Is your caravan legal?

Experts believe around 90 per cent of caravans and campers sold aren’t fully legal

As many as nine out of 10 new caravans don’t meet all State and industry regulations, potentially putting their owners at risk – not just of an accident or component failure, but also of breaking local road laws and potentially being at odds with their insurance companies.

That’s the frightening estimate by industry insiders, with one of Australia’s ‘Big 5’ suggesting that the real number of all-State compliant caravans could be as few as seven out of more than 126 separate manufacturers, the majority clustered in Melbourne’s northern suburb of Campbellfield.

And with more and more Australians caravanners on the road, travelling between states, it’s a growing problem.

Some of the non-compliant items may be as simple and seemingly innocuous as the height of the rear numberplate or lights, or the distance between the gas cylinder and their regulator.

However, road traffic authorities and the police can use this non-compliance in the case of an accident to charge the offending driver, or even make them liable for criminal prosecution in the case of an accident, while some insurers are in their right to deny any resulting claim.

The one company that claims the high ground proudly here is Jayco, with recently appointed CEO Carl Bizon insisting that Australia’s largest RV manufacturer has an absolute commitment to compliance throughout Australia and New Zealand.

“We bear the additional cost of doing this because we are based in Victoria and are under the control regime of the Caravan Trades Industry Association,” he said.

“In other states local authorities don’t necessarily have such a strict compliance regime, but manufacturers there that gain RVMAP accreditation can to some degree be confident of compliance.”

Bizon emphasised that not all non-compliance by caravan manufacturers was wilful.

“There is a degree of innocent non-compliance, because some manufacturers do not invest the time or money like we do to ensure it,” he said.

The independent Caravan Council of Australia agrees that many caravans and camper trailers are not compliant, notably used, ex-North American fifth-wheelers and motorhomes.

While motor vehicles or trailers weighing over 4.5 tonne ATM have a Compliance Plate issued by the federal Vehicle Safety Standards indicating that complete proof-of-compliance with all applicable Australian Design Rules has been submitted to the VSS for their engineering inspection and subsequent approval, caravans and trailers with less than a 4.5 tonne ATM rating do not.

‘Self-certification’ is permitted, whereby the manufacturer - or importer - provides a declaration on the VIN/Trailer/Compliance Plate, that the vehicle complies with the Motor Vehicle Standards Act 1989.

However, it has been proven many times that such declarations on many caravans and camper-trailers are false, leading to severe legal repercussions when such a vehicle is involved in an accident – specially one leading to a coronial enquiry.

CCA spokesperson Colin Young says one of the most common problems is incorrect or incomplete information on the specification plate usually pop-riveted inside the boot or on the drawbar of must caravans and camper trailers, claiming that “99 per cent are incorrect”.

“Some manufacturers obviously have no idea how to measure the correct ball weight and this can have serious consequences if this is over-stated,” he said.

“Sometimes it’s the basic calculation that is incorrect, or sometimes it doesn’t take into account dealer options or after-market fitted equipment, like a heavy A-frame or rear bumper mounted tool boxes, outboard motors and so on.

“I know of one long-standing Campbellfield caravan manufacturer who insists that its caravans be re-weighed and the ID plate changed when its dealers fit additional equipment on customer request, but they are an exception.

“Incorrect ball loading is a major industry issue and for every tragic accident that makes the news there are probably 1000 more accidents where no-one is killed or badly injured and for each of those another 1000 where someone has had a scary caravan towing experience.”

Young said that buyers should be wary of caravans that towed badly when empty, as none should be dependent on having a full water tank, or boot, to be stable.

“A well-engineered caravan should tow safely from the word go,” he said. “If it doesn’t, something is wrong.”

Young said that “dodgy figures” weren’t all the fault of the caravan industry.

“Some manufacturers of crew-cab utes and even large 4WDs claim an unrealistic towing capacity, because their permissible ball load in many cases decreases proportionately with the weight you place in their cargo space or load bay,” he said. “So you could theoretically have a so-called 3500kg-capable tow vehicle that legally can only tow a camper trailer when this is taken to extremes.”

Conrad D’Cunha, the National Dealer Manager of Concept Caravans, which produces Concept, Franklin and Newlands caravans at its Campbellfield, Melbourne headquarters, said his and other reputable manufacturers welcomed a crack-down on compliance issues, as “shonky” manufacturers were giving the industry a bad name.

“By my understanding, only 70 or so of the 126 or more Australian caravan manufacturers get audited and as a result must comply with Australian Design requirements,” he said.

So what can you do to protect yourself from potential problems?

• Buy a well-known caravan brand, built by a manufacturer who wants you back as a repeat customer.

• Buy it from a dealer with a long-standing history and a good reputation in the industry. A true caravan professional will give you sensible, accurate advice on the right tow car/caravan pairing, correct loading and other essential advice. It’s in their interest to do so.

• Don’t fit weighty ‘extras’ that might unsettle the balance of your caravan as it was built.

• If you are buying a used van, get it checked over by an experienced caravan or trailer repairer or maintenance expert.

• Insist on test-towing your caravan empty before buying it and its satisfactory empty performance and compliance a condition of purchase.

Is your caravan legal?

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