National Road Traffic Act, 1996 (Act No. 93 of 1996)RegulationsNational Road Traffic Regulations, 2000Chapter VI : Fitness of VehiclesPart III : Dimensions of vehicles221. Overall length of vehicle |
No person shall operate on a public road—
| (a) | a trailer which is coupled to a drawing vehicle in such a manner that the trailer and the drawing vehicle cannot swivel in a horizontal plane at the coupling, if the overall length including any drawbar or coupling exceeds one comma eight metres; |
| (b) | a trailer with one axle or one axle unit, other than a semi-trailer— |
| (i) | the gross vehicle mass of which exceeds 12 000 kilograms, if the overall length of such trailer, excluding any drawbar or coupling, exceeds 11,3 metres; or |
| (ii) | the gross vehicle mass of which does not exceed 12 000 kilograms, if the overall length of such trailer, excluding any drawbar or coupling, exceeds eight metres; |
| (c) | a trailer not referred to in paragraph (b), excluding a semi-trailer, the gross vehicle mass of which exceeds 12 000 kilograms, if the overall length of such trailer, excluding any drawbar or coupling, exceeds 12,5 metres; |
| (d) | an articulated motor vehicle or any other combination of motor vehicles consisting of a drawing vehicle and a semi-trailer, if the overall length of such motor vehicle or combination of motor vehicles, including any drawbar or coupling, exceeds 18,5 metres; |
| (e) | a bus-train, if the overall length thereof exceeds 22 metres; |
[Regulation 221(e) substituted by regulation 50(a) of Notice No. R. 1341 of 2003]
Provided that in the case of a rapid transport bus-train, the limit on the overall length shall not exceed 26 metres.
[Proviso to regulation 221(e) inserted by regulation 11 of Notice No. R. 359 of 2010]
| (eA) | a bus, if the overall length thereof exceeds 15 metres; |
[Regulation 221(eA) inserted by regulation 50(b) of Notice No. R. 1341 of 2003]
| (f) | any other vehicles, excluding a semi-trailer, if the overall length thereof, including any drawbar or coupling, exceeds 12,5 metres; or |
| (g) | any other combination of motor vehicles, if the overall length thereof, including any drawbar or coupling, exceeds 22 metres: Provided that the provisions of this paragraph shall not apply to a breakdown vehicle while towing another motor vehicle. |
Provided that equipment fitted to the front of a vehicle to protect its bodywork and lighting equipment and that increases the overall length of that vehicle by not more than 300 millimetres, shall not be taken into account for the purpose of calculation of the overall length of a vehicle: Provided further that the said protection equipment does not include the bumper fitted by the manufacturer of the motor vehicle concerned.
[Regulation 221 substituted by regulation 43 of Notice No. 2116 of 2001]