To The Old Fogies in our Ranks.

[Brian]

More DVLA problems.

Being over 70 I have to renew my driving licence every three years, today I have tried to do this on the web site. Although our house was a pub in 1632 it cannot be found on the system and our post codes puts us on a different street. Of course the address on my existing licence is not acceptable. In the end I called the Help line and was instructed how to get around it by entering a false post code then changing the address and putting in the right one. It seems that there is no communication allowed between the DVLA and Royal Mail to allow them to correct the situation.

Having finally worked my way through the system and got to the end, I discovered that I could not get a licence that enables me to tow a trailer, on line. I now need a truck licence to drive anything up to 7.5 tonnes, something that was included as standard on my last one. So now I have to get a medical if I want to tow my trailer. I have no problem with this at all but I was just wondering how many out there are towing trailers on just a car licence? So I tried to get the form to fill in and found that it is for buses and trucks over 7.5 tonnes!

Like most Government Sites I have wasted half a day and got nowhere.

[henk]

You sound a bit fustrated.
Something like "computer say's no"

[oehrick]

I'm only a middle aged fogie Brian but it drives me nuts too - best of luck with trying to make sense out of the insensible.

Whats the difference between ignorance and indifference ? you'll soon find out with Swansea
I don't know and I don't care

[Bensdexta]

...I discovered that I could not get a licence that enables me to tow a trailer, on line. I now need a truck licence to drive anything up to 7.5 tonnes, something that was included as standard on my last one. So now I have to get a medical if I want to tow my trailer.....

So how heavy a vehicle can you (we oldies) drive on a 'car' licence?

Do we just need to get a medical to tow a trailer - hope we don't need to have a test?

Thanks for the heads up!

[Brian]

Ben, I am waiting for a reply from the DVLA at the moment. It may be under 3 tonnes GVTW which makes it interesting when you drive a Range Rover. Perhaps I can have my lawn mower on the trailer.

[Bensdexta]

Lots of farmers well into their 70's driving 4x4 + trailer, up to 3.5t. Bet they only have car licenses.

[Aussie Frank]

Hi Brian,

I would say you should move to Australia and retire here, at least you would not have the licence problem you are having now. The only problem is that you would still not be able to put the tractor on a trailer and tow it with the Range Rover because you would be over weight for a car licence.

Hence I bought a truck and sat the heavy vehicle driving test. Mind you once you have that you are set for life here unless something goes horribly wrong at the moment. My father held his heavy vehicle licence until he passed away. He even had decided it was no longer a good idea to drive anything at that stage but he was still legally allowed.

Some how I don't think that things will stay that way for too much longer here. Seems as though too many people are passing away whilst driving and causing injury to others. If you are older here and are involved in a major accident you may be required to sit a driving test to keep your licence. If you fail, you don't drive at all. There are no graduated restrictions like there are in some other countries.

Sooner or later I can see the same age system as you are facing being applied here too. I will just have to get used to studying the licence hand book every three years and doing all those mirror checks during the test in the truck in the future.

I know none of this helps your current predicament. Seems as though the world is becoming too crowded and the nanny state is becoming too powerful.

Regards, Frank.

[Brian]

Looks like my problem is sorted. After another couple of hours trawling through the DVLA web site I located an area that allows you to find out what you are licenced to drive at the moment. In this area there are classifications that do not appear on you licence, one of them being Agricultural Tractors and Vehicles. Obviously not too many tractors in Swansea!

Under section "B" of the licence which is the car driving part you can drive a vehicle up to 3500kg Maximum Authrorised Mass, with a trailer not more than 750kg MAM. That is hardly worth hitching up. Not much more than a shopping trolley. . You can also drive a vehicle designed to carry up to 8 people.

However, because I passed my test back in the dim and distant past (1960) I have another category which is not mentioned in the application on line or on the paper form, BE. This allows me to drive a vehicle up to 3500kg and a trailer up to 3500kg giving me a total MAM of 7000 kg. So this covers all I need to continue to carry Dotty and Henrietta when I want to on the trailer.BIG BUT you cannot renew these entitlements on line. If you renew on line all you will get is a licence to drive a car with all the entitlements removed (see section B above). Not even a tractor.

I can also drive Agricultural Machines although this category does not now appear on the licence card.

One other interesting item I discovered is section B1, this covers vans and as far as I can understand from the information given, one is restricted to an unladen weight of 400 kg or 550 kg if designed to carry goods. This seems to imply that I am not licenced to drive a Transit style of vehicle. I have driven them for many years and have done so recently. This would affet all who use hire vans for self removals and other jobs.

They do not half complicate things.

[Bensdexta]

Many thanks for the research and avice. Hope they don't change the rules!

How many vans weigh < 550kg? Seems a silly restriction when one can drive an estate full of goods, but not a van!

[Brian]

I agree Ben, I can drive a vehicle (car and trailer) with a MAM of 7000 kg but cannot drive a Transit or Sprinter. Been talking to Pat Pawsey and we both agree the DVLA is making things very difficult (or perhaps we are just too old to work things out).

In the end I sent my licence and application form to Swansea with the little box ticked saying I want to keep my entitlements and the new licence came back with all intact. Did not have to send medical report or opticians report.

One thing is clear though, do not renew your licence on line if you want to drive more than just a car. There is a useful site www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence. Put your licence number in and see what you are legal to drive.

[Aussie Frank]

Hi Brian,

It must be a government plot, to strip you of all your hard won driving qualifications and leave you only licenced to drive a motorised wheelchair

Either that or they need to raise extra revenue by fining people for driving vehicles that they now are unwittingly no longer qualified to drive

Glad you foiled their evil plot and warned others of the trap

Regards, Frank.

[SkidRoe]

Man, what a pain!! I may even not complain about our licensing system here in Ontario, Canada for the rest of the day -

Here, a standard car license allows you to drive a vehicle of 11,000 kg GVW, while towing a trailer of 4600 kg.

I have always had a bit of heart ache about the trailer rating, as most modern HD pick-up trucks will pull way more than that, but to do so, you need a license that is meant for a Tractor-Trailer. If you were to go to the driving test with your pick-up & trailer and pass it, would you really be qualified to drive a 40,000 kg 18-wheeler?? According to the Gov, you would be.

Now mind you, you would still need to have an airbrake endorsement, but that is only a written test with one practical knowledge demonstration.

So you could still be licensed to drive a big rig without ever having sat in the drivers seat or shifted one gear. Doesn't seen right to me....

Cheers - SR

[peter2]

Hi,

Germany was similar, my old (1984) car license allows a vehicle up to 7,5t towing a trailer up to 11t (but only one axle (or two within one meter) on the trailer).
Now this is a truck class and limited to the 50th birthday. You need a testimonial from eye specialist and a normal medical to prolonge it for five years.

When I changed my old paper license to a EU card I was allowed to add class T for tractors up to 60km/h (including two trailers of 18t each), but only for agricultural use.



Fortunately I have friends who let me play with such toys.

Peter

[SkidRoe]

Some provinces in Canada do require licenses for tractors, but you don't need one here. Just need to be 16 yo. This is something else that likely need revising, since we now have tractors that do 60 kph and there are no weight limits on what you can pull.

I guess we will enjoy it while it lasts.

Cheers - SR