B+E being scrapped?
Discussion
There is a consultation at the moment on giving B+E to all B holders without a further test. This is so that they can free up more LGV tests because of the severe shortage of LGV drivers. They are also talking about being able to go straight to C+E without having to hold C class first.
Consultation ends 7th Sept.
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/change...
Consultation ends 7th Sept.
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/change...
vonhosen said:
There is a consultation at the moment on giving B+E to all B holders without a further test. This is so that they can free up more LGV tests because of the severe shortage of LGV drivers. They are also talking about being able to go straight to C+E without having to hold C class first.
Consultation ends 7th Sept.
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/change...
Cheers Consultation ends 7th Sept.
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/change...
Would be bloody handy for me, but I’m relatively level headed with a bit of mechanical sympathy etc
My sister on the other hand, could imagine her hitching up some big caravan and driving normally
markymarkthree said:
If true then i guess we will see more dicks towing stuff in the outside lane on motorways. 
Is that really a thing? Anyone can already tow a small trailer but it's unusual to see them in lane 3.. I've towed fairly regularly since passing my test (1988) - I didn't need a course to tell me not to use the third lane or what the speed limits are. monthou said:
markymarkthree said:
If true then i guess we will see more dicks towing stuff in the outside lane on motorways.
Is that really a thing? Anyone can already tow a small trailer but it's unusual to see them in lane 3.. I've towed fairly regularly since passing my test (1988) - I didn't need a course to tell me not to use the third lane or what the speed limits are. Every day i travel on the M5 and every day i can guarantee there will be dicks towing stuff in lane three. This year is worse as the Benidorm brigade are paying us a visit down West.
markymarkthree said:
monthou said:
markymarkthree said:
If true then i guess we will see more dicks towing stuff in the outside lane on motorways.
Is that really a thing? Anyone can already tow a small trailer but it's unusual to see them in lane 3.. I've towed fairly regularly since passing my test (1988) - I didn't need a course to tell me not to use the third lane or what the speed limits are. Every day i travel on the M5 and every day i can guarantee there will be dicks towing stuff in lane three. This year is worse as the Benidorm brigade are paying us a visit down West.
Really?
Blimey. etc.
So if they are in lane three what speed are they doing?
In the 70s doing the pipeline jobs i used to have a 3.5 rangie, with a 22 foot caravan, ran it at 70 leptons with no problem what so ever,
even on the side roads high average speed was maintained without any drama or holdups.
Granted done no motorway motoring for the past two years or so but not not noticed more population of caravaners than in earlier years on the east coast runs.
In the 70s doing the pipeline jobs i used to have a 3.5 rangie, with a 22 foot caravan, ran it at 70 leptons with no problem what so ever,
even on the side roads high average speed was maintained without any drama or holdups.
Granted done no motorway motoring for the past two years or so but not not noticed more population of caravaners than in earlier years on the east coast runs.
SLCZ3 said:
So if they are in lane three what speed are they doing?
In the 70s doing the pipeline jobs i used to have a 3.5 rangie, with a 22 foot caravan, ran it at 70 leptons with no problem what so ever,
even on the side roads high average speed was maintained without any drama or holdups.
Granted done no motorway motoring for the past two years or so but not not noticed more population of caravaners than in earlier years on the east coast runs.
Anything between 0mph and 70 ish mph.In the 70s doing the pipeline jobs i used to have a 3.5 rangie, with a 22 foot caravan, ran it at 70 leptons with no problem what so ever,
even on the side roads high average speed was maintained without any drama or holdups.
Granted done no motorway motoring for the past two years or so but not not noticed more population of caravaners than in earlier years on the east coast runs.
markymarkthree said:
monthou said:
Because I haven't seen it often enough to believe you see it every day.
I suspect the M5 south of Bristol sees more caravans, trailer tents and small trailers than any other motorway in the UK and this year more than normal. If you don't travel the M5 you wont see it. Just pointing out to new caravan towers, the maximum legal speed on all multi-carriageway UK roads is 60 if you are towing a caravan, 50 on a single carriageway.
I would also point out that on busy summer weekends in the southern half of the UK you won't be much or any slower than normal car traffic - I was overtaken by a distinctive orange car made in Woking and doing over 70 a couple of weekends ago on my way to Southampton, and could still see the same car ahead of me 50 miles later.
Also, Google Maps and Waze both predicted 4 hours exactly for my dual carriageway/motorway journey without knowing I was towing, and it took 4 hours and 3 minutes without ever exceeding 60.
So relax and drive within the speed limits, it is much safer. In my 20 years experience of towing caravans, horse trailers, cars on trailers etc, things can tend to get markedly more wiggly at speeds over about 63 mph.
I would also point out that on busy summer weekends in the southern half of the UK you won't be much or any slower than normal car traffic - I was overtaken by a distinctive orange car made in Woking and doing over 70 a couple of weekends ago on my way to Southampton, and could still see the same car ahead of me 50 miles later.
Also, Google Maps and Waze both predicted 4 hours exactly for my dual carriageway/motorway journey without knowing I was towing, and it took 4 hours and 3 minutes without ever exceeding 60.
So relax and drive within the speed limits, it is much safer. In my 20 years experience of towing caravans, horse trailers, cars on trailers etc, things can tend to get markedly more wiggly at speeds over about 63 mph.
Frustrating for me as:
i missed grandfather rights by 6mths
im taking a c test this week so i can drive a 7.5t
i took a b&e test and it was frankly a pointless insult of a test.
All they were actually testing was driving, indicating at the right time, holding the wheel right etc etc
very very little about the trailer itself, you had to reverse it, you had to learn a pre written script which went along the lines of 'my tyres are 1.6mm or over, my load is secure'
rubbish.
So when i got my own trailer all of a sudden i didn't know how to properly secure a load, i also struggled to reverse it because its thinner than the towing vehicle so you cant see if its gone the wrong way until its too late.
Of course years later its easy now but i just found that test a joke.
i missed grandfather rights by 6mths
im taking a c test this week so i can drive a 7.5t
i took a b&e test and it was frankly a pointless insult of a test.
All they were actually testing was driving, indicating at the right time, holding the wheel right etc etc
very very little about the trailer itself, you had to reverse it, you had to learn a pre written script which went along the lines of 'my tyres are 1.6mm or over, my load is secure'
rubbish.
So when i got my own trailer all of a sudden i didn't know how to properly secure a load, i also struggled to reverse it because its thinner than the towing vehicle so you cant see if its gone the wrong way until its too late.
Of course years later its easy now but i just found that test a joke.
If it goes through, I think the biggest winners will be car enthusiasts 41 and under.
It's already possible to get a decently sized car/caravan outfit under 3,500kg max plate. What isn't generally possible at the moment is a car trailer/tow vehicle outfit under 3,500kg max plate. So, finally we (not so) young 'uns would be able to trailer unroadworthy cars about for restoration and track work without having to pay someone £1-2k for a few afternoons of driving around in their land rover with an IBC full of water behind it.
It's crazy that there's an arbitrary date where if you passed your test before you can drive 7.5t and tow big trailers with 3.5t, but after you can't. They even made the test more difficult at the same time, so if you passed in 1997 you had a harder test and got less for passing than if you did it in 1996.
It's already possible to get a decently sized car/caravan outfit under 3,500kg max plate. What isn't generally possible at the moment is a car trailer/tow vehicle outfit under 3,500kg max plate. So, finally we (not so) young 'uns would be able to trailer unroadworthy cars about for restoration and track work without having to pay someone £1-2k for a few afternoons of driving around in their land rover with an IBC full of water behind it.
It's crazy that there's an arbitrary date where if you passed your test before you can drive 7.5t and tow big trailers with 3.5t, but after you can't. They even made the test more difficult at the same time, so if you passed in 1997 you had a harder test and got less for passing than if you did it in 1996.
Gassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff