bolero boy Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 I can see how a sophisticated bit of kit at a toll booth can record height or length of your van but how can it record weight? If you had two almost identical vans with one on the light chassis at 3500 and one on a heavy chassis at 4250 how will they know? Is it by reg number APNR checking against a database? Just checking as my next van may go over 3500. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracker Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 I don't know Chris! Our last van had been replated to 3850 kg and it was 3.2 mtrs high but we never once got charged class 3 or 4 so I guess that rules out ANPR etc at least for foreign regd vehicles - but it may well be ANPR for French regd vehicles? I guy I spoke to with a big A class Hymer at over 4000 kg and well over 3 mtrs high said on the odd time that he got charged class 3 or 4 by an automated toll point he just pressed the help button and bellowed 'Camping Car' and it magically changed to class 2 - or so he said - and the manual ones always charged class 2? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bolero boy Posted July 26, 2013 Author Share Posted July 26, 2013 Thanks Rich. I'll await further opinion from anyone who has paid the higher rate on an up-plated van, maybe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 As far as I'm aware, the only 'specification' check the automated toll-booth system on autoroutes can make relates to vehicle height. Although autoroute vehicle classifications include weight, height and axle-number criteria (though not vehicle length) http://www.autoroutes.fr/fr/classification-des-vehicules.htm realistically, only height is easily checkable by a machine-system There have been plenty of reports of motorcaravanners being charged an incorrect tarif, but I don't recall any of those instances being weight related. A toll-booth operator may well charge a motorhome a Class 2 tarif when it's over-3500kg weight should attract a Class 3 tarif, or even charge a Class 2 tarif when the motorhome has more than 2 axles and should be Class 4. But that's because the vast majority of French-registered motorhomes don't exceed the 3500kg threshold and only have 2 axles. So there's a tendency to under- rather than over-charge motorhomes. In answer to your question "...how will they know?", unless your next motorhome clearly looks like it MUST weigh over 3500kg AND a human toll-booth operator is involved, "they" won't know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 Derek Uzzell - 2013-07-27 9:23 AM ......realistically, only height is easily checkable by a machine-system .....whilst I don't believe they are in use on the French Autoroutes, there are quite a few toll roads in the world now equipped with "weigh in motion" sensors to enable pricing discrimination. My suspicions were raised by devices in the carriageway on one of the Scandinavian bridges, but as yet I can't find any confirmation that these are weight sensors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldi Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 afternoon all, Make no mistake weigh in motion sensors are in use in this country too. However enforcement is another matter. norm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 goldi - 2013-07-27 2:15 PM afternoon all, Make no mistake weigh in motion sensors are in use in this country too. However enforcement is another matter. norm More details here: http://www.transportsfriend.org/enforcement/wims.html http://www.trucknetuk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=54748 I'm doubtful that it would be worth the outlay installing such systems in autoroute automated toll-booths to detect the appropriate tarif to charge. On the other hand, such a system (if installed) could be quite handy for motorhomes - if you thought your motorhome was under-3500kg and got charged Class 3 based on a weight-checker, you'd know it wasn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 Derek Uzzell - 2013-07-27 3:11 PM goldi - 2013-07-27 2:15 PM afternoon all, Make no mistake weigh in motion sensors are in use in this country too. However enforcement is another matter. norm More details here: http://www.transportsfriend.org/enforcement/wims.html http://www.trucknetuk.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=54748 I'm doubtful that it would be worth the outlay installing such systems in autoroute automated toll-booths to detect the appropriate tarif to charge. On the other hand, such a system (if installed) could be quite handy for motorhomes - if you thought your motorhome was under-3500kg and got charged Class 3 based on a weight-checker, you'd know it wasn't. ....whether it is worth the outlay or not, I can assure you that it exists (though maybe not in Europe). If you Google "weigh in motion toll", you will get numerous hits, the following being but one example: http://www.irdinc.com/systems/toll/wim@toll.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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