For those of us renewing licences at 70

[Rich Rule]

On 19/06/2025 at 23:15, openspaceman said:

Take a picture of your current paper licence showing your entitlements, there is a story of a police motorcyclist who lost his A entitlement when he changed from paper licence to picture card and there was nothing he could do about it other than take the test again, apocryphal or not.

That doesn’t work.

 

I have documented it on here before.

 

I had a paper license and C1E with no towing restrictions.  I asked if I would have all the same entitlements and they replied yes.  Even asked them to provide it in writing.

 

I got the new license through a couple of days later.  Sure enough they stripped my towing abilities down to C1 e with a max trailer weight of 750kg or 8.25 t MAM where as, previously it had been 12000 kg or 12t.

 

I complained, escalated and even had a transport consultant write a letter to the ombudsman and direct to the CEO.  It was like banging my head off a brick wall.

 

In the end I dropped the issue as I was leaving the country and moving to Norway.

 

Little did I know at the time, that the amount of unnecessary bureaucracy in Norway  makes the UK look like complete ****************ing amateurs..

 

 

[Rich Rule]

On 20/06/2025 at 11:22, Muddy42 said:

 

You should have B+E AND the Cs on your current licence.  If you passed at a time when these were issued (and I think you did) these are all grandfathered.  Keep bashing away at the DVLA about what you want to keep, they will give in eventually.

No they won’t.  See above post.

[Rich Rule]

On 20/06/2025 at 13:02, Peter 1955 said:

While I know you're correct, and while we all know that fifty years ago these were automatically granted, sadly I don't have the paper licence to prove it. I don't expect to need to drive a 7.5t vehicle, so I can accept the loss. Thanks for your input, I agree totally. 

I even went into the DVLA website and applied for code to see what you are entitled to drive, it is all digital now so car hire companies etc can have access to the info.

 

The restrictions even changed on there.  My letters to the ombudsman’s even documented all this as I had screen shotted all the details.

 

As I said, like banging your head off a wall. 

[eggsarascal]

On 18/06/2025 at 19:50, Mark Bolam said:

Just say you’re a gay traveller and you’d be let on your way.

Worked for me for years.

[Mick Dempsey]

1 hour ago, Rich Rule said:

That doesn’t work.

 

I have documented it on here before.

 

I had a paper license and C1E with no towing restrictions.  I asked if I would have all the same entitlements and they replied yes.  Even asked them to provide it in writing.

 

I got the new license through a couple of days later.  Sure enough they stripped my towing abilities down to C1 e with a max trailer weight of 750kg or 8.25 t MAM where as, previously it had been 12000 kg or 12t.

 

I complained, escalated and even had a transport consultant write a letter to the ombudsman and direct to the CEO.  It was like banging my head off a brick wall.

 

In the end I dropped the issue as I was leaving the country and moving to Norway.

 

Little did I know at the time, that the amount of unnecessary bureaucracy in Norway  makes the UK look like complete ****************ing amateurs..

 

 

This is why I keep my paper license over here. 

[Rich Rule]

12 minutes ago, Mick Dempsey said:

This is why I keep my paper license over here. 

I had planned to do the same Mick.

 

But I got into an altercation with an African pastor in Catford one Friday afternoon.

 

He basically drove into me and scratched my Navara and did the wing mirror.

 

The police were called and when the plod checked my details and asked why my license was still registered to the North East when I lived in London.  I was at risk of a thousand point fine.

 

Hence the reason I applied for the photo card license.

 

 

[Mick Dempsey]

I get a tug over here every few years, I get the impression they’re quite impressed with it’s Dead Sea scroll vibe!

I say  to them that I spend half my time in the UK half in France. 
They tell me I have to change it, I agree, then we go our separate ways. 

[AHPP]

Rich,

 

I imagine the DVLA pinch entitlements knowing that a lot of people won't fight back because they're backed into those sorts of corners. Rules upon rules. They want you to trip up. Scum.

Edited 17 hours ago by AHPP

[openspaceman]

4 hours ago, Rich Rule said:

 

I had a paper license and C1E with no towing restrictions.  I asked if I would have all the same entitlements and they replied yes.  Even asked them to provide it in writing.

 

I got the new license through a couple of days later.  Sure enough they stripped my towing abilities down to C1 e with a max trailer weight of 750kg or 8.25 t MAM where as, previously it had been 12000 kg or 12t.

Yes I believe that sort of thing happens.

 

It was an unusual case that if you took your test before a certain date you got this entitlement, the law changed and those with the entitlement had to prove that they were using it at the time, I think this involved a letter proving you were a professional driver. If you weren't able to prove it, or like most of use, were unaware of the need to send in documentary proof, you automatically had the note (107??)  added to the licence and were downgraded. Then new drivers had to pass the c1+E to be able to pull heavier trailers.

[AHPP]

Last time I had to send my licence in, I took photos etc to make sure they didn’t rescind my permission to drive a traction engine or submarine or whatever. To my surprise, it instead came back with the updated B+E. They must know I’m out there, hard at work turning the wheels of the economy.