The Vehicle
A vehicle is any motorised or non-motorised object normally intended for the transport of people or goods.
Motorised vehicles circulating on public roads must have a make and model duly approved by the DGV, the official authority responsible for this purpose, in order to guarantee their identification and registration in accordance with their technical characteristics.
Cars
A motor vehicle with a power-driven motor, with at least four wheels, with a tare weight of more than 550 kg, with a maximum design speed of more than 25 kilometre per hour, and which, due to its function, is intended to be driven on public roads without being subject to rails.
Cars are classified as
Light: vehicles with a gross weight of 3500kg or less and a capacity of no more than 9 seats, including the driver's seat.
Heavy: vehicles with a gross weight of more than 3500kg or a capacity of more than 9 seats, including the driver's seat.
Now According to their use, light or heavy vehicles fall into the following types:
Passengers: vehicles used to transport people.
Goods: vehicles used to transport cargo.
Passenger and goods vehicles that are intended to fulfil a function other than the normal carriage of passengers or goods are considered to be special vehicles and are designated by regulation according to their intended purpose.
Motorbikes, Mopeds, Tricycles and Quadricycles
Motorbike: a two-wheeled vehicle, with or without a sidecar, with an internal combustion engine, with a cylinder capacity of more than 50cm3 and which by design exceeds a speed of 45km/h.
Moped: a vehicle with two or three wheels whose maximum speed does not exceed 45km/h and whose engine:
in the case of two-wheel mopeds, has a cylinder capacity not exceeding 50cm3 in the case of an internal combustion engine, or a maximum power not exceeding 4kw in the case of an electric motor.
in the case of three-wheel mopeds, has a cylinder capacity not exceeding 50cm3 in the case of a spark-ignition engine or a maximum power not exceeding 4kw in the case of other internal combustion engines or electric motors.
Tricycle: a vehicle with three symmetrically arranged wheels, with an internal combustion engine with a cylinder capacity of more than 50cm3, which exceeds a maximum speed of 45km/h.
Quadricycle: a vehicle with 4 wheels:
Light: a vehicle with a cylinder capacity not exceeding 50cm3 or whose maximum continuous rated power does not exceed 4 kW, if the engine is electric or internal combustion, whose unladen mass does not exceed 350kg.
Heavy-duty: a vehicle with a power not exceeding 15 kW and a maximum unladen mass, excluding the mass of the batteries for electric vehicles, not exceeding 400 kg or 550 kg, depending on whether it is intended for the carriage of passengers or goods.
Agricultural vehicles
Agricultural or forestry tractor: a vehicle with a propulsion engine, with two or more axles, built for tractive effort, specially designed for use with trailers, implements or other machinery intended for agricultural/forestry use.
Agricultural or forestry machine: a vehicle with a propulsion engine, with two or more axles, designed to carry out agricultural or forestry work. It is considered heavy or light depending on whether or not its gross weight exceeds 3,500kg, and only exceptionally does it travel on public roads.
Motor-cultivator: a vehicle with a single-axle propulsion engine intended for carrying out light agricultural work, which can be driven by a driver on foot or on a semi-trailer or tractor-trailer attached to the vehicle.
Tractor-trailer: a vehicle with a propulsion engine, with two or more axles, fitted with a cargo box intended for transporting agricultural or forestry products and whose gross weight does not exceed 3,500kg, and is assimilated to the agricultural tractor for circulation purposes.
Collective passenger transport vehicles
As vehicles are primarily intended for transporting a large number of passengers, they must ensure compliance with the provisions imposed on them with a view to greater comfort and safety for their occupants. In order to meet the greater demands of the occupants, three types of categories have been created, thus specialising each vehicle for its function.
Heavy passenger vehicles are classified according to the following categories:
Category I: vehicles designed to allow passengers to move easily on journeys with frequent stops, with seating and standing areas.
Category II: vehicles designed to carry seated passengers, but may carry standing passengers in the aisle on short journeys.
Category III: vehicles designed and equipped for long-distance transport; these vehicles are designed to ensure the comfort of seated passengers.
Other Vehicles
Bicycle: vehicle with two or more wheels driven by the driver's own efforts using pedals or similar devices.
Motorised bicycle: a vehicle with a motor, equipped with an auxiliary electric motor, with a maximum power of 0.25 kW, the power supply of which reduces progressively as the speed increases and is interrupted when the speed of 25 km/h is reached or if the rider stops pedalling. Motorised bicycles and motorised scooters are assimilated to bicycles.
Trailer: a vehicle designed to be towed by a motor vehicle.
Semi-trailer: a trailer whose front end rests on the towing vehicle, distributing its weight over it.
Note: Agricultural or forestry trailers and semi-trailers have this designation when they are intended to be coupled to an agricultural tractor or a motor-cultivator.
Industrial machine: a vehicle with a propulsion engine, with two or more axles, intended for carrying out industrial works or jobs and which only occasionally travels on the public road, being heavy or light depending on whether or not its gross weight exceeds 3,500kg.
Towable industrial machine: a machine used for industrial work that can only be driven on the public road when towed.
Articulated vehicle: heavy goods vehicle made up of two rigid segments permanently connected by an articulated section that allows communication between the two.
Rail vehicle: a vehicle which, regardless of its propulsion system, travels on rails.
Animal-drawn vehicle: an animal-drawn vehicle is one in which the tractive effort is exerted by animals.
Tourist train: made up of a tractor and one or more trailers intended for the transport of passengers on short journeys and for tourist or entertainment purposes.
Vehicle combination: a group made up of a towing vehicle and its trailer or semi-trailer. For the purposes of circulation, the vehicle combination is treated as a single vehicle.
Vehicle weights
Tare weight. The weight of the vehicle in running order, without passengers or load, with coolant, lubricants, 90 per cent of the total fuel, 100 per cent of the other fluids, except waste water, tools and spare wheel, where this is compulsory, and, with the exception of mopeds, motorbikes, tricycles and quadricycles, the driver (75 kg). In the case of heavy passenger vehicles, the weight of the guide (75 kg) must also be taken into account if a specific seat is provided for him.
Gross weight / Maximum mass The combined tare weight and load that the vehicle can carry.
Total weight. Total weight of the vehicle at the time, this is the tare weight plus the load that the vehicle is currently carrying.
Gross towable weight The maximum towable load capacity of motor vehicles and agricultural tractors.
Maximum weights
Vehicles with 2 axles: 19 tonnes
Vehicles with 3 axles: 26 tonnes
Vehicles with 4 or more axles: 32 tonnes
1-axle trailers: 10 tonnes
2-axle trailers: 18 tonnes
3-axle trailers: 24 tonnes
Gross weight per driving axle: 7.5 tonnes
Gross weight per non-driving axle: 10 tonnes
Semi-trailer tractor combination with ISO container: 44 tonnes
Maximum vehicle dimensions
Dimensions: measures the length, width and height of the surrounding contour of a vehicle, including all accessories for which no exception is made.
Maximum length
motor vehicles with two or more axles (with the exception of heavy passenger cars: 12 metres.
trailers with one or more axles: 12 metres.
heavy passenger cars with two axles: 13.5 metres.
Heavy passenger cars with three or more axles: 15 metres.
articulated heavy passenger vehicles: 18.75 metres.
tractor-trailer combination with three or more axles: 16.5 metres.
motor vehicle-trailer combination: 18.75 metres.
tourist trains: 18.75 metres.
single-axle agricultural trailers: 7 metres.
Agricultural trailers with two or more axles: 10 metres.
Maximum width
any vehicle: 2.55 metres.
conditioned transport vehicles: 2.6 metres.
Maximum height
The maximum height for any vehicle is 4 metres.
Community classification of vehicle characteristics
Since it is compulsory to classify the categories of cars and two-, three- and four-wheeled vehicles, the following classifications have been established in the European classification: the letter M for passenger vehicles, the letter N for goods vehicles, the letter O for trailers or semi-trailers and the letter G for off-road vehicles. (Decree-Law no. 72/2000 and 72B/2003)
M1 Vehicles intended for the carriage of passengers with no more than 8 seats in addition to the driver's seat
M2 Vehicles intended for the carriage of passengers comprising more than 8 seats in addition to the driver's seat and a gross vehicle weight not exceeding 5t.
M3 Vehicles intended for the carriage of passengers with more than 8 seats in addition to the driver's seat and a gross vehicle weight exceeding 5 tonnes.
N1 Vehicles intended for the carriage of goods with a gross vehicle weight not exceeding 3.5 tonnes.
N2 Vehicles intended for the carriage of goods with a gross vehicle weight of more than 3.5 tonnes and less than 12 tonnes.
N3 Vehicles intended for the carriage of goods with a gross vehicle weight exceeding 12 tonnes.
O1 Trailers with a gross weight not exceeding 0.75t.
O2 Trailers with a gross weight of more than 0.75t and less than 3.5t.
O3 Trailers with a gross weight of more than 3.5t and less than 10t.
O4 Trailers with a gross weight of more than 10 tonnes.
M1G Light passenger car with 4-wheel drive.
M3G Passenger car with 2 or more drive axles and a weight of more than 5t.
N1G Light goods vehicle with 4-wheel drive.
N2G Heavy goods vehicle with 2 or more drive axles and a gross weight of up to 12 tonnes.
N3G Goods car with 2 or more drive axles and gross weight over 12t.
Vehicle components
The car is a complex machine made up of basic elements and a large number of constituent components and accessories that are an integral part of the vehicle.
We can divide the vehicle into large fundamental parts:
the engine
the electrical system
steering
brakes
transmission
suspension
chassis, body and box
Chassis, bodywork and passenger compartment
The chassis is a rigid, sturdy structure located at the bottom of the vehicle, made up of two long iron beams connected to each other by several crossbars.
This structure supports the bodywork and passenger compartment or, in the case of goods vehicles, the cab and load box.
In order to reduce weight and achieve reasonable economy, modern passenger cars replace the traditional chassis and body with a solid, sturdy ‘monocoque’ made of stamped and reinforced steel.
In these vehicles, the passenger compartment is almost undeformable, in order to protect passengers in the event of an accident or collision.
Instrument panel
On the vehicle's dashboard there are a series of indicators that show the behaviour of the vehicle and its various components:
Speedometer: instantaneous speed indicator (also known as the Celerimeter)
Rev counter: indicator of the number of engine revolutions per minute (also known as a tachometer)
Pressure Gauge: indicator of the engine's lubricating oil pressure
Partial odometer: indicates the kilometres travelled by the vehicle during a given journey.
Total kilometres: indicates the kilometres travelled by the vehicle over its entire life.
Thermometer: coolant temperature indicator
Fuel gauge: indicates the amount of fuel in the tank (also known as a liquidometer).
Ammeter: tells you if the alternator or dynamo is generating energy to supply the battery and other circuits.
Speedometer and Tachograph
All cars, motorbikes and mopeds must be equipped with an indicator of the instantaneous speed reached by the vehicle (speedometer), placed in such a way that it can be easily observed by the driver.
Heavy goods vehicles must be fitted with a ‘tachograph’, a device comprising a speedometer, a clock and an odometer.
The tachograph records graphically on a paper disc personalised for each vehicle and driver all the details of their work and rest.
The recording discs must be replaced every 24 hours or at shift changes, at the start of each driver's work.
These indicators must be properly illuminated at night.
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