On August 3, 1997, I was on holidays in the Province of BC. I was driving my truck and camper and got pulled over by the RCMP. The officer told me he wanted to weigh my unit which is a Ford one-ton dual wheel truck with 40,000 km on it and a 1995 10 foot camper.

After weighing the truck, he informed me that I had a big problem. The total weight of the truck and camper was 11,000 lbs. and the GVWR on the truck is 10,000 lbs. In the Province of BC, he said the law restricts any vehicle from being driven on their roadways if that vehicle exceeds the GVWR from the factory.

After checking with a number of RV dealerships and RV owners, I had found out that there are hundreds of truck and campers as well as hundreds of motorhomes that are overweight. A lot of these units are overweight before anything is loaded or the driver even gets into the vehicle. On some vehicles, the dry weight actually exceeds the GVWR

The camper I own was made in BC. I talked to the Management and they informed me that this same camper is being mounted on 3/4 ton trucks and driven in BC.

On the day I was stopped, I was given what is called a “Notice and Order” and told by the officer that I had to leave the Province that day and that my truck and camper are not allowed back in the Province of BC. Apparently by law, he could have seized my unit rather than allow me to leave immediately.

I find it difficult to understand how a tourist can literally be thrown out of your Province when many vehicles that are sold, registered and driven in your own Province do not meet the law requirements as outlined by the officer. Unless this law applies to all the vehicles in the Province of BC, I find this very close to harassment. I would greatly appreciate any help to clarify this matter.

I would like to know who to contact in order to discuss the Standards that have been set and also where I can obtain a copy of the Regulations on the size and weight of campers and motorhomes.

I am very interested in writing letters to RV dealerships, manufacturers, travel magazines, newspapers, etc. to inform people that this law is in effect in BC and I would appreciate any input anyone can offer.

Allan W. Richardson
Calgary, AB

Readers,
I asked Ernie Hamm of the RVDA of Canada to comment on this for us.

Ernie said:

Once again RV’s are being targeted in Golden, this time for overloading.
The reasons given to me by the Golden RCMP, were that the overloaded Recreation Vehicles operating on the adverse terrains in Golden area create a safety hazard.

There is however hope for Golden Highway Patrol. A new Staff Sergeant, Strickland has, as of August 1, 1998 taken over management of the Patrol. He comes to Golden from Victoria, highly respected for his good leadership. It is hopeful that his leadership will provide great guidance to the rest of the staff.

In B.C. the rule for licencing of pickup trucks is quite simple. Your request for licence plate includes a request of a GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) and payment is made for that weight. The rule is not less than 1-1/2 times the net weight of the vehicle. The New Vehicle Information Statement (NEVS) provided by the dealer shows all information on the vehicle including the net weight. In Alberta however, pickups used for personal purposes are not licenced on GVWR. When a B.C. RCMP officer looks at the registration form and sees no GVWR and then checks the door for the manufacturer’s recommended GVWR. It is up to each owner to ensure that the total unit does not exceed the manufactured suggested weight.

In the case of Al Richardson, the door showed 10,000 lbs (4535 kg) GVWR and a combined Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) of 11,400. He was weighed by the RCMP officer and the weight of this vehicle including his 12 foot camper was 5100 kg or 11,234 lbs. Almost 600 kg overweight according to the door.

The problem seems to be that the manufacturers do not increase their recommended weights when they add items such as diesel engines with automatic transmissions, thus increasing their net weights without increasing their gross carrying capacities.

Yours sincerely,
Ernie Hamm
Executive Vice President
Recreation Vehicle Dealers Assoc. of Canada