The Road Vehicles (Authorisation of Special Types) (General) Order 2003

 

There is a great deal of conjecture relating to STGO and the practical realities of operating within the requirements of the law and as an emergency service. Whilst AVRO have been engaged in useful dialogue with key stakeholders, AVRO have also provided a new initiative which could dramatically improve the way STGO works with significant benefits for everyone involved in day-to-day operations. The changes would require Department for Transport approval; change through government departments has proven to take a considerable amount of time to adopt from past experience.

In the meantime it is important to be aware of the legal requirements operating under STGO Regulations with a recovery vehicle. In the order a “road recovery vehicle” means a vehicle that is –

 

(a) a locomotive;

(b) a motor vehicle of category N3; or

(c) a vehicle-combination comprising a motor vehicle of category N3 and a trailer of category O4;

and that satisfies three conditions:

The first condition is that the vehicle is specially designed and constructed for the purpose of recovering disabled road vehicles or is permanently adapted for that purpose.

The second condition is that the vehicle is fitted with a crane, winch or other lifting system specially designed to be used for the purpose of recovering another vehicle.

The third condition is that the vehicle meets the requirements for registered use as a recovery vehicle under Part 5 of Schedule 1 to the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994

For a complete description of all legal requirements you should visit the website of the Office of Public Sector Information and type in the website search engine – special types general order. Special note should be taken on matters relating to travel restrictions.