7.5 tonne on licence?

james_joyce

tight_scotsman wrote: »

The licensing system is stupid in my opinion. I passed my D+E back 1987 in an automatic coach.I then sat a cat D in a manual coach but i cant drive a manual bus/coach if it has a trailer.most modern buses coaches are automatic or have electronic gear boxes like volvos ishift they dont have a clutch pedal but you can still operate the box manually

So if someone passes D & E in an automatic coach now, do they only get given B & E for an automatic (not manual) car? Or do you only have B & E now because you passed your car test before 1997?

Agreed, this is far too complicated!

james_joyce

And just re automatic car licences, I still don't understand if these let you drive semi-automatic cars.

tight_scotsman

james_joyce wrote: »

So if someone passes D & E in an automatic coach now, do they only get given B & E for an automatic (not manual) car? Or do you only have B & E now because you passed your car test before 1997?

Agreed, this is far too complicated!

only because i passed pre 1997 i have B+E

tight_scotsman

james_joyce wrote: »

And just re automatic car licences, I still don't understand if these let you drive semi-automatic cars.

This is another grey area but i understand the rule is about the absence of a clutch pedal.

The coach i drive is a volvo ishift gearbox it has a clutch but no clutch pedal for the driver to operate. The clutch is operated by a computer

james_joyce

OK, that makes sense.

There doesn't seem to be a concept of 'B auto & E', ie automatic car licence and large trailer.

If someone has a B auto licence would they need to get a normal manual licence first, then do the 'B & E' test? Or could they go straight to the 'B & E' test and kill two birds with one stone?

And can people with pre-1997 auto licences pull a large trailer? What entitlement will their driving licence show?

Herzlos

I think you need a full B before sitting the B+E

skivenov

alastairq wrote: »

Yes you can....however, since the test itself is the same basic test, the cost of training may well be the same.

Also, there may be issues with providing a C1 vehicle to 'minimum-test-vehicle' standards?

Check out local LGV driver training schools for advice on this matter?

Yes you can, or you certainly could when I did my C1 a fair few years ago.

Granted, it's "the same test", but I've never had a need to drive anything bigger, and felt myself quite comfortable in a 7.5 tonne, so that's the test I did. My big van's 5 tonne, and if it won't go in there, I'll pay someone else to pick it up.

7.5's are easier to drive anyway - less gears. I won't lie, the minute I have more than one set of gears to think about I have to stop and try and figure it all out. Which I can do in a tractor, not quite the same when you're approaching a hill in a wagon.