Spec-lift recovery vehicle and licence requirements

[CharlieTwo]

R0G said:

Here is the reply from DVLA....

Thank you for your email received on 29/2/12. Your email reference number is 862502.

They replied the same day!? Have you found the one department of the DVLA that can actually do something in a timely manner??

[ShampooEfficient]

CharlieTwo said:

R0G said:

Here is the reply from DVLA....

Thank you for your email received on 29/2/12. Your email reference number is 862502.

They replied the same day!? Have you found the one department of the DVLA that can actually do something in a timely manner??

Or it's an automated thing, picks up word "recovery" it sends that one... if it picks up the words "lost documents in post" it sends "I am out of the office right now"

[R0G]

CharlieTwo said:

R0G said:

Here is the reply from DVLA....

Thank you for your email received on 29/2/12. Your email reference number is 862502.

They replied the same day!? Have you found the one department of the DVLA that can actually do something in a timely manner??

I have often had a quick response because of the way I pose the questions

[mr rice]

ROG, thank you for that your an absolute star!

Robert

[GC8]

Simon O said:

If you mean would you be able to get a job if you were a pre 1997 licence holder then no, you would require a class 1 licence.

'Class 1' being a colloquial term for a category C&E entitlement? Why would you need a C&E to drive a vehicle which weighs about half of what is permitted with a C1 entitlement?

You dont need C&E nor C to drive the vehicle in question and I dont understand why youd need an E entitlement either as a towed vehicle isnt a trailer.

Have I misunderstood something?

[Simon O]

GC8 said:

'Class 1' being a colloquial term for a category C&E entitlement? Why would you need a C&E to drive a vehicle which weighs about half of what is permitted with a C1 entitlement?

You dont need C&E nor C to drive the vehicle in question and I dont understand why youd need an E entitlement either as a towed vehicle isnt a trailer.

Have I misunderstood something?

The pictured vehicle (not the vin) will weigh in at over 4000kg, so will not be covered by a B category.

Any large company that uses a vehicle fitted with a spec lift (bear in mind that the vehicle could be weighing it an over 15000kg) will not employ a driver to operate with anything less than a C+E.

[R0G]

GC8 said:

I dont understand why youd need an E entitlement either as a towed vehicle isnt a trailer.

Have I misunderstood something?

http://www.rodsnsods.co.uk/forum/topic/towing-car-solid-bar-legals-needed-13594 see post number 6

With a driver in the car being towed then you seem to be correct on the +E requirement

The towing vehicle would still need the required towing capacity

Any car with all wheels on the ground being towed over 750 kgs must have braking so it would need a driver in the towed car to operate those brakes

[mr rice]

Simon O said:

The pictured vehicle (not the vin) will weigh in at over 4000kg, so will not be covered by a B category.

Any large company that uses a vehicle fitted with a spec lift (bear in mind that the vehicle could be weighing it an over 15000kg) will not employ a driver to operate with anything less than a C+E.

You are correct about the pictured vehicle (it was only chosen to show the spec lift etc), it will likely be a 65C(6.5 T) and the one I'm looking at is a 35C.

Robert

[TheEnd]

GC8 said:

'Class 1' being a colloquial term for a category C&E entitlement? Why would you need a C&E to drive a vehicle which weighs about half of what is permitted with a C1 entitlement?

You dont need C&E nor C to drive the vehicle in question and I dont understand why youd need an E entitlement either as a towed vehicle isnt a trailer.

Have I misunderstood something?

http://www.recoveryuk.com/laws.html

Second page, 4th paragraph-
If it's a breakdown vehicle (breakdown meaning a tower, and recovery meaning a picker upper) then the disable vehicle being towed become a trailer and B+E is required.

[GC8]

Fair enough, but my real point was to question the 'class one' licence requirement.

I'll be honest though, and add that Im far from convinced about a vehicle on a spec lift being a trailer.

[mph1977]

Simon O said:

Unless you have category C1E with code 107, you will require a class 1 licence to drive the above vehicle while towing.

I don't think so ...

there are NO circumstances in which a C+E licence would be the minimum licence required to use the vehicle , as it appears to be a cat B vehicle downplated 'at birth' by Iveco from what could be a C1 vehicle ( by the sum of axle weights)


the top (visible- i'm assuming the squiggled/ smudged bit is 'shopped over the vin ) line on the IVECO vin plate is 3500 kg - this will be the vehicle MAM; this is cat B

the next line is the GTM 6500 kg

the lines 1 -4 are axle weights from the axle weights marked it appears that the 3500kg MAM version is a 'down plated' 4 tonner as 1800 + 2600 = 4400 ... i would suspect that the 4 tonne version has the same axles ...

[R0G]

I agree with your weight assessments mph1977 but I think the mention of C+E was what most companies LIKE their operatives to have