The NCC has published a new motorhome guide to help both beginners and experienced motorhomers in loading and driving their vehicles correctly and safely.
The Motorcaravan Guide covers all types of motorhomes including A-class, coachbuilt, low profile and campervans, and provides easy-to-understand advice and information on owning and using a leisure vehicle.
It includes hot topics like:
- Maximum loads and the importance of not overloading axles (as indicated on the manufacturer’s type approval plate)
- Loading considerations, from the storage of heavy items to checking the weight of roof boxes, bike racks and even passengers. Take a look at our video on how to load a motorhome correctly too.
- National speed limits for motorhomes – some heavier motorhomes and van conversions might be subject to lower speed limits
- Motorhome security device options. See our motorhome security guide here.
- Plus a list of motorhome definitions
There’s a section to help owners check they have the right driving licence entitlement to drive their vehicle. For example, for motorhomes with a MTPLM (Maximum Technical Permissible Laden Mass) above 3,500 kgs, a Category C1 entitlement is necessary. For those who passed their driving test after 1 January 1997, this will mean taking and passing a Category C1 test.
The guide also provides some top tips for motorhomes users before hitting the road, such as planning your route (staying local if not familiar with the motorhomes’s features and equipment), checking the tyres for age and wear regularly and replacing them if they’ve been in use for more than five years or are over seven years old; checking road lights are working, and turning off the gas supply when travelling if the motorhome is not designed to have gas appliances working when it’s in motion.
A PDF version of the guide is available to download here: The new Motorcaravan Guide – leisurevehicleshub.co.uk
If you’re new to the world of motorhoming then check out our motorhome beginners guide packed full of handy guides, videos and tips.
In the guide, there is a table for speed limits which, on first glance, seems to be in error, specifying limits on unladen weights/masses, not gross. Neither is the ridiculous 3050kg rule mentioned.