Looking at doing my trailer test

[monkeymark]

This all sounds a lot more complex than i was thinking it would be : (

My partner has a modern licence. Id like her to do the trailer test.

I was expecting somthing like £40 and reverse round that bend.... £115 just for the test, and im not even sure if you can use your own kit, or have to pay to hire stuff : (

https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car/car-trailer-practical-test

You can use your own kit as long as it complies with the rules stipulated below.

Trailers must:

• have a minimum real weight of 800kg
• carry a minimum load of 600kg of aggregates or 1 intermediate bulk container (IBC) of 1,000kg, or 600kg capacity when filled with water
• have a Maximum Authorised Mass of at least 1 tonne - you may need evidence of this, eg the manufacturer’s plate

 

[dunk]

I am in a position now where I need to be moving larger things around and a trailer is needed. I past my test after 1997 so I need to get my licence updated. Apparently I don't need to redo a theory test but I have to take a driving test again with a trailer on the back. Has anyone else done this?

do you think you could or would be going over 3.5t total weight then, ie, vehicle plus trailer plus load, regardless if its for work or not ? i`m not being awkward or picky, just that if your over the 3.5t (3500kgs) your into a totally different ball game in the transport world with other requirements coming into play

 

[undertaker]

spoke to ipswichtrailertraining.co.uk who seem to be our locally run school. reckon i can do it all in a day. also using their vehicle means i don't have to worry about the dsa minimum weight and stuff. got me a test next tuesday will let you know the outcome!

 

[Henrik]

Out of interest, how much did you have to pay for the test + hire etc? I'd consider travelling to Ipswich if it was a decent chunk cheaper.

 

[undertaker]

350 all in which I didn't think was too bad really.

if you try and do it yourself you've got to rent a suitable trailer, have a suitable car that meets the dsa requirements to take the test in, load trailer with suitable weight and it saves wear and tear on my own car keep reversing around cones all morning.

did my driving test in ipswich and it is a nice quiet place to drive in comparison to a lot of places.

hoping all is good

 

[fixerupper]

So do you need to pass a test to tow a trailer in the uk now ....jeff....

 

[Bill Edwards]

So do you need to pass a test to tow a trailer in the uk now ....jeff....

Yes, unless you passed your test before 1997. Not sure that some of the old folk you see with caravans are safe or capable of reversing their caravans, but they've 'granddad' rights...


But what makes the whole thing a bit silly/stupid/hopeless/laughable is that at the age of 16 a person can pass their tractor test (easy), or at 17 pass their car test giving the entitlement to drive a tractor, then take a tractor and trailer on the road weighing in at 24.4 tons quite legally. Some of the tractors will do 44 miles per hour (not talking about downhill here either!).
Not considering that tractors are not particularly stable and are not subject to any annual safety inspection it seems slightly strange that you're considered safe to take 24 tons on the road but not a ton behind a car or van...!

 

[brightspark]

Yes, unless you passed your test before 1997. Not sure that some of the old folk you see with caravans are safe or capable of reversing their caravans, but they've 'granddad' rights...


But what makes the whole thing a bit silly/stupid/hopeless/laughable is that at the age of 16 a person can pass their tractor test (easy), or at 17 pass their car test giving the entitlement to drive a tractor, then take a tractor and trailer on the road weighing in at 24.4 tons quite legally. Some of the tractors will do 44 miles per hour (not talking about downhill here either!).
Not considering that tractors are not particularly stable and are not subject to any annual safety inspection it seems slightly strange that you're considered safe to take 24 tons on the road but not a ton behind a car or van...!

i see your point but anyone driving a tractor and trailer apart from on sites has probably been driving them on the farm since they were 13 day in and day out . i was driving them regular on a farm at 15

 

[Bill Edwards]

Yes and no.
Many will but it doesn't mean they have, and I've seen youngsters put in machines on the road when they really haven't had a clue what they're doing. Add into that thinking they know everything, bombing round like youngsters often do and trying to keep up with the pressure of farm work and you have a lot of potential for damage - and so many tractors and trailers have poor braking systems that shouldn't be relied upon but often are.

Also, pottering round the yard just isn't the same as getting in the new Fastrac's - they're completely different to anything else you've been in!

 

[Justme]

You can still tow a car & trailer combo that has a gross train weight of under 3500kg without a trailer licence. They have removed the bit about the trailer weighing less than the car as long as its within the makers specs. You could have an even split of 1750kg each.

Or an up to 3500kg car & a 750kg trailer.

You do not need an operators licence or a tacho if its for personal non commercial non profit making use.

 

[ford34/2]

more info, from a driving licence

Stan

 

[steviec_lj]

That's the old style license, they've changed the design yet again.

On a category B, you can tow a trailer up to 750kg total weight.

You cannot tow that with a 3.5t van though, as your MAM will be greater than 3.5t train weight.

The tow vehicle can weigh a maximum of 2750kg, the trailer can weigh a maximum of 750kg, this includes ALL passengers and their baggage.

Speaking from experience! 4 points says that's the law, and so does my license.

 

[ford34/2]

Apologies, I copied and pasted it from another forum.
Sorry
Stan

 

[Justme]

On a category B, you can tow a trailer up to 750kg total weight.

You cannot tow that with a 3.5t van though, as your MAM will be greater than 3.5t train weight.

The tow vehicle can weigh a maximum of 2750kg, the trailer can weigh a maximum of 750kg, this includes ALL passengers and their baggage.

Speaking from experience! 4 points says that's the law, and so does my license.

Sorry but thats rubbish.

The tow vehicle (which can be a car or a van) can weigh 3500kg & have a 750kg trailer so a 4250kg GTW

OR

a heavier trailer as long as the tow vehicle & trailer dont have a combined GTW of over 3500kg.

 

[steviec_lj]

I argued that in court, but it is NOT the law, you cannot drive a train weight over 3.5t on a license issued after 1997 on the category B.

If you can find the paperwork that will stand up in court, I will challenge the ruling I was dealt.

 

[Bill Edwards]

It's all a little confusing.
You could have a 3.5t vehicle towing a 750kg trailer just fine, all legal.
Or you could have it where the trailer weight did not exceed the unladen weight of the tow vehicle, provided the MAM of the combination did not exceed 3.5t.
I knew a vehicle that weighed 1.5t unladen, the MAM was 2t and so could just tow a 1.5t trailer nicely!

However, they then changed the rules from that again. If you passed your test after 19 Janurary 2013 you can tow up to 750kg, or you can tow more provided the combination doesn't exceed 3.5t.
They've done away with the requirement that the trailer doesn't exceed the unladen weight of the tow vehicle, which was pretty dim thinking really. It's just a shame they haven't applied this to everybody - who thought it sensible to only apply this change to those who passed from Jan '13?

 

[Justme]

I am going to hazard a guess that you got done quite soon after the law changed in 97? At that time the police & everyone involved did not full understand the new laws. That or there is some pertinent information missing from your case. Like the vehicle had a GTW that was lower than the actual weights of the vehicle & trailer (it wort knowing that its the actual weights that count not the plated weights if you have an older licence, again this was wrongly enforced at the start).

https://www.gov.uk/towing-with-car

I am looking for the actual wording in the act.

I maybe some time.

 

[Bill Edwards]

It's all pretty straightforward stuff, I suggest you post the details if you're happy to do so.

Things that are easy to miss are the unladen weight of a vehicle - this is stated by the manufacture, nothing to do with whether the vehicle is empty or whatever, and also the MAM (Maximum Authorised Mass). It seems daft but if a trailer is plated at being able to total say 3t in weight but only weighs 750kg empty it still counts as being 3t even if you're towing it empty! The same applies for the MAM of the tow vehicle - they're looking at what they can weigh and adding them together, even though it may seem stupid if the vehicle and trailer is empty. You can't tow a heavy plant trailer that's empty because it is allowed to weigh a lot more!

 

[octo0072000]

It's all pretty straightforward stuff, I suggest you post the details if you're happy to do so.

Things that are easy to miss are the unladen weight of a vehicle - this is stated by the manufacture, nothing to do with whether the vehicle is empty or whatever, and also the MAM (Maximum Authorised Mass). It seems daft but if a trailer is plated at being able to total say 3t in weight but only weighs 750kg empty it still counts as being 3t even if you're towing it empty! The same applies for the MAM of the tow vehicle - they're looking at what they can weigh and adding them together, even though it may seem stupid if the vehicle and trailer is empty. You can't tow a heavy plant trailer that's empty because it is allowed to weigh a lot more!

pretty sure that's been amended to actual weight not plated weight

 

[Robotstar5]

...It seems daft but if a trailer is plated at being able to total say 3t in weight but only weighs 750kg empty it still counts as being 3t even if you're towing it empty! ...

I'm sure someone posted a document recently proving that's not the case?.