Did you know that the law changed on the 1st January 1997 regarding Driving Licences and the towing of trailers?
From this date you are only entitled to drive a motor vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes maximum authorised mass (MAM) and, depending on the MAM of the vehicle and trailer you may only be able to tow a trailer up to 750kgs.
To obtain group: B + E on your licence you will need to take a further driving test which is conducted at the DSA HGV test centre facility.
This is not just about your car and caravan…if you tow a trailer at work this still applies.
Remember …If you do drive and tow a trailer when you have not obtained the correct licence you risk being convicted of several offences including potentially no insurance.
Example – Vehicle Combinations;
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, the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the towing 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 towing vehicle.
Therefore, and to comply with the law …
Category B+E allows vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes MAM to be combined with trailers in excess of 750kgs MAM. To obtain this entitlement new category B licence holders have to pass a further practical test for category B+E but you will be pleased to know that there is no category B+E theory test.
MAM = Maximum Authorised Mass or Gross Weight
