New Towing Regs - Jan 2013

[Big 'Ammer]

These new regulations don't appear to be that much different from the current ones' date=' or I am missing something?

 

If you have a post 1997 license you have to do a trailer test anyway at the moment.

 

INCORRECT

 

 

A B licence holder can tow a trailer over 750 kgs as long as certain rules are met:-

The MAM of the trailer must not be more than the unladen weight of the towing vehicle

The MAM of the trailer plus the GVW of the towing vehicle must not add up to more than 3500 kgs

 

Simple really

 

Rog, you are of course right.

 

I was referring to the fact that drivers without a pre-1997 license need a trailer test to tow a reasonable sized trailer for the purposes of practical tree work in the real world.

 

Or they need a trailer test to carry something in the towing vehicle.

 

For example, you can tow a one tonne chipper behind an LDV or whatever fine, but when you have put more than a few tools in and a couple of guys, you are not going to able to carry any chips!

 

The actual circumstances where someone driving without a a BE license, within the allowances, is going to be any use day in-day out, are few and far between in commercial arboriculture in the UK, IMO.

 

Anyhow, how do the new regulations differ from the current ones?

[ROG.]

Fair point that bout the medical ROG. Never even thought of that!

Nor had the DfT/DVLA until I contacted them and pointed this out as I considered it unfair

 

Why should a driver who say passes a C+E and can tow huge trailers for years and perhaps their own 3500 trailer or very large caravan have to take the lesser B+E test to carry on towing the same large trailer/caravan when they retire or give up LGV driving and yet those who pass the lesser B+E test can have it for life ...... NOT FAIR ..... but the DfT said they will not change things

[ROG.]

I was referring to the fact that drivers without a pre-1997 license need a trailer test to tow a reasonable sized trailer for the purposes of practical tree work in the real world.

Anyhow' date=' how [i']do[/i] the new regulations differ from the current ones?

For that aspect of towing you are correct - it would be impractical to do that job without full B+E

 

The only thing I can see different in the new towing regs is that for ALL drivers in regard to towing trailers over 3500.... I do not know anyone who does!!

[Big 'Ammer]

The only thing I can see different in the new towing regs is that for ALL drivers in regard to towing trailers over 3500.... I do not know anyone who does!!

 

Cheers Rog.

 

Ok, you can all breathe out now, its the same as is was.

[gensetsteve]

so to sum up old gits like me who pissed their test before 1997 can tow 3500kg behind a discovery can carry on till we loose our marbles or in my case 2038 which ever is the sooner:biggrin:

[ROG.]

Ok ROG I am not up on all this guff, do you train people to pass their trailer test. If so you can tell us for certain. I passed my car driving test in 1986 and have entitlement to drive B+E up to 3500kg with heavy trailer but also

I have c1 +E vehicles between 3500kg and 7500kg with a trailer over 750kg not exceeding 12000kg

I do not train B+E or anything else at the moment but I did train LGV C and C+E from 2005 to 2008

I do currently help drivers to pass the advanced driving test as a volunteer senior observer with the IAM

 

Lets get to what you have on your licence as a pre 1997 car pass licence holder:-

B - any vehicle not more than 3500 plated GVW/MAM (same thing)

B+E - as B but with any trailer up to 3500 plated or tyre rated MAM

You can tow a trailer with more than 3500 MAM but those trailers come under stricter laws and must have their own braking systems which is why I said 3500 kgs MAM

C1 - any vehicle not more than 7500 kgs plated GVW/MAM

C1+E with a 107 code (memory) Any Vehicle in the C1 category pulling a trailer where the TOTAL GVW/MAMs do not add up to more than 8250 kgs

You do not have full C1+E to go up to 12000 kgs total

EXAMPLES of what you can do with YOUR C1+E:-

7.5 tonne towing a 750 kgs trailer = 8250

5 tonner towing a 3.25 plated MAM trailer = 8250

 

 

 

I'll not bother with D1 (101 code) and D1+E 9101 code) unless you want me to

[ROG.]

so to sum up old gits like me who pissed their test before 1997 can tow 3500kg behind a discovery can carry on till we loose our marbles or in my case 2038 which ever is the sooner:biggrin:

You got it - I like the 'mis-spelling' of passed

[gensetsteve]

You got it - I like the 'mis-spelling' of passed

 

I did not think the 12000kg bit was right. But strange its on there they dont make it clear do they. I did not realise the typo and I cant edit it now

[agg221]

ROG, given that you clearly have a thorough knowledge of the trailer towing regulations, please could you clarify for my situation, where I hold pre-'97 driving licence and my wife's is post '97 (I can imagine it would also apply where, say, the boss has a pre-'97 licence and the lad doesn't).

 

I tow a 2.3ton plated plant trailer which weighs 0.3tons, using a vehicle with a 2.0ton unladen weight and a towing rating of 1.8tons.

 

My understanding is that, with my pre-'97 licence, I can load the trailer to 1.5tons, thus towing the allowable 1.8tons, the limit imposed by the towing vehicle rather than the trailer. This gives a train weight of 3.8tons.

 

Am I correct in thinking that my wife's post-'97 licence does not allow her to tow the trailer, even empty and weighing only 0.3tons, because it fails on both counts, i.e. is plated at 2.3tons and she is limited to a plated 1.5tons and has an allowable train weight of 3.8tons, exceeding the allowable 3.5tons? However, if the trailer was down-rated on the plate to 1.5tons she could tow it, empty or loaded with up to 1.2tons as this would then comply on both plated weight and maximum possible train weight?

 

If this is correct, it suggests that sending the lad to fetch the empty trailer, weighing well under his allowable 750kg (or more depending on towing vehicle), is still illegal if the trailer is plated to higher than his licence allows?

 

If this is the case, are you allowed to have multiple, interchangeable plates for a trailer, from its maximum safe design limit down to a lower rating to comply with a restricted licence?

 

Alec

[difflock]

Erm,

Actually and quite incredibly, trailer plated weights only apply to the actual weight of the trailer and load carried.

So an empty IW 14 foot flat bed plated at 3500kg but say , only 900kg tare, can be towed by a post 1997 car licence holder, assuming the car is capable of towing 900kg and that the gross train mass does not exceed 3500kg.

So say a car plated at 2400kg GVW (like wor Galaxy was) and properly legal to tow 1600kg would be legal for a 1997 car licence holder to tow the empty IW.

BUT only a legal payload of 200kg could be carried.

2400car +900trailer +200payload = 3500kg=maxed out.

This anomoly regarding trailer plated weight is a weird one!

As in respect of any vehicle, the plated weight rules, not the actual.

Otherwise I could drive a HGV horse, without a trailer, assuming it weighs less than 7500kg actual.

But I cant since it wil lbe plated at 44,000kg (for instance)

Gibber

mutter

& twitch