Although the most widespread license plate and the one we see most often on the cars that circulate in our country corresponds to the European model – white background, black alphanumeric code and the logo of the European Union with the E for Spain – the truth is that there are other license plate models that you can find on the road. For example, provisional license plates or those carried by special vehicles.
In the case of trucks, perhaps you have ever noticed that sometimes they carry a single license plate according to the European model, while other times they sport two different license plates. Whether you are preparing your heavy vehicle driving license or want to satisfy your curiosity about it, we will reveal why.
According to the regulations, truck semi-trailers and trailers that exceed 750 kilos of maximum authorized mass (MMA) must carry two license plates. On the one hand, they will carry the license plate of the towing vehicle, which is the one that corresponds to the European model with a white background, black letters, four numbers and three consonant letters. On the other hand, the trailer must have a specific license plate, red with black characters, a letter R, the four numbers and three other consonants.
Of course, you may find others who maintain the registration of the old provincial system, for which the registration began with two consonants, followed by five numbers, a hyphen and the letter R. This is because, after the entry into force of the system of European registration in Spain in the year 2000, it was not mandatory to re-register vehicles with the provincial system.
In any case, those trailers that do not exceed the maximum authorized mass of 750 kilos only carry the European registration corresponding to the towing vehicle.
In accordance with the General Traffic Regulations (RGC), vehicles may display other signs intended to inform road users of certain circumstances or characteristics of the vehicle on which they are placed, the service it provides, the load it transports. or your own driver. In the case of trucks, you will usually find signs such as the speed limitation, which indicates that they should not travel at a speed higher than the kilometers per hour that appears on the sign.
They can also indicate that they are a slow vehicle, which due to their construction cannot exceed 40 kilometers per hour. A truck can also display the dangerous goods transport badge. Or indicate protruding cargo panels. Likewise, there is the mark for goods transport vehicles, which are reflective marks used to increase the visibility and recognition of trucks and long, heavy vehicles and their trailers.
