B+E training

[scbk]

If you live in Scotland you can get up to £200 towards B+E training with the ILA, all the centres are based in the central belt though

[SAM66S]

I did my B + E in 2007 & it cost me £500 including test. The training was over 2 half days with the test the day after. There was talk when i done mine that all commercial vehicles under a certain ages needed to be fitted with a tacho?? not sure whether this ever came into force? i know that they changed it after i did mine so you had to use a box trailer though

[mark_goldfinch]

Passed mine yesterday. Pretty easy though I made two silly minor errors (out of a total of three minors - nerves I guess). Had four hours of tuition before, though that was perhaps more than was required, as I'd been doing quite a lot of towing for the last month.

 

Either way, it's bloody good that I can now tow a reasonable trailer. I've got an excellent 5.5 x 12 Indespension plant trailer lined up, so I'm chuffed.

 

nice one big J.

[Nick Waring]

maybe a little far, but Driver Training Centre - Hastings East Sussex

[AHPP]

Further to my post here I have received the following reply from my MP.

[b101uk]

done my lgv for fire appliances about three months ago. bit of a joke really i can drive a 14 ton fire engine through red lights but im not aloud to tow a bloody chipper.

 

yes but the fault lays with you should you hit anyone wile your braking the law going threw a red light, just the same as if you overtake with your blue lights on and hit an oncoming vehicle/person, or enter an island and hit someone because you failed to give way or fail to stop at a stop sign or force someone to stop or take evasive action to avoid you.

 

So don’t lose sight of the fact that the buck stops with you as the driver every time you contravene traffic law.

[mark_goldfinch]

yes but the fault lays with you should you hit anyone wile your braking the law going threw a red light, just the same as if you overtake with your blue lights on and hit an oncoming vehicle/person, or enter an island and hit someone because you failed to give way or fail to stop at a stop sign or force someone to stop or take evasive action to avoid you.

 

So don’t lose sight of the fact that the buck stops with you as the driver every time you contravene traffic law.[/QUOT

 

Am I missing the point, but what has this got to do with any thing??

[Lancstree]

So what kind of reversing manouver do you have to do?

 

I did a CDL (commercial drivers license) in the US and it was similar to the B+E. I had to back through two parallel lines of cones, coming back from an angle such that you could see the trailer in the passenger side mirror (i.e the more difficult side to see). You had to back up to within 1 meter of a line of cones, simulating a loading bay. To hit any cone would mean fail. Then a road driving test.

[skyhuck]

...and that you'd be allowed to do if you were born earlier. The 1997 age lottery irritates me something chronic.

 

I sent the following to my MP and am chasing hard. I encourage others to do the same.

Dear My MP,

 

I obtained my bog standard car driving licence after 01.01.1997 which allows me to drive cars, lorries <3500kg, tractors, mowing machines and mopeds (with trailers <750kg behind the car/lorry/tractor). People who obtained their licences before 01.01.1997 automatically got the parts on their licence allowing them to drive the same, as well as lorries <7500kg and minibuses, trailers >750kg on both and vehicles to which parts L and N refer (UK Driving Licence Checks | Driving Licence Checking | Driving Licence Verification Service from Licence Check).

 

Terrified, clinging-to-the-wheel, forgotten-where-the-brake-pedal-is pensioners who got their licence from the post office between the wars can drive a minibus of 17 victims with a couple of tonnes of trailer on the back.

My mother and a friend of mine, quite careless women of 64 and 41 respectively who often bump into flowerpots on the driveway, can happily terrorise those on pavement corners with a long wheelbase lorry loaded to the gunwales.

I, a quite able and practical 23 year old, who would find it very useful indeed to be allowed to drive small lorries and minibuses to do stuff like picking up machinery or taking groups of scouts on camping trips (the sort of things that stand to benefit the economy and well rounded society), can't because of some age lottery.

 

 

If the 1997 change hadn't been made fewer people would be driving chronically overloaded Transit vans because they don't have the part on their licence for a bigger (safer) vehicle (and don't fancy shelling out £1000 - £1500 for it) and fewer people would be driving vehicles they just don't have a licence for. Also, it would be easier for people to get into jobs where these sorts of vehicles are used (and indeed would save organisations like schools a fortune having to put teachers through minibus tests).

 

 

I'd like you to speak to whoever you think would have a sympathetic view to my plight, particularly people responsible for jobs, employment, the economy etc.

Letting people do more stuff = people do more stuff = economy does better if the Country isn't sat on its red-taped hands.

 

Please keep my abreast of how you get on.

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

AHPP

 

Your letter is some what contradictory.

 

You are arguing that there are untrained people driving large vehicles, but then say you think the entitlement should have remained

[Billy]

I see it as saying they may as well carried on as theres loads of numpties allowed to drive hgv's who have no idea...our mothers. and plenty who do have a good head on their shoulders who aren't allowed to, so drive around in chronically overloaded 3.5 tonners and pull trailers they're not allowed ot hoping no one will notice...which they usually don't but thats not the point.