On 20/11/2014 9:44 PM, Kees van Eeten -> David Drummond wrote:

 DD>> My 1 tonne (the amount I may put on the tray) ute does not stop at all
 DD>> well when unladen (wheels lock up and it skids). If I put some weight on
 DD>> it it stops better. Maybe the registration papers should state a minimum
 DD>> mass too?

 KvE>   You would not pass the yearly safety test.

And yet it was like that from new - we have no annual safety test, only
required if one is selling the vehicle.

It is a turbo diesel and when I first got it it took me a while to learn to
pull away from the lights in the rain - as soon as the turbo came in it would
spin up the rear tyres (when unladen).

 DD>> As this light truck has only 4 wheels and its gross laden weight would
 DD>> very likely be more than Michiel's car I don't think that road
 DD>> surface/bridge capacity is really part the equation.

 KvE>   Yes, but roadtax does, it is based on the mass of the vehicle and the
fuel
 KvE>   it uses. Besides we have different driving licences for light and heavy
 KvE>   vehicles. Light is up to 3.5 tonnes.

We have a road tax component in the pump price of the fuel, other than that the
tax office doesn't know how much fuel it uses or how far I travel. (in NZ
diesel vehicles used to have to submit a periodic return of distance travelled
and some tax paid based on that).

The registration fee certainly varies from vehicle to vehicle and contains a
compulsory third party insurance component too. This component is quite high
for motorcycles with pillion seat. One of my motorcycles has a single seat
fitted - the annual rego fee is half that for the dual seat bike.

-- 

Regards
David

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