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Does your licence entitle you to tow a
trailer??????
You must hold a full driving licence
to tow anything.
Most drivers who passed their test
before 1 January 1997 have licence
categories allowing them to drive
vehicle and trailer combinations
weighing up to 8.25 tonnes.
With effect from 1 January 1997 the
second EC Directive on Driving Licences
(91/439/EEC) came into effect, affecting
new drivers passing their test after
that date and HGV drivers who obtained
their licence after 31 December 1991.
The net result is that new drivers will
only be allowed to drive and tow the
following combinations:
-
Vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes (category
B) with a 750kg trailer (4.25 tonnes
total MAM).
Example:
If you have a full licence you can
tow any trailer without brakes.
-
Category B vehicles with larger
trailers i.e. > 750kg, provided that
the combined MAM does not exceed 3.5
tonnes and the gross MAM of the
trailer does not exceed the un-laden
weight of the towing vehicle. To be
able to tow combinations outside
this ruling requires the passing of
an additional test.
Example:
If your vehicle weighs 1200kg you
can tow a braked trailer up to our
equal to 1200kg, if your trailer and
load exceeded 1200kg then you will
need to take an additional test
-
New HGV drivers and those who have
passed their HGV tests since 1
January 1992 will be restricted to
towing trailers up to 750kg until
they pass an additional test.
Detail of the Regulation
The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences)
(Amendment) Regulations 1990 SI 1990 No
842 classifies vehicles according to
either:
"Maximum authorised mass" (permitted
maximum weight). Vehicles over 3,500kg
MAM are classified as LARGE GOODS
VEHICLES (LGV's) ? Number of seats.
Vehicles having more than 8 seats (not
including the drivers) are classified as
PASSENGER CARRYING VEHICLES (PCV's)
Requires Additional qualifications for
people to drive LGV's & PCV's |