There is regular industry confusion around when an abnormal load notice may be served, especially if operators submit notifications on a Saturday, Sunday or bank holiday.
There is no legal restriction on serving an STGO Schedule 5 notice on any day of the week.
Under Schedule 5, the law specifies how notice periods are calculated, not when they may be submitted. The Order clearly states:
“For the purposes of any provision of this Order requiring a person to do something within a specified number of days, no account is to be taken of any day which is a Saturday, a Sunday or a public holiday in any part of Great Britain” – i.e. when calculating deadlines for required notice periods.
How are notice periods affected by when the notice is served?
Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays do not count toward the ‘two clear days’ notice period, but there is no prohibition on serving a notice on those days.
It is worth keeping in mind that:
- A notice may be sent or received on any day
- STGO does not restrict the days or times at which a notice can be delivered to police or authorities
- What matters is when the notice is received
- The recipient must receive it before the relevant notice period begins (usually two clear working days before the movement)
- Digital submissions make weekend receipt entirely valid
Most police abnormal load portals timestamp submissions automatically. The timestamp is what determines compliance.
Only the counting of days is affected.
You can notify on a Sunday at 10 pm, but the “clear days” clock won’t start until Monday morning.
Summary
While you can serve STGO notifications on Saturdays, Sundays, or bank holidays, the law does not restrict submission to working days.
The only rule is that Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays are excluded from the calculation of notice periods.
This distinction is often misunderstood and unnecessarily delays movements. Understanding the rule helps operators take advantage of weekends and avoid operational bottlenecks.
Our specialist team can support you with compliance awareness so that you do not get caught out. Contact John Dyne today for help.