LSherratt

iTrader: (1)

Unfortunately those who passed their test after 1997 can not legally tow a trailer over 750kg by a motor vehicle. This morning I had a 1 hour assessment to judge my skill level and the guy placed me at average. What surprised me the most is that only a very very tiny small fraction of it is actually reversing! The rest is all general driving on the road! It's like being back at school learning to drive all over again! There is a "sequence" to everything. If anything, it's probably more strict than getting a drivers license which surprised me a lot. I thought it would be pretty casual and quite relaxed as anyone "could" drive a trailer on the road, but there's the "official" way of doing it.

They say that less than 40% pass their driving test first time (I did pass first time may I add) but I would imagine the B+E is probably similar.... and I would imagine the (no offence) young people who really struggled to pass their driving test would have no chance getting additional categories on their license.

Needless to say, I've had to bite the bullet to the complete sum of £520 which includes 2 blocks of 4 hour sessions + £165 test fee and 'module 4' walk around.

Daylight robbery comes to mind!

Point to add; I bet if traffic officers stopped people towing trailers to check their license, I reckon there would be loads towing illegally. You would need to be an absolute minimum of 35 years old now to have the automatic B+E and that would be passing your test at the age of 17 in 1996 before the rule changed.

pacenote

Is this so you can legally tow a trailer behind your tractor on the highway and hold everyone up ?

JackClark

Being old is sometimes awesome.

hodgy0_2

totally agree


I have so many entitlements on my photo driving licence, it is actually slight larger than the normal ones youngsters get these days

LSherratt

iTrader: (1)

No, B+E doesn't cover tractor and trailer towing. I don't do any main public highway towing anyway. Just down the country lanes instead on the odd occasion . The law/license categories on agricultural vehicles and towing is a minefield.

I need it to tow our stock trailer on the rare occasion, plus I think it's generally a useful thing to have on your license anyway. I've considered getting a vehicle transport trailer for myself so need the B+E category for that too.

LostUser

It's the same with 7.5ton vans isn't it? If you passed after 1997 you can only drive vans up to 3.5ton. I assume if you tried to rent a 7.5ton they would check your license and decline you.

LSherratt

iTrader: (1)

Correct, vehicles up to 3.5T and with no more than 8 passenger seats but any agriculture/forestry vehicle (on its own) regardless of weight.

hodgy0_2

yes that is category C1

LSherratt

iTrader: (1)

Passed first time with 2 half days tuition (basically 6 hours total tuition) and then test on the second day. Total cost £505 so not as bad as first though. Defiantly a relief off my mind though as when all you oldies stop driving I'll be one of the few legally allowed to tow up to 7.5T train weight .

What annoys me is that the actual reversing with the trailer is very short and doesn't really test you or put you in a real world situation. You literally learn a reversing manovour and that's it as far as reversing goes. Then there's hitching and unhitching and then about 1 hour driving on the road which is the tough part as they could easily fail you on something.

boosted

Here's some news for you, You can legally tow a trailer and car combo upto 3500 mam on a standard licence even if you passed after 1997. providing the car is capable of towing the weight and the trailer is not more than the vehicle weight.
for example a 2 ton landrover with a 1.5 tone trailer is ok.
So the average impreza driver will not need a trailer license to tow the maximum towing weight of an impreza

LSherratt

iTrader: (1)

I'm well aware of that. What about a 2 tonne truck with a 3 tonne stock trailer on the back?

Also, you need to remember that a trailer itself could weigh anywhere between 400kg-700kg depending on the size.

So here's some news for you, let's say a 1.9 tonne truck/Land Rover, a 500kg vehicle transport trailer and a 1.2 tonne Impreza/car. That's already 3.6 tonne putting you over. Oh and let's not forget the weight of 2 passengers, spare fuel and possibly some tyres. Yawn.

giz1978

iTrader: (5)

this is something my wife is reading into
I have the full with b+e but my wife does but we thought to tow her rally car she would need to take an extrs test but if the above is correct the shogun is two ton and the car loaded with trailer is 1500 and max tow weight braked is 3.3 ton so would she need to take the b+e test ??????

LSherratt

iTrader: (1)

Any total weight under 3.5 tonne is fine but remember the extra weight of people on board, spare car parts, luggage etc. In some cases it can be done depending on what you're towing, but I don't want that restriction of 3.5 tonne. For £505 I think it's not too bad really.

boosted

I wasn't being condescending or facetious.

boosted

Thats a bit borderline, my pointy being that everyone thinks yo cant tow more than 750kg, but that simply isn't the case

LSherratt

iTrader: (1)

It just seemed like that you were referring to me that I don't understand the rules.

The 750kg trailer rule comes into play when, for example, if you are driving a 3-3.5 tonne vehicle, you can tow a trailer up to 750kg. It will put you over the 3.5tonne limit but as its only a 750kg trailer, it's allowed.

Not many people know the rules but at least I'm not limited anymore .

boosted

You said this statement, so I assumed you didn't know the rules?

LSherratt

iTrader: (1)

Ahhh well I do, hence why I did the test .

I think in 10-20 years time when the older generations who have the automatic entitlement stop driving/pass away, there will be a huge amount of people learning to get the additional entitlements on their license and the prices will rocket. I'm glad I've just got it out of the way.

boosted

I think lots of people break the rules all the time, A lot of people with twin axle un-braked trailers towing 1+ tonnes illegally behind cars that aren't even supposed to have as much as 750kgs behind them! someone I know regularly tows two tonne bags in a twin axle trailer (unbraked) behind his FWD Honda accord!

rob84

iTrader: (5)

I did my B+E test a few years ago. Wasn't to bad to be fair. the guy passed comment the test was similar to the class 1 but just smaller, However true that was

Raptorman

iTrader: (1)

Agreed, a lot of these things seem like they have been implemented
to raise revenue a la CPC.

mickywrx

iTrader: (29)

CPC is a total cash cow.

S204Darren

It's good being nearly 50 sometimes! Has anyone done the 7.5 ton test?

LSherratt

iTrader: (1)

7.5t test is the C1 category. There was a guy doing it while I was there doing the B+E. Literally exactly the same.... Same parking manovour which would be easier than a trailer to do, no uncoupling or coupling and an hour drive on the road.

The joke is that anyone who does the trailer test, do it so that they can tow over a train weight of 3.5T so you would expect to learn and be tested in a vehicle and trailer over 3.5T. Nope, I learnt and was examined using a Range Rover freelander and a 1 tonne trailer which would put me in the legal limits of an ordinary license.

It's such a money making scheme.

boosted

Anyone actually know anyone that has been prosecuted for having the wrong towing license?

giz1978

iTrader: (5)

i got her to ring the dvla and they stated that she can tow upto 3.5ton combined and that is including trailer
so thats sorted for uss as are shogun is 1900 kg and the car with tailer 1500kg
so thats good news to me lol

stevie boy

i had a mate stopped and busted for not having b+e, vito van + caravan, copper says you can't tow that, you can only tow a small garden type trailer!!!! anyway, my didn't know it at the time, but it turns out he was legal by around 20 / 40 kgs, went to court, copper didn't turn up. the caravan which was worth much had been crushed at this point, as it was recovered from the side of the road, then because of the storage fees and lack of someone to go and pick it up with the correct license, they had the recovery firm get it crushed. they would have to sue the police for any compo, but never did.

S204Darren

******* disgrace and the copper never even had the decency to turn up. Outrageous

GWJ

So why didn't plod get it to a weighbridge to be sure, they do that with trucks

stevie boy

because depending on when you passed your test a weighbridge wouldn't be relevant, as it can just go off the MAM's (maximum authorised mass) of the vehicle and trailer. but in this case the copper just didn't have a clue what he was talking about, like saying he could only tow a small garden type trailer, because i'm sure that's how it'll be defined in the legislation!

at the time it will of just gone off the MAM's for my mate, but it's since changed and he can go upto the limit as what he weighs on a weighbridge,but people that passed sometime in 2013 the weighbridge doesn't matter, it's just the MAM's