Certificate of Conformance
Certificate of Conformance
Legal Towing
Trailer Certificate of Conformance (CoC)
All new Indespension trailers are provided with a Certificate of Conformance (CoC) at no cost, which lists various characteristics such as the trailer model, VIN number, manufacture date, trailer approval number, weights and dimensions etc. This is stored in a document wallet pack that also includes other information about your trailer and should be kept safely. The CoC may be required at some point if regulatory authorities or Police request it, and it will be necessary if the trailer needs to be registered for road use outside of the UK where this may be a legal requirement as detailed in the ‘The Trailer Registration Regulations 2018’.
The CoC will also be required if the trailer is sold and passed on to another owner.
*Should the document become damaged or lost, Indespension may be able to provide a duplicate CoC copy depending certain criteria, which are;
- The trailer was built after the date when Indespension became registered with the Vehicle Certification Agency (Indespension staff will be able to advise on this).
- Photographic evidence of the VIN plate and drawbar VIN number engraving is provided. This is a 17-digit code that is located as shown below.
- A copy of a form of proof of ownership is provided. This can be a sales invoice or receipt that contains the trailer details, or similar.
*Note: As providing a duplicate CoC involves interrogating archive records, a standard administration charge will apply.
Buying a Used Trailer
Buying any new or used trailer can be costly and so it is important to check that you have the right model before you buy and in the case of used trailers, apart from the obvious function and condition checks, there are a couple of other things that are arguably equally important which need to be considered.
Before buying a used trailer – not just an Indespension model - from any source, it is advisable to check that the VIN plate and the VIN code engraving are present and that this is replicated on the CoC which should be provided by the seller. If any of these are not visible or available, make sure you request this from the seller before proceeding with the sale.
It is a sad fact that the number of trailer thefts have risen over recent years, and it is not uncommon for thieves to remove the VIN plate and grind off the drawbar engraving to try and prevent traceability and avoid prosecution. Agreeing to buy a trailer in this condition may mean you will not be able to legally use it on some roads and selling it may prove difficult or impossible.
At Indespension, we want you to have trouble-free safe and legal towing and following the steps above will help to prevent problems and stress that can be avoided. Please check on other information available on the Indespension website that can help with this.
