OVERVIEW
Overload protection,
engineered for one job.
SmartWeigh systems are an on-board sensor system that reads how much your axles flex under load, and translates that into a live weight readout in your cab. Built to do one job: tell you when you are at or near your legal limit.
HOW SMARTWEIGH WORKS
Every axle bends its own way.
SmartWeigh works by reading how much your axles flex under load. Sounds simple. But here is the bit most people miss: no two vehicles flex the same way.
Factor 01
Age & wear
Springs, bushes, and the chassis itself settle over time. A 10-year-old vehicle flexes differently to a 2-year-old, even on the same model.
Factor 02
How it has been used
A vehicle that has hauled heavy loads daily has axles that work differently to one used for light delivery work.
Factor 03
Workload pattern
Front-loaded, rear-loaded, evenly spread. Every vehicle has its own pattern of wear depending on how it has been driven.
WHERE ACCURACY LIVES
Sharpest near full load.
Your axles only flex meaningfully under significant weight. A single pallet, a half-empty load, a driver climbing in. None of these produce enough flex to give a precise reading. The accuracy you need only happens as you approach full load.
A single pallet, a half-empty load, a driver climbing in. Not enough axle flex to read precisely, and not enough weight to put you over the limit either.
Reading precision improves as you approach full load. Useful as a guide on the way up, but it is not where the system is calibrated to be sharpest.
±5% guide accuracy. Where the axles tell us exactly what you are carrying. Where DVSA decide whether you get a fine. Where it matters.
WHAT AN OVERLOAD ACTUALLY COSTS
The fine is the smallest part.
By the time DVSA have finished with you at the roadside, an overload offence costs a sole trader far more than the £100-£300 fixed penalty most operators quote. Straight from the official guidance:
£100
<10% over
£200
10-15% over
£300
15%+ over
Court
30%+ over
Immediate prohibition
Vehicle stopped until load is removed or redistributed. Late delivery. Customer relations damaged.
£££
Operator notification
O-licence holders are reported to the Traffic Commissioner. Repeated offences trigger a public inquiry.
O-LICENCE RISK
Multiple offences per stop
DVSA can issue up to 5 fixed penalty notices per stop. With two examiners, up to 10.
Up to £1,500
Don’t pay in 28 days?
If unpaid in 28 days and no court hearing requested, the penalty is registered with the courts as an unpaid fine, and increases by 50%.
+50%
Get a price
GETTING FITTED
One day, at your yard.
01Enquire
Vehicle, axle count and postcode. We come back with a price and a fitting slot, usually the same working day.
02Fit and calibrate on site
Sensors, in-cab display and app fitted, then calibrated empty and fully loaded. One engineer, one visit.
03Drive
Live readings from that day on. You know your weight before you leave the yard.
ON FITTING DAY WE NEED
The vehicle loaded to its full GVW. Calibration takes an empty reading and a fully loaded one, so the product has to be on site when the engineer arrives.
Level, firm ground with access underneath the vehicle.
Around four hours with the keys.
If the load is not there on the day, the calibration cannot be completed and a return visit is chargeable. Not sure how to load to GVW, or what your full GVW is? Ask when you enquire and we will talk it through first.
Prefer to talk it through? Call 01603 485 153.