believe it's category c1 or c1+e with a trailer.

i have been driving heavy 4x4's with trailers, american cheve' campers + trailers etc for a couple of years, only recently noticed i don't have the van picture for the category on my photocard driving license.

I rung the dvla who politely inform me that I don't have entitlement to these categories, so I asked for them to be added. They say I need to fill i a form, get a medical and do a test as my license is after feb 1997 or something.

I thought that a full car license allows upto a 7.5 tonner, but apparantly due to the EU ( and tests passed after sometime in '97) mine doesn't as it's too new.

I am really pissed off as I must have been driving unlicensed and didn't even know it for quite a while. and as far as the bloody EU goes, whats makes people with older licenses better drivers anyway.



Ned. grrrr.

Sometimes there advantages in being old.

quote:

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Originally posted by flange nut
Sometimes there advantages in being old.

---

Due to this problem I wasn't even allowed to hire a luton transit when I moved house recently.

I don't have the time or money to get a medical and take another driving test, especially with the lessons and hiring I'd need for a big van/small lorry.

Ned.

[Edited on 20/5/04 by ned]

Ned

I seem to remember a similar conversation (with a friend) about a 15 seat minibus that I had aquired free

I can drive it on my licence, with 15 people on board as long as its not hire or reward, yet my friends son (25 ish old) can not
It seems that the licencing requrments changed about 5 years ago, but no one seems to know when were or how

btw I only have a normal car/motorbike licence


steve

Steve,

It would seem that the 1st jan 1997 was the cut off date, anyone passed their test since then will have to do a seperate test for 3.5-7.5 tonnes, minibuses etc etc

totally ridiculous, especially as I've been driving things I'm not even licensed for without even knowing! I feel like carrying on as I've never been stopped anyway.

Ned.

I have had a license since 1976/77 in respect of a bike and a car.


Sense would dictate that there is little in common with a car and a 7.5 tonne truck. Is it really that unreasonable that some kinda extra test / training should be undertaken?

I drove a 4 tonner some years ago to germany, and the brakes were mad - on or off. Its a different world.

atb

steve

A 7.5 ton truck I can understand, but an american camper with a trailer with a race car in it for social/holiday use or a luton transit i think is silly.

Ned.

We have the same regulations here in Spain and I was told recently that you need the 3.5+ permit to drive a classic Hummer because it's 3.7. The new one is just under 3.5 to overcome this.

quote:

---

Originally posted by ned
A 7.5 ton truck I can understand, but an american camper with a trailer with a race car in it for social/holiday use or a luton transit i think is silly.

Ned.

---

It's because of people towing trailers with vehicles on them and landing on railway lines as in Selby, Ned.

Pete,

no offence like, but are you being serious?

-But that can't be 7 years ago though, surely.

Ned.

[Edited on 20/5/04 by ned]

I have driven a 7.5 tonne truck - I was very worried until I'd got to grips with the sheer size of it. The nearside mirror is a LONG way away, the visibility is bad, acceleration and (more importantly) braking is nowhere as good as even a big van. I had to develop far more anticipation before I was much good at driving it.

I'm not too surprised that they dropped the limits.

David

David - I think you might be wrong.

I think the license counts for 'all up train weight' - NOT the truck, plus what its towing.........


atb

steve

Having seen a lot of the usual idiots on the road I personally feel that restricting the people who can tow trailers/caravans is quite reasonable......

In fact I beleive the entire UK system of licencing is far too easy as it stands..
(stand back and wait for the flames too die down )

A system similair to the Germans (where the average standard of driving is far better than over here! ) would be the best thing we coyuld do!

IIRC In order to get your licence you must have attended profesional lessons and you must have completed a series of 'tasks' including high speed(over 100mph!), long distance, foul weather and night driving.....

you also only ever get 3 go's !

Obviously anyone discerning enough to be a member of this forum does not need the extra tuition!
I am merely refering to all the other idiots on the road

quote:

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Originally posted by protofj
Obviously anyone discerning enough to be a member of this forum does not need the extra tuition!
I am merely refering to all the other idiots on the road

---

I had a similar problem when using my works minibus. I passes my test 2 months after the 1997 cut off and found out that I could only drive an old battered minibus instead of a brand new modern minibus purely because it had one extra seat. I could also only use the minibus in the first place because I was doing non-paided work for charity instead of driving as a part of my job.

I do agree that it is a good idea to be limited to what size/weight of vehicle a person can drive but I disagree with the idea that a person who passed their test before 1997 is classed as a better driver. If you ban one age group from driving a certain weight vehicle, you should bad everyone, unitl they have done a test ( like HGV's and PSV's )

As it was, when I used the minibus as mentioned above a second minibus (also part of the group and driven by an older driver) was involved in an accident - caused by an older female driver on her mobile phone! no affence meant to female drivers.

its good to have a rant now and then...

Selby was 2001 Ned and no, I am never serious on purpose. Sometimes one gets through but I try not to be, but it does illustrate the need for some kind of regulation. I passed in 70 so it disney apply to me though. I used to shunt artics when I was a sheeter and I helped at a yard where steam cleaning of vehicles took place and reversed all kinds of stuff from gritters to mobile libraries up a ramp for pretest cleaning before they went for plating. I have a full bike license as well.

quote:

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Originally posted by stephen_gusterson
David - I think you might be wrong.

I think the license counts for 'all up train weight' - NOT the truck, plus what its towing.........

---

lots of regulations change like this all the previous classes of psv/hgv changed from 1,2,3 to the current system also remaned pcv/lgv.i've always heard it called grandfarther rights ie if you have been doing before the regs. changed then its ok. if i remember right my psv 2 (up to 5.5m) changed and allowed me to drive almost any bus or coach! so from 25 passengers to 70+ mad or what

Come on Ned, do you really think it safe to pass your test in a Fiesta or micra type car then go out and hire a bloomin 7.5 ton truck !! They are totally different !! and can do disproportionately more damage when driven badly !!

Thanks for the reminder tho, Have to check my licence, I think the HGV runs out soon

And my licence allowed me to drive a single deck bus as well, no passengers , it had been converted to be an emergency mobile communications unit
oh and Bike as well

Jason

A few points.....

Chris..... hire or reward requires a PSV license, as does a bus with more than a max amount of seats - it changes from a minibus to a bus proper at that point.

I dont think there is any requirment to have professional lessons in this country. I passed in 1977, and have NEVER had a driving lesson from a professional - just parents. Get out of my way if you know whats good for you


neither of my grandfathers EVER passed a driving test. They were not required when they drove before licensing, and the requirement to pass a test wasnt retrospective. Its the same deal as a pre 1997 license.

Unless its changed, my father in law used to drive a relaint, he never got a full license cos he was so crap, but a bike license covered him driving a 410 kilo 3 wheeler.

There was also a loophole, I think now closed, that allowed a car driver to ride a moped without ANY L plates.

David - I base my 'train weight' statement on an experience at my last job. They bought a merc 3 tonner (or whatever) to act as transport for some equipment we wanted to demo around the country. It had a body built on it, and a mechanism to help draw the machine out for easy fork lifting. Prob was, once all this had been done, there was only 900kg or so weight left before we hit the 3 tonne (or whatever) limit. Our item weighed 1200 kilo without anything else, like people or supplementary equipment.

We looked into getting a trailer, to put some of the load in that, be we were advised that the trailer ALSO got included in the all up max weight of the vehicle. This was 1989. Things may have changed.


atb


steve



[Edited on 21/5/04 by stephen_gusterson]

Stephen,

It appears ot me from this page: http://www.dvla.gov.uk/drivers/rdmcycle.htm that if you had a full car license before 1st feb 2001 you can ride a moped on that, after 1st feb 2001 you need to do the compulsary basic training (cbt) before you can get on the road with 'l' plates
though you need a cbt for a 125.

i probably have mis red this as i don't think it's very clear..

Ned.

Hmm, that probably mean I (and possibly Jon) have been driving his friend's "bigvan" (some large VW thing with forward cab and a wheelchair lift) illegally. I think i passed my test in Feb 1997, If I'd just passed first time it would be no bother.

best law ever passed stops people renting ford cargo's 7.5 t to move house ( no offence ned) having never driven anything bigger than an average car. these things corner completely differently was behind one of these soft gets one day at a set of lights he forgot he was sitting above the steering wheels and nearly wiped a kid off a pushbike.... wait till you see the new bike test for 2008 to include an off road test to prove you can handle a bike in all conditions how the hell you gonna motocross a fireblade
tony

Don't worry mate, add a couple of wings and you wont need roundabouts !!

Jason