Driver
Licensing Requirements for Towing Trailers in Great Britain
This section contains information
about changes in entitlement to tow trailers which
were required by the Second EC Directive on the Driving
Licence (91/439/EEC). These changes came into effect
on 1 January 1997.
MAXIMUM AUTHORISED MASS (MAM)
In this page reference is made
to the maximum authorised mass (MAM) of vehicles and trailers.
This should be taken to mean the permissible maximum weight,
also known as the gross vehicle weight.
All drivers who passed a
car test before 1 January 1997 retain their existing entitlement
to tow trailers until their licence expires. This means
they are generally entitled to drive a vehicle and trailer
combination up to 8.25 tonnes MAM. They also have entitlement
to drive a minibus with a trailer over 750kgs MAM.
Drivers who hold subcategory
C1+E - limited to 8.25 tonnes MAM, may apply for provisional
entitlement to the new subcategory C1+E, in order to take
and pass the test which will increase their combined vehicle
and trailer entitlement to 12 tonnes MAM. It is not necessary
to gain subcategory C1 entitlement first but drivers have
to meet higher medical standards, and pass both the category
C theory test and the subcategory C1+E practical test.
LARGE
GOODS VEHICLE AND PASSENGER CARRYING VEHICLE LICENCES HELD
BEFORE 1 JANUARY 1997
Since 1 January 1997 all
drivers who hold category C or D entitlement have been limited
to trailers up to 750kgs MAM; Category C+E or D+E must be
held in order to tow trailers in excess of this.
Drivers who passed a car
test on or after 1 January 1997 are required to pass an
additional driving test in order to gain entitlement to
category B+E and all larger vehicles. In addition to the
new driving tests, drivers of vehicles which fall within
subcategories C1, C1+E, D1 and D1+E also have to meet higher
medical standards.
Category
B:
Vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes MAM and with up to 8 passenger
seats
Category B vehicles may be
coupled with a trailer up to 750kgs MAM (allowing a combined
weight up to 4.25 tonnes MAM) OR a trailer over 750kgs
MAM provided the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the
unladen weight of the towing vehicle, and the combination
does not exceed 3.5 tonnes MAM.
For example:
-
a vehicle with an unladen
weight of 1.25 tonnes and a MAM of 2 tonnes coupled with
a trailer with a MAM of 1.25 tonnes could be driven by
the holder of a category B entitlement. This is because
the MAM of the combination does not exceed 3.5 tonnes
and also the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen
weight of the drawing vehicle.
Whereas
-
the same vehicle with an
unladen weight of 1.25 tonnes and a MAM of 2 tonnes when
coupled with a trailer with a MAM of 1.5 tonnes would
fall within category B+E. This is because although the
combined weight of the vehicle and trailer is within the
3.5 tonnes MAM limit, the MAM of the trailer is more than
the unladen weight of the drawing vehicle.
Vehicle manufacturers normally
recommend a maximum weight of trailer appropriate to their
vehicle. Details can usually be found in the vehicle’s
handbook or obtained from car dealerships. The size of the
trailer recommended for an average family car with an unladen
weight of around 1 tonne would be well within the new category
B threshold.
As for towing caravans, existing
general guidance recommends that the laden weight of the
caravan does not exceed 85% of the unladen weight of the
car. In the majority of cases, caravans and small trailers
towed by cars should be within the new category B threshold.
Note - An exemption
from the driver licensing trailer limit allows a category
B licence holder to tow a broken down vehicle from a position
where it would otherwise cause danger or obstruction to
other road users.
By passing a category B test
National Categories F (tractor), K (pedestrian controlled
vehicle) and P (moped) continue to be added automatically.
Category
B+E:
Vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes MAM towing trailers over 750kgs
MAM
Category B+E allows vehicles
up to 3.5 tonnes MAM to be combined with trailers in excess
of 750kgs MAM. In order to gain this entitlement new category
B licence holders have to pass a further practical test
for category B+E. There is no category B+E theory test.
For driver licensing purposes there are no vehicle/trailer
weight ratio limits for category B+E.
Subcategory
C1:
Medium sized goods vehicles 3.5 - 7.5 tonnes MAM
Subcategory C1 vehicles may
be coupled with a trailer up to 750kgs MAM allowing a combination
of up to 8.25 tonnes MAM. But unlike category B, the 750kgs
MAM trailer weight limit is an absolute limit.
In order to gain this entitlement
category B licence holders have to meet higher medical standards
and pass both theory and practical tests for subcategory
C1.
Subcategory
C1+E:
Medium sized goods vehicles 3.5 - 7.5 tonnes MAM plus trailer
over 750kgs MAM
Subcategory C1+E allows vehicles
to be combined with a trailer over 750kgs MAM provided the
combination does not exceed 12 tonnes MAM and the laden
weight of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight
of the towing vehicle.
In order to gain this entitlement
category B licence holders have to pass further tests -
subcategory C1 (theory and practical) followed by C1+E
practical. There is no subcategory C1+E theory test. It
will not be possible to go directly from category B to subcategory
C1+E.
Note - Because EC
Regulations limit drivers aged under 21 years to driving
vehicles or combinations which weigh no more than 7.5 tonnes
MAM, drivers under the age of 21 are not allowed to drive
subcategory C1+E vehicles up to 12 tonnes MAM. But 18 year
old drivers are allowed to take a test for subcategory C1+E
which will allow trailers in excess of 750kgs MAM to be
towed. Entitlement is limited to a combination weight of
7.5 tonnes MAM until the driver reaches 21 years, at which
time the balance of 12 tonnes MAM entitlement automatically
becomes effective.
Subcategory D1 Passenger carrying
vehicles 9 - 16 passenger seats
Subcategory D1 vehicles may
be coupled with a trailer up to 750kgs MAM. There is no upper
weight limit for subcategory D1 vehicles.
In order to gain this entitlement
category B licence holders have to meet higher medical standards
and pass both theory and practical tests for subcategory D1.
Subcategory D1+E - Passenger
carrying vehicles 9-16 passenger seats with a trailer above
750kgs MAM
Subcategory D1+E vehicles may
be combined with trailers over 750kgs provided the combination
does not exceed 12 tonnes MAM and the laden weight of the
trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehicle.
The trailer must not be used for the carriage of passengers
In order to gain this entitlement
category B licence holders have to pass further tests - subcategory
D1 (theory and practical) followed by D1+E practical.
There is no subcategory D1+E theory test. It is not possible
to go directly from category B to subcategory D1+E.
Category C - Large goods vehicles
above 3.5 tonnes MAM
Category C vehicles may be
combined with trailers up to 750kgs MAM. The Directive does
not impose an upper weight limit threshold for category C
vehicles and the national limits will apply.
In order to gain this entitlement
category B licence holders have to pass theory and practical
tests for category C. (It is not necessary to gain subcategory
C1 entitlement first.)
Category C+E Large
goods vehicles above 3.5 tonnes MAM towing trailer over 750kgs
MAM
Category C+E vehicles may be
combined with a trailer over 750kgs MAM. The Directive does
not impose an upper weight limit for category C+E and national
limits apply.
In order to gain this entitlement
category B licence holders have to pass further tests - category
C (theory and practical) followed by C+E practical. There
is no category C+E theory test. (It is not necessary
to gain subcategory C1 or C1+E entitlement first).
Category D - Passenger carrying
vehicle with more than 8 seats
Category D vehicles may be
combined with a trailer up to 750kgs MAM. The Directive does
not impose an upper weight limit for category D vehicles and
national limits apply.
In order to gain this entitlement
category B licence holders have to pass theory and practical
tests for category D. (It is not necessary to gain subcategory
D1 entitlement first).
Category D+E - Passenger
carrying vehicle with more than 8 seats with trailer over
750kgs MAM
Category D+E vehicles may be
combined with a trailer over 750kgs MAM. The Directive does
not impose an upper weight limit for category D+E and national
limits apply.
In order to gain this entitlement
category B licence holders have to pass further tests - category
D (theory and practical) followed by D+E practical.
There is no category D+E theory test. (It is not necessary
to gain subcategory D1 or D1+E entitlement first).
In general, an additional driving
test is required for each category or subcategory of entitlement.
But there are certain exceptions to this where drivers have
already passed one test which involves trailer entitlement
for a larger or equivalent sized vehicle.
This means that passing a test
for subcategory C1+E or D1+E upgrades category B entitlement
to B+E.
A test pass for subcategory
C1+E upgrades subcategory D1, if held, to D1+E. But a test
pass for subcategory D1+E does not upgrade subcategory
C1 to C1+E because the trailer size required for a subcategory
D1+E test is smaller than that required for a subcategory
C1+E test.
Passing a test for category
C+E upgrades category B entitlement to B+E and also confers
entitlement to subcategory C1 and C1+E and, if category D
or subcategory D1 is held, these are upgraded to category
D+E or subcategory D1+E.
A test passed for category
D+E upgrades category B and subcategory D1 to category B+E
and subcategory D1+E respectively. But it does not
upgrade category C or subcategory C1 entitlements because
the trailer size required for a category D+E test is smaller
than that required for a category C+E or subcategory C1+E
test.
Since 1 January 1997 drivers
are no longer able to sit a test in a heavy vehicle/trailer
combination (e.g. category C+E or D+E) unless they have first
passed a test and obtained a full licence in the corresponding
rigid vehicle (e.g. category C or D).
This means that although drivers
may have been driving a vehicle and trailer combination legitimately,
under “L” plates, they are not permitted to sit
a trailer test using such a combination until a test has been
passed in a rigid vehicle and a full licence obtained for
that category.
Further information on driving
tests or minimum test vehicle requirements may be obtained
from the Driving Standards Agency (DSA), at Stanley House,
56 Talbot Street, Nottingham, NG1 5GU. For general enquiries
please ring 0115 901 2515/6, to book a theory or practical
test please ring
0870 010 1372.
This information is not
intended to be a definitive statement of law.
Source: http://www.dvla.gov.uk/
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