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Subject Topic: special licence
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Personwayn0099
05/7/2020 at 6:34pm
 Location: stone
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can somebody explain to me about this special licence to tow a caravan ,, on whats legal and whats not ,, as im a bit confused about this ,, thanks all


Personmarg6
05/7/2020 at 6:48pm
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its not a "special" licence, its an entitlement to tow a combined weight exceeding 3500kgs i.e car + caravan loaded weight. if you passed your driving test after 1997 you can tow aslong as you are below 3500kg combined weight, if you go even 1 kg over then you need to sit a further driving test to allow you to do so, that is the simplest way I can describe it


PersonHacksaw Bob
05/7/2020 at 6:49pm
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This any help?


Personwayn0099
05/7/2020 at 8:35pm
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and what if your over 3500 going on holiday and the cops pull you over then what


PersonRob and Tina
05/7/2020 at 9:05pm
 Location: Royal Forest of Dean
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If you have a B+E licence then nothing will happen as that would be a legal outfit.

If you haven't got a B+E licence you will get a ticket for driving not in accordance with your licence and you would not be able to continue your journey. I expect your insurance would be invalid if you don't have the correct licence so that could be another ticket, if you don't have insurance they usually impound the car but I don't know what they would do if you were towing, they might impound the caravan as well.

Rob


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Personwayn0099
06/7/2020 at 8:15am
 Location: stone
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if its under 3500 then i,m fine the van is only 1200kg so with weight in around 1600 fully laden and with the car 3000


PersonGeorge-Mildred
06/7/2020 at 8:30am
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Why not just take the trailer test, it's not that hard by all accounts and would save any confusion in the future if you change your car/caravan?


PersonRob and Tina
06/7/2020 at 10:08am
 Location: Royal Forest of Dean
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Wayn0099, I presume you don't have a B+E licence then.

The licence restrictions go by the max plated weights of the vehicles as mentioned in the information that Bob linked to.

You need to know the MTPLM (formerly known as MAW) of the caravan, this should be on the plate by the caravan door. You then need to know the max vehicle weight of the tow car, this should be on a plate or sticker which is usually just inside the car door. You then add these figures together and if they are less than 3500kg you can drive on a B licence, if the figure is over 3500kg you will need to take the extra test.

Examples from my old cars:
Focus Estate gross vehicle weight 1900 + Bailey Ranger MTPLM 1184=3084
so this would be ok on a B licence.
Galaxy 2505 + Bailey Ranger 1184=3689 so would need B+E.

As mentioned on your previous posts and threads you need to go by the plated weights for matching purposes and licence restrictions.

I hope this helps.

Rob

Edited to correct spelling mistakes, hopefully the maths are correct!


PersonMonty15
06/7/2020 at 10:41am
 Location: London
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I think your van (Lunar Solar 524) has a MTPLM (that's the absolute MAX loaded weight!) of around 1200Kg depending on year. If you are loading it to 1600Kg it's grossly overloaded!

If burst tyres or other mechanical failures don't get you first, in the event of being stopped for a check, and yes, DVSA do weigh the outfit and check compatibility with tow vehicle and driving licence in targeted operations, then your journey would end right there, and a hefty £300 fine would be on it's way to you, if not actually a court summons where a host of other penalties may be laid on you! No blind eyes turned to that sort of overloading, it's not simply accidental, it's gross negligence or wilful abuse! You would almost certainly be deemed to be uninsured as well as you are not complying with roadworthy vehicle clause of insurance!

The MTPLM limit is there for a very good reason, often the chassis and tyres are operating at their upper safety limits! It's also the criteria used to decide what is safe for you car to tow!


Personwayn0099
06/7/2020 at 2:49pm
 Location: stone
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monty that was just a guess weight before you start accusing me of stuff,, and all that would be in there is a porch awaning and clothes nothing more i will say


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PersonMonty15
06/7/2020 at 3:22pm
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Quote: Originally posted by wayn0099 on 06/7/2020
monty that was just a guess weight before you start accusing me of stuff,, and all that would be in there is a porch awaning and clothes nothing more i will say


Sorry, wasn't meaning to be accusational, just a great many people don't understand the MIRO/MTPLM meanings and fail to recognise that MTPLM is the absolute Max weight of a loaded caravan. They also don't have a clue about the consequences of overloading and how the law looks upon it.
Apart from putting themselves at risk, they also put the rest of us under scrutiny with for us potentially unwarranted checking.


Personwayn0099
06/7/2020 at 3:29pm
 Location: stone
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ive found its 3173 total combined caravan and car


Personwayn0099
06/7/2020 at 3:33pm
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more info car 1613kg,, caravan 1200kg... total 2,813


PersonRob and Tina
06/7/2020 at 4:12pm
 Location: Royal Forest of Dean
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You need to know the max plated weights of car and caravan and add them together. Your figure for the caravan of 1200kg sounds about right but there is no way an Insignia Tourer has a max of 1613, even my Focus that I mentioned above was 1900kg, I think you need to check your figures again.


Rob


Personwayn0099
06/7/2020 at 4:14pm
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thats what i did and ive contacted vauxhall and thats what they said


PersonRob and Tina
06/7/2020 at 4:18pm
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Check the weight plate on the car and your V5 to get the correct figures.
1613 sounds like it could be the kerbweight of the car.


Rob



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