Canadian driver carrying six-metre boat stopped on French motorway

A Canadian driver was stopped on the A26 motorway in Marne while transporting a six-metre speedboat on a trailer to cut down on transport costs. 

The interception took place during a road safety operation carried out by the Marne gendarmerie’s road control unit (EDCF51) at the Sommesous motorway service area.

The driver had purchased the boat in Antwerp and was transporting it to Montpellier, according to L’union. In order to save on professional transport after he was quoted €5,000, he bought a 4x4 himself and decided to transport the boat. 

However, the convoy was found to be non-compliant, with an overload of approximately one tonne. Additional issues that the police found were worn-out tyres and a non-compliant Canadian driving licence. 

For the boat transport, the fine for the driver came up to €900, meaning €90 per 100kg of excess weight, and there was an additional €600 fine for the other offences, reports L’union.

What the law says 

In France, a vehicle carrying a large boat, or a vehicle towing a trailer, can be considered to be an exceptional transport if the overall road unit exceeds certain limits. This includes more than 16.5 metres in length, 2.55 metres in width, or 44 tonnes in weight. 

Depending on the size and weight of the transport, the driver or transporter may need to complete prior formalities, such as a declaration or a special authorisation, before taking to the road.

Failure to comply with these rules can lead to fines, and in some cases the vehicle may be impounded.

In this case, the boat itself was not necessarily the issue, but the overloaded trailer in combination with other safety breaches meant the vehicle was not compliant with French road rules.