What vehicles can be driven on the road just on a car driving licence?

Jackmydad

This any help.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tractors-regulations-on-use/tractors-and-regulatory-requirements-a-brief-guide-september-2017
Section 3 "Driver Licensing"

If I wanted to drive anything on the road, I'd want to be absolutely sure that my licence was the right one, and that the vehicle of machine had the right legal requirements in place including insurance.
AFAIK it's the driver who has to ensure all that is correct.
I'd contact the DVLA, tell them my exact circumstances, which vehicle and what the exact use was, and ask them what licence I needed.

Ganga

Bigphil1474 wrote: »

OP, can't help with the road licence issue, but for Health and safety at work purposes, you need to have suitable and sufficient training for the type of vehicle, separate to any driving license you hold. Generally, that would mean specific training for the type of lift truck. If, for example, you've had training on counter balance trucks, that doesn't mean you are trained to use a telly handler. There is no legal requirement to have a 'lift truck driver license' for working on site - just suitable training. If your employer has any sense, that training should be documented. The benefit of a lift truck licence, for the specific type of truck, is that it is proof of suitable training, as opposed to some vague training your employer might point to.
At the end of the day, if you do have an accident, then worst case scenario, you and the employer might end up being locked up, so worth crossing those t's and dotting those i's. Of course, the company might just end up with a fine, and you get the prison sentence.[/QUOTE]

With current legislation the directors of a company can now be jailed for the actions of their employees,also you should not be opperating a telescopic handler without the correct operators licence,normally issued after assesment by a qualified training company,a licence for a masted forklift truck is not the same.

Insert_Nut

I couldn't possibly tell you exactly what qualifications I have because I don't know. We have been sent on a course that was for (as far as I'm aware) just fork lift trucks. It may have covered other things but all we were observed using was a fork lift truck so I'm assuming that this is all it was for.


Regards the JCB use, my initial training was 15 years or so ago along the lines of do you know how to turn that wheel and press that pedal? Good, just don't hit anything.
I picked it up quickly and can operate them very well. When the old one was replaced with the current JCB a few years ago we were all shown by the chap dropping it off what all the levers etc did and he sat in with us while we drove around the site and operated it a little.


If you mean have I been on an actual course where I have driven one of these things then no, I haven't.

* Yes it has a licence plate
* I wouldn't be 'using' it on the public highway (as in operating the boom, the controls etc), I'd simply be driving it A-B, using it at point B which is off the public highway (although come to think of it, I think the loading of a vehicle at point B has the vehicle parked on the actual road and they don't pull off the road though I'm not 100% sure on that as I've never done it before, only seen it from a distance).

Scrapit

Insert_Nut wrote: »

I couldn't possibly tell you exactly what qualifications I have because I don't know. We have been sent on a course that was for (as far as I'm aware) just fork lift trucks. It may have covered other things but all we were observed using was a fork lift truck so I'm assuming that this is all it was for.


Regards the JCB use, my initial training was 15 years or so ago along the lines of do you know how to turn that wheel and press that pedal? Good, just don't hit anything.
I picked it up quickly and can operate them very well. When the old one was replaced with the current JCB a few years ago we were all shown by the chap dropping it off what all the levers etc did and he sat in with us while we drove around the site and operated it a little.


If you mean have I been on an actual course where I have driven one of these things then no, I haven't.

* Yes it has a licence plate
* I wouldn't be 'using' it on the public highway (as in operating the boom, the controls etc), I'd simply be driving it A-B, using it at point B which is off the public highway (although come to think of it, I think the loading of a vehicle at point B has the vehicle parked on the actual road and they don't pull off the road though I'm not 100% sure on that as I've never done it before, only seen it from a distance).

You are using it.

Bigphil1474

Ganga, not sure why you quote my response in red, given the previous sentence says the employer might end up being locked up. In reality, enforcing authorities take the easy route, and it's easier for companies to plead guilty if their basis of plea (using their expensive solicitors) means they won't get locked up, or the controlling mind of the company is difficult to link directly to any incident. If an employee causes a serious accident, they are automatically linked to that accident, although not automatically prosecuted . And you are incorrect, you do not need an operators license, you just have to be able to demonstrate you've had sufficient training. An operators license is the easiest way to prove that.


OP, #12 says it all really. If you are stopped by the police, you would have to demonstrate you're covered to drive the vehicle on the road. If you don't know, then how can you prove to the police. I'd definitely be asking for formal training on that type of truck if I was you.

Andy_L

There are 2 seperate issues

1. Does DVLA let you drive it on the road under the categories on your license. Since the TRM320 has an operating weight of just over 8t its is over the limits for Cat B vehicles on a new licence (3.5t) it might just be in for pre-97 passes but the wording is vague. IE you need Cat C to drive it on the public highway

2. The HSE want you to be qualified by virtue of training and/or experience to use it as a tool at work so if you start using the digger/fork-lift bit without any training they are potentially in a world of hurt if you crash it

Bigphil1474

As above. Spot on. What I was trying to say but I did a bad job of doing.

Scrapit

Or another way of saying it: if you have to go in a money saving forum to check if you are ok doing it, you probably ain't ok doing it.

Insert_Nut

I'm aware of the pre 97 passing but that doesn't apply to me as I passed after '97.


What info would I require to ask the DVLA about this? Just the machine (As in TM320 AGRI)? The registration plate also? The serial number, would that be required? Anything else?


1) I don't want to contact the DVLA only for them to say I've not given the full info (time wasted)
2) I'd prefer not to identify my employer to the DVLA (would registration plate do that?) as this would cause a whole heap of aggro for me that I'd rather avoid but at the same time I need all the info that I need in order to get an answer.
3) You mention HSE. Would you bother asking these, and can that be done without the need to identify my employer? The last thing I want is the HSE getting in touch saying Mr. XYZ tells us ABC.


As far as aggro goes, I've been there & done that & it's not what I want. I've made the transition to just keeping my head down and getting on with the job but at the end of the day I wish to know for 100% whether I'm legal.

Car_54

Insert_Nut wrote: »

I'm aware of the pre 97 passing but that doesn't apply to me as I passed after '97.


What info would I require to ask the DVLA about this? Just the machine (As in TM320 AGRI)? The registration plate also? The serial number, would that be required? Anything else?


1) I don't want to contact the DVLA only for them to say I've not given the full info (time wasted)
2) I'd prefer not to identify my employer to the DVLA (would registration plate do that?) as this would cause a whole heap of aggro for me that I'd rather avoid but at the same time I need all the info that I need in order to get an answer.
3) You mention HSE. Would you bother asking these, and can that be done without the need to identify my employer? The last thing I want is the HSE getting in touch saying Mr. XYZ tells us ABC.


As far as aggro goes, I've been there & done that & it's not what I want. I've made the transition to just keeping my head down and getting on with the job but at the end of the day I wish to know for 100% whether I'm legal.

As Andy L has pointed out above, your post-1997 licence allows you to drive vehicles up to 3.5 Tonnes gross mass. The JCB is about three times that mass, so you cannot drive it on the road!


No need to call the DVLA.