The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) Scotland, in conjunction with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and Police Scotland, are hosting vehicle workshops this Tuesday (October 23).
Participants have the opportunity to learn about keeping their agricultural vehicles fit for purpose and road legal as part of two workshops coming to Castle Douglas this week.
The event follows on from a series of similar workshops held throughout the country over the last few years and inform farmers about the rules and regulations of using the road with agricultural vehicles.
Hosted at the Barstobrick Visitors Centre, Castle Douglas, this latest event will cover a range of topics, including:
- Licensing regulations;
- Load security;
- Weights;
- Coupling;
- Brakes;
- Lighting and marking;
- Tyres and vehicle maintenance;
- Road behaviours.
The event consists of two half-day workshops and attendees can choose to either go on the morning (9:00am to 12:00pm) or afternoon session (1:00pm to 4:00pm).
The event is free for NFU Scotland members and is £50 for non-members.
As well as looking at road legality, representatives from The Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime (SPARC) will also be in attendance and focus on crime prevention.
There will be opportunities throughout the day to speak with them.
Jamie Smart, NFU Scotland legal and technical chairman, said: “These events are a great opportunity for farmers and crofters to get up-to-date information on any rule changes that could affect them and how they run their businesses.
Vehicle legislation can be a complicated issue, so it is always good to get a refresher for those who regularly use agriculture vehicles on the road.
“Transport is key to farmers and crofters and it is important that they have the skills and knowledge to comply with the law. I would encourage anyone in our industry to come along to one of the sessions,” he concluded.
