ned
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| posted on 20/5/04 at 12:00 PM |
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dvla - driving 3.5-7.5 ton vehicles
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.
beware, I've got yellow skin
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flange nut
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| posted on 20/5/04 at 12:06 PM |
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Sometimes there advantages in being old.
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 20/5/04 at 12:29 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by flange nut
Sometimes there advantages in being old.
Old-ish, anyway!
It's amazing what I'm allowed to drive, considering I've only passed the car and bike tests - almost anything that moves, up to 7.5
tonnes.
Quite scary, really...
David
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ned
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| posted on 20/5/04 at 12:39 PM |
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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]
beware, I've got yellow skin
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steve m
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| posted on 20/5/04 at 01:06 PM |
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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
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ned
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| posted on 20/5/04 at 01:34 PM |
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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.
beware, I've got yellow skin
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stephen_gusterson
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| posted on 20/5/04 at 02:05 PM |
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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
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ned
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| posted on 20/5/04 at 02:17 PM |
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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.
beware, I've got yellow skin
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Alez
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| posted on 20/5/04 at 02:51 PM |
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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.
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 20/5/04 at 03:03 PM |
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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.
With that combo (minibus/big truck + trailer) I can drive up to 12 tonnes! V. Scary!
David
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Peteff
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| posted on 20/5/04 at 03:34 PM |
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It's because of people towing trailers with vehicles on them and landing on railway lines as in Selby, Ned.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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ned
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| posted on 20/5/04 at 03:37 PM |
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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]
beware, I've got yellow skin
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 20/5/04 at 03:41 PM |
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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
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stephen_gusterson
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| posted on 20/5/04 at 03:42 PM |
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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
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DaveFJ
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| posted on 20/5/04 at 03:47 PM |
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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
Dave
"In Support of Help the Heroes" - Always
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ned
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| posted on 20/5/04 at 03:52 PM |
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quote:
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'm glad you added that bit protofj!!
Ned.
beware, I've got yellow skin
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chris.russell
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| posted on 20/5/04 at 04:43 PM |
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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...
Mines a pint
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Peteff
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| posted on 20/5/04 at 05:33 PM |
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no offence like, but are you being serious?
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.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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David Jenkins
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| posted on 20/5/04 at 06:31 PM |
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quote:
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.........
Me? Wrong? Shurely thersh shome mishtake!
Here's the words from the DVLA website:
"Combinations of vehicles where the towing vehicle is in subcategory D1 and its trailer has a MAM of over 750kg, provided that the MAM of the
combination thus formed does not exceed 12000kg, and the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen mass of the towing vehicle."
I was actually talking about the total weight, not just the truck... but 12 tonnes is still 'king heavy!
rgds,
David
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nicklondon
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| posted on 21/5/04 at 06:31 AM |
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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
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Deckman001
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| posted on 21/5/04 at 07:19 AM |
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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 
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stephen_gusterson
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| posted on 21/5/04 at 09:04 AM |
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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]
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ned
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| posted on 21/5/04 at 09:19 AM |
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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.
beware, I've got yellow skin
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mackie
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| posted on 21/5/04 at 10:48 AM |
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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.
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mad-butcher
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| posted on 21/5/04 at 05:26 PM |
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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
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