the scales, and read the weights from a visible screen.
Then adjustments can be made immediately for the safety of all.
Repositioning of cargo, or draining water tanks until excess cargo can be disposed of.
There’s no excuse for relevant government departments to ignore this potential life-saving access to taxpayer funded weighbridges.
Not everything can be free. There are mobile weighing companies that can come to you & weigh your rig.
You have to pay them. I haven’t funded any weighbridges lately, I’ve been on an aged pension for 14 years & haven’t any paid tax in that time
Other people pay it for you. What about rates etc.
Do I need to book in to my caravan and rig weight tested?
Our first stop on any trip is our local council tip. We can get our weight checked free or if we want an official docket it cost $6.00. A small price to pay for peace of mind. We check our tow ball weight before we hook up. It’s not that hard.