The answer options
- The person that loaded the vehicle
- The owner of what is being carried
- The local licensing authorities
- The driver of the vehicleCorrect
Why that is the answer
As the driver, you are legally responsible for the safety and roadworthiness of your vehicle whenever you take it on the road. This includes ensuring that the load does not exceed the vehicle's maximum authorised mass. Even if someone else loaded the vehicle or owns the cargo, the driver remains solely accountable if it is overloaded. Overloading severely affects handling, increases stopping distances, and causes dangerous tyre wear.
How this comes up in the real test
Questions from vehicle loading appear throughout the 50-question multiple-choice section, and the wording changes between versions. Learn the rule rather than the sentence: the DVSA can ask the same point from the opposite direction, and a memorised answer falls over the moment the phrasing moves.
The pass mark is 43 out of 50, so seven wrong answers is your entire margin. If a whole category is shaky, run the topic practice below until you are getting every question right for the right reason, then go back to full mocks under the clock.
More vehicle loading questions
- A trailer braking system must have a safety device fitted. What is this device?
- Are passenger allowed to travel in a caravan when been towed?
- How will the handling of your car change if you have a large load on your roof rack?
- Sometimes you may need to increase your tyre pressure to above the normal value. When would this be necessary?
- What is the maximum authorised mass (MAM) you can tow in any trailer, having just passed your driving test?
- What is the minimum tyre tread depth for a trailer?