A question regarding driving entitlements and trailers..

whitewash

whitewash

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since i passed my test after 1997 i am seemingly not entitled to drive anything interesting without giving more money to the ******s called the DSA.

now i know theres a restriction on trailers but ive found 3 different pages on the government site which contradict each other...


this says i can drive a vehicle upto 3500kg + a trailer of 750kg without doing the additional test http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing/CaravansTrailersCommercialVehicles/DG_4022521

whereas this says i need E entitlement on my license to tow (on top of my B entitlement to drive a car)
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing/CaravansTrailersCommercialVehicles/DG_4022564

and this says similar to the first but is written in a way to confuse the pants of everyone!
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing/WhatCanYouDriveAndYourObligations/DG_4022547

so which one is right? if im ok to drive a trailer of upto 750kg thats great as i can tow my sister boat without any problems, but if i ever wanted to tow a car on a trailer id have to take a test.

my other question is that if your not entitled to drive a car with a trailer on the road, but you need to show competence in the test to gain this entitlement, where the hell can you practice? on the moon?



the amusing this is that last week i was marked down by work to drive a minibus containing 15 seats... which i cant do...... instead i ended up driving a spanky new LWB transit with a high roof which was much bigger than the minibus! these rules are stupid!
 
From what I understand, you cannot drive anything over 3.5 ton laden. If using a trailer takes you over this limit it must be fitted with a tacho which you then cannot drive.

I suggest you give them a call and put your mind at rest
 
hypnotic said:
From what I understand, you cannot drive anything over 3.5 ton laden. If using a trailer takes you over this limit it must be fitted with a tacho which you then cannot drive.

I suggest you give them a call and put your mind at rest
Click to expand...

From memory (all my paperwork on the subject is at the office!) then this is spot on. Those of us who took tests earlier can of course jump straight into a 7.5t truck without the vaguest clue how to handle anything that size, OR how to use a tacho....and they wonder why there are so many accidents on the roads?!

When they first started issuing the new photocard driving licenses they issued a whole load with only the basic vehicles included on them, without any regard for the classes originally contained on people's licenses. Caused no end of problems for a few truck drivers - they moved home, sent for their license under change of address, and promptly got back something which entitled them to drive a car and not much else! :bonk:
 
I`d agree with Hypnotic, call the DVLA for a definate answer. You should be OK on 750kg trailer, but if you want to go over that you`ll need a "E" licence. Worth a phone call.
 
I did hear that you can legally drive towing a small trailer (one you can buy from B&Q etc) on a normal license without any extra tests. Friend of mine took a test for a trailer lately, only to be told it wasn't neccessary with a small trailer.

Hope this helps.

Al
 
I'd be cautious of anything the DVLA tell you verbally over the phone if I were you. I'm in the middle of some legal wranglings with them at the moment which, in part at least, centres around their unfortunate habit of giving duff information and then lying about it. :( Ask them to send you some information to confirm what they are telling you, or, failing that, write to THEM afterwards confirming what you have been told and asking them to reply if you are incorrect. Better to be safe than sorry IMO.
 
Witch said:
I'd be cautious of anything the DVLA tell you verbally over the phone if I were you. I'm in the middle of some legal wranglings with them at the moment which, in part at least, centres around their unfortunate habit of giving duff information and then lying about it. :( Ask them to send you some information to confirm what they are telling you, or, failing that, write to THEM afterwards confirming what you have been told and asking them to reply if you are incorrect. Better to be safe than sorry IMO.
Click to expand...
to true. the same goes for any government dept or quangoised agency. Get it in writing.

I've still got a military driving licence (ok ok it's probably out of date now) that basically says if it has wheels I can drive it.
 
hypnotic said:
From what I understand, you cannot drive anything over 3.5 ton laden. If using a trailer takes you over this limit it must be fitted with a tacho which you then cannot drive.

I suggest you give them a call and put your mind at rest
Click to expand...

That’s what I thought too. (y)
You should be fine with a big car and a small boat on the trailer...the pulling vehicle has to be around twice the weight of the tow, to be legal. ...something like that.

Did you know .... :geek: ... theirs only one vehicle that breaks the towing weight distribution laws (according to an old DVLA recovery advice book)...by nearly 3 times...

A Land Rover ...I wonder why that is .. ;)
 
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