Post by Jonathan Smith on Jan 26, 2005 11:44:56 GMT
Special Licensing Arrangements For Drivers of Large Vehicles
This section explains which drivers of certain large vehicles are exempt from the need to hold either a Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) or Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) driving licence; you may also wish to obtain a copy of DVLA Information Leaflet INF52, available from post offices or online here.
Driving Licence Conditions
Drivers of passenger carrying vehicles which have 9-16 passenger seats will normally need to hold a PCV licence category D1; to drive larger buses, a category D licence is needed. For other vehicles it is the maximum authorised mass (total weight of the vehicle plus the maximum load it can carry) which determines the driving licence entitlement needed. If the vehicle has a maximum authorised mass which exceeds 3.5 tonnes but not 7.5 tonnes then a category C1 licence is needed; if the maximum authorised mass exceeds 7.5 tonnes then a category C licence is needed.
Exempted Goods Vehicles
Holders of a full category B (car) driving licence may drive any of the large vehicles listed below:
a goods vehicle propelled by steam (e.g. large vehicles with coal or wood burning engines);
road construction vehicles used or kept on the road solely for the conveyance of built-in road construction machinery (with or without articles or materials used for the purpose of that machinery);
engineering plant (vehicles designed or constructed for the purpose of engineering operations for mobile cranes see * below)
works trucks (primarily designed for use in private premises or in the immediate vicinity e.g. dumper trucks/forklift trucks);
industrial tractors (tractors used mainly for haulage work off the public road, the vehicle must not have an unladen weight exceeding 7370kgs and have a design speed not exceeding 20mph);
agricultural motor vehicles which are not agricultural or forestry tractors (primarily used off the public road e.g. crop sprayer/combine harvester);
digging machines (vehicles which are limited to travel on a public road only for the purpose of proceeding to or from sites - used for trench digging or any kind of excavating or shovelling work e.g. vehicles with digging buckets / shovels);
goods vehicle which is not used on public roads or, if it is so used during any calendar week -
is used only in passing from land in the occupation of a person keeping the vehicle to other land in the occupation of that person, and
is not used on public roads for distances exceeding an aggregate of 9.7 kilometres in that calendar week;
goods vehicle, other than an agricultural motor vehicle, which -
is used only for purposes relating to agriculture, horticulture or forestry,
is used on roads only in passing between different areas of land occupied by the same person, and
in passing between any two such areas does not travel a distance exceeding 1.5 kilometres on roads;
goods vehicles used for no purpose other than the haulage of lifeboats and the conveyance of the necessary gear of the lifeboats which are being hauled;
goods vehicles manufactured before 1 January 1960, used unladen and not drawing a laden trailer;
articulated goods vehicles not exceeding 3.05 tonnes unladen weight;
goods vehicle in the service of a visiting force or headquarters as defined in the Visiting Forces and International Headquarters (Application of Law Order 1965 (a));
goods vehicle driven by a constable for the purpose of removing or avoiding obstruction to other road users or other members of the public, for the purpose of protecting life or property (including the vehicle and its load) or for other similar purposes;
goods vehicle fitted with apparatus designed for raising a disabled vehicle partly from the ground and for drawing a disabled vehicle when so raised (whether by partial superimposition or otherwise) being a vehicle which -
is used solely for dealing with disabled vehicles;
is not used for the conveyance of any goods or load other than a disabled vehicle when so raised and water, fuel, accumulators and articles required for the operation of, or in connection with, such apparatus or otherwise for dealing with disabled vehicles; and
has an unladen weight not exceeding 3.05 tonnes;
mobile project vehicles - having a maximum authorised mass exceeding 3.5 tonnes and constructed or adapted to carry not more than 8 persons in addition to the driver and carries principally goods or burden consisting of;
play or educational equipment and articles required in connection with the use of such equipment, or
articles required for the purposes of display or of an exhibition, and the primary purpose of which is used as a recreational, educational or instructional facility when stationary.
Drivers must be aged 21 and have held a category B licence for at least 2 years. A mobile project vehicle may only be driven on behalf of a non-commercial body. However, drivers who passed their car test before 1 January 1997 are not subject to these conditions.
*MOBILE CRANES
Category B licence holders were able to drive mobile cranes up until 31 December 1998. From1st January 1999 a category C1 driving licence is required to drive a mobile crane which exceeds 3.5 tonnes but not 7.5 tonnes and category C if over 7.5 tonnes.
Holders of a full category D (PCV) driving licence can also drive a passenger-carrying recovery vehicle. This is defined as - a vehicle (not being an articulated goods vehicle combination) which -
has an unladen weight not exceeding 10.2 tonnes;
is being operated by the holder of a PSV operator’s licence and, is being used for the purpose of -
proceeding to, or returning from, a place where assistance is to be, or has been, given to a damaged or disabled passenger-carrying vehicle; or
giving assistance to or moving a disabled passenger-carrying vehicle or moving a damaged vehicle.
EXEMPTED PASSENGER CARRYING VEHICLES
Holders of a full category B (car) driving licence may drive any of the vehicles listed below :
a passenger-carrying vehicle manufactured more than 30 years before the date when it is driven
and not used for hire or reward or for the carriage of more than 8 passengers;
a minibus with up to 16 passenger seats provided the following conditions are met ;
the vehicle is used for social purposes by a non commercial body but not for hire or
reward ;
the driver is aged 21 ;
the driver has held a car (category B) licence for at least 2 years ;
the driver is providing the service on a voluntary basis ; and
the minibus maximum weight is not more than 3.5 tonnes or 4.25 tonnes including any specialist equipment for the carriage of disabled passengers
if the driver is aged 70 or over, is able to meet the health standards for driving a D1 vehicle.
Holders of a full category C (LGV) driving licence can also drive large buses provided they have held the licence for at least 2 years and the vehicle is ;
damaged or defective and being driven to a place of repair or being road tested following repair, and
is not used for the carriage of any person who is not connected with its repair or road testing.
MINIMUM AGES
The minimum age for driving an Exempted Goods Vehicle is determined by its weight - Vehicles with a maximum authorised mass which exceeds 3.5 tonnes but not 7.5 tonnes may be driven at age 18 years. Drivers of Exempted Passenger Carrying Vehicles (PCVs) and any vehicle which weighs more than 7.5 tonnes can be driven from the age of 21 years.
HOW ARE VEHICLES CLASSIFIED?
DVLA cannot give legal advice on how vehicles are classified for driving licence purposes. We can only give general guidance. The Vehicle Standards and Engineering Division, Great Minster House, 76 Marsham St, London, SW1P 4DR,(0207 944 2064), may be able to help classify a vehicle that falls under - Works Trucks, Agricultural Motor Vehicles, Industrial Tractors and Engineering Plant but only for the purposes of its Construction and Use.
This information is not intended to be a definitive statement of law.
This section explains which drivers of certain large vehicles are exempt from the need to hold either a Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) or Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) driving licence; you may also wish to obtain a copy of DVLA Information Leaflet INF52, available from post offices or online here.
Driving Licence Conditions
Drivers of passenger carrying vehicles which have 9-16 passenger seats will normally need to hold a PCV licence category D1; to drive larger buses, a category D licence is needed. For other vehicles it is the maximum authorised mass (total weight of the vehicle plus the maximum load it can carry) which determines the driving licence entitlement needed. If the vehicle has a maximum authorised mass which exceeds 3.5 tonnes but not 7.5 tonnes then a category C1 licence is needed; if the maximum authorised mass exceeds 7.5 tonnes then a category C licence is needed.
Exempted Goods Vehicles
Holders of a full category B (car) driving licence may drive any of the large vehicles listed below:
a goods vehicle propelled by steam (e.g. large vehicles with coal or wood burning engines);
road construction vehicles used or kept on the road solely for the conveyance of built-in road construction machinery (with or without articles or materials used for the purpose of that machinery);
engineering plant (vehicles designed or constructed for the purpose of engineering operations for mobile cranes see * below)
works trucks (primarily designed for use in private premises or in the immediate vicinity e.g. dumper trucks/forklift trucks);
industrial tractors (tractors used mainly for haulage work off the public road, the vehicle must not have an unladen weight exceeding 7370kgs and have a design speed not exceeding 20mph);
agricultural motor vehicles which are not agricultural or forestry tractors (primarily used off the public road e.g. crop sprayer/combine harvester);
digging machines (vehicles which are limited to travel on a public road only for the purpose of proceeding to or from sites - used for trench digging or any kind of excavating or shovelling work e.g. vehicles with digging buckets / shovels);
goods vehicle which is not used on public roads or, if it is so used during any calendar week -
is used only in passing from land in the occupation of a person keeping the vehicle to other land in the occupation of that person, and
is not used on public roads for distances exceeding an aggregate of 9.7 kilometres in that calendar week;
goods vehicle, other than an agricultural motor vehicle, which -
is used only for purposes relating to agriculture, horticulture or forestry,
is used on roads only in passing between different areas of land occupied by the same person, and
in passing between any two such areas does not travel a distance exceeding 1.5 kilometres on roads;
goods vehicles used for no purpose other than the haulage of lifeboats and the conveyance of the necessary gear of the lifeboats which are being hauled;
goods vehicles manufactured before 1 January 1960, used unladen and not drawing a laden trailer;
articulated goods vehicles not exceeding 3.05 tonnes unladen weight;
goods vehicle in the service of a visiting force or headquarters as defined in the Visiting Forces and International Headquarters (Application of Law Order 1965 (a));
goods vehicle driven by a constable for the purpose of removing or avoiding obstruction to other road users or other members of the public, for the purpose of protecting life or property (including the vehicle and its load) or for other similar purposes;
goods vehicle fitted with apparatus designed for raising a disabled vehicle partly from the ground and for drawing a disabled vehicle when so raised (whether by partial superimposition or otherwise) being a vehicle which -
is used solely for dealing with disabled vehicles;
is not used for the conveyance of any goods or load other than a disabled vehicle when so raised and water, fuel, accumulators and articles required for the operation of, or in connection with, such apparatus or otherwise for dealing with disabled vehicles; and
has an unladen weight not exceeding 3.05 tonnes;
mobile project vehicles - having a maximum authorised mass exceeding 3.5 tonnes and constructed or adapted to carry not more than 8 persons in addition to the driver and carries principally goods or burden consisting of;
play or educational equipment and articles required in connection with the use of such equipment, or
articles required for the purposes of display or of an exhibition, and the primary purpose of which is used as a recreational, educational or instructional facility when stationary.
Drivers must be aged 21 and have held a category B licence for at least 2 years. A mobile project vehicle may only be driven on behalf of a non-commercial body. However, drivers who passed their car test before 1 January 1997 are not subject to these conditions.
*MOBILE CRANES
Category B licence holders were able to drive mobile cranes up until 31 December 1998. From1st January 1999 a category C1 driving licence is required to drive a mobile crane which exceeds 3.5 tonnes but not 7.5 tonnes and category C if over 7.5 tonnes.
Holders of a full category D (PCV) driving licence can also drive a passenger-carrying recovery vehicle. This is defined as - a vehicle (not being an articulated goods vehicle combination) which -
has an unladen weight not exceeding 10.2 tonnes;
is being operated by the holder of a PSV operator’s licence and, is being used for the purpose of -
proceeding to, or returning from, a place where assistance is to be, or has been, given to a damaged or disabled passenger-carrying vehicle; or
giving assistance to or moving a disabled passenger-carrying vehicle or moving a damaged vehicle.
EXEMPTED PASSENGER CARRYING VEHICLES
Holders of a full category B (car) driving licence may drive any of the vehicles listed below :
a passenger-carrying vehicle manufactured more than 30 years before the date when it is driven
and not used for hire or reward or for the carriage of more than 8 passengers;
a minibus with up to 16 passenger seats provided the following conditions are met ;
the vehicle is used for social purposes by a non commercial body but not for hire or
reward ;
the driver is aged 21 ;
the driver has held a car (category B) licence for at least 2 years ;
the driver is providing the service on a voluntary basis ; and
the minibus maximum weight is not more than 3.5 tonnes or 4.25 tonnes including any specialist equipment for the carriage of disabled passengers
if the driver is aged 70 or over, is able to meet the health standards for driving a D1 vehicle.
Holders of a full category C (LGV) driving licence can also drive large buses provided they have held the licence for at least 2 years and the vehicle is ;
damaged or defective and being driven to a place of repair or being road tested following repair, and
is not used for the carriage of any person who is not connected with its repair or road testing.
MINIMUM AGES
The minimum age for driving an Exempted Goods Vehicle is determined by its weight - Vehicles with a maximum authorised mass which exceeds 3.5 tonnes but not 7.5 tonnes may be driven at age 18 years. Drivers of Exempted Passenger Carrying Vehicles (PCVs) and any vehicle which weighs more than 7.5 tonnes can be driven from the age of 21 years.
HOW ARE VEHICLES CLASSIFIED?
DVLA cannot give legal advice on how vehicles are classified for driving licence purposes. We can only give general guidance. The Vehicle Standards and Engineering Division, Great Minster House, 76 Marsham St, London, SW1P 4DR,(0207 944 2064), may be able to help classify a vehicle that falls under - Works Trucks, Agricultural Motor Vehicles, Industrial Tractors and Engineering Plant but only for the purposes of its Construction and Use.
This information is not intended to be a definitive statement of law.
