renew driving licence

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

Before 1935 you didn't need to take a driving test, you just bought a licence. There might just about be some centenarian drivers about who never passed a test. My Dad never did, but he would be 109 if he were still alive

[Maurice TaylorParticipant @mauricetaylor82093]

With a B licence (car) you can drive pre 1960 lorries,buses,road locomotives.steam wagons etc,you can also drive forklifts and diggers on the road. So the weight can’t be a reason for dropping C1 licence,also gross train mass of Discoveries and Range Rovers are 5.5tonnes or more.

[norm nortonParticipant @normnorton75434]

Posted by Maurice Taylor on 06/02/2020 18:15:58:

Over 70 you only lose C1 and C1E you still get BE which allows you to drive vehicle upto 3.5 tonnes and pull any size trailer upto the maximum weight specified by the vehicle manufacturer.No need for medical

No, not any size of trailer. Only up to a combined vehicle + trailer weight (MAW) of 3.5 tonnes.

A VW Transporter for example has a MAW, or gross vehicle weight, of between 2.5 and 2.8 tonnes depending on specification. Most caravans, or trailers capable of carrying a small car, will easily take you over the 3.5 tonnes total.

[RMAParticipant @rma]

Posted by norm norton on 07/02/2020 09:46:58:

Posted by Maurice Taylor on 06/02/2020 18:15:58:

Over 70 you only lose C1 and C1E you still get BE which allows you to drive vehicle upto 3.5 tonnes and pull any size trailer upto the maximum weight specified by the vehicle manufacturer.No need for medical

No, not any size of trailer. Only up to a combined vehicle + trailer weight (MAW) of 3.5 tonnes.

A VW Transporter for example has a MAW, or gross vehicle weight, of between 2.5 and 2.8 tonnes depending on specification. Most caravans, or trailers capable of carrying a small car, will easily take you over the 3.5 tonnes total.

I don't think that's true Norm Norton. B+E allows driving a vehicle up to 3.5tonnes plus a trailer over 750kg, as long as the trailer doesn't exceed the limit specified by the manufacturer of the towing vehicle. B+E is automatically included on your new driving license.

[Nicholas FarrParticipant @nicholasfarr14254]

Hi, the BE weights depend again on when you passed your test, see MichaelG's previous link and click on Driving Licence Categories on the top right hand side.

S.O.D. all these things seem unfair when the rules are changed, but a line has to be drawn somewhere and it would be just as unfair for those who were allowed to drive certain categories before the changes, to have them removed. In a similar way, when they changed the coming of age from 21 to 18, I became of age at the same time as my eldest sister and my elder brother, OK, my eldest sister became of age before she was 21 but only by 8 months. I also meant to say in my last post that my C1E category has a 107 restriction on it as Norm Norton pointed out.

Regards Nick.

Edited By Nicholas Farr on 07/02/2020 10:47:15

[Alistair Robertson 1Participant @alistairrobertson1]

Many years ago, probably in the late 50's my aunt sent away for a provisional license after filling in the form she got at the local Post Office. About a week later she received in the post a license enabling her to drive "All Groups" including a Steam Roller and lorry of any size!

She returned the license with a covering note that she was applying for a provisional license but the license came back with a note that said as she had "All Groups" there was no other test she could take therefore a provisional license could not be issued!!

After many letters backwards and forwards she eventually had to take the train to Aberdeen to explain her situation at the government offices where she was told to just accept she had a full license as the paperwork to correct the error did not exist.

The irony is she never did take up driving so the license was never used.

[norm nortonParticipant @normnorton75434]

RMA thank you for making me go back to square one and recheck. Maurice I owe you an apology and I am sorry I was wrong and you are right.

I am grateful that this forum discussion has caused me to find out the facts and it will be a big help to me when I have to renew at age 70. I have been led astray by friends who told me that I would lose my over 3.5 tonne GTW (Gross Train Weight) towing rights at age 70 renewal – they are wrong. A confusion has been that post 1997 licences only have category B and that this is restricted to 3.5 tonnes GTW. However, pre 1997 licences also have category BE, in addition to B, and this BE permits the vehicle MAW (Maximum Allowable Mass) to be up to 3.5 tonnes and for it to tow a trailer upto the vehicle's plated limit, just as RMA says.

At renewal at age 70 the pre 1997 licences retain category BE.

Thank you to those who were patient enough to tell me this. You have saved me going through the forms D2+D4 palaver.

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