Avoiding tolls on a satnav did not avoid the weight prohibition (2026)

Case 2250205276 / 2025-09-03 / Adjudicator Graeme Wallington

Rotherhithe Tunnel Approach / Brunel Road

“The restriction based upon weight is an absolute ban, not a requirement to pay a toll.”

Graeme Wallington

The appellant said the signs showed large trucks and dimensional restrictions without explaining the maximum weight. He also relied on using a satnav set to avoid tolls: Rotherhithe did not appear as a tolled crossing, unlike Dartford. The alleged contravention occurred on the Brunel Road approach on 4 February 2025.

Graeme Wallington found that even the appellant's own signage photograph showed a goods vehicle inside a red circle with a 2t marking. TfL's DVLA evidence identified an N1 vehicle with a revenue weight of 2830 kg. The adjudicator explained that this maximum weight did not change with the load carried.

The appeal was refused. Wallington distinguished the prohibition from a requirement to pay a toll, so the satnav setting did not answer the allegation. The decision turns on the signed vehicle restriction and recorded maximum weight, not whether the journey involved a crossing charge.

Source and case reference

Use case reference 2250205276 in the London Tribunals register to find the official decision. This commentary distinguishes the adjudicator's finding from a possible argument in a different case; previous tribunal decisions do not bind another adjudicator.