Hardly a con trick & it don't just apply to caravans. Look at that builder's Tranny towing a twin axle trailer, driver looks about 20. I doubt his firm even realises he is not licenced to drive it? Or the young woman driving Disco & horse trailer. I'm sure there are plenty of caravanners who are equally unaware they are not licenced to drive their outfits either. No coppers in cars today so they will probably continue to get away with it.
Yrs ago it was decided that 7.5tonne trucks were too large to be driven on a car licence & so it was with larger vehicles & trailers.
Does anybody seriously think its ok to pass a car test & get straight into large car towing large caravan? One car argue until blue in the face that a large car towing caravan is better than smaller car towing same caravan at just under 3.5tonne but a line has to be drawn somewhere.
Anybody who disputes that makes the case for passing test in car & being licenced get to straight into an artic truck & drive it, which actually you could before 1969.
Sensibly things have changed but I fail to see any issue here at all, there are plenty of car/caravan combos that fall below 3.5tonne MaM.
What is the difference in driving a car with caravan up to 3.5tonne.
And driving one thats over 3.5tonne.?????
After all i can pass my test in a 998cc Toyota Aygo then jump into a 4.5ltr Rang rover.
The driving experience is the SAME.
If you know someone who has the B&E license dont forget you can drive an outfit on L plates as long as the B&E is beside you in the car.
you could say driving a car with a big caravan is harder to do, but its not, when i changed from a single axle caravan to a large twin axle i found the outfit a lot easier to handle
A quick google gives prices of around £500 for 12-18hrs of instruction over 3 days not including test fee of £115, this for using driving school vehicle/trailer. Well under that if you use own outfit. It don't sound excessive.
Quote: Originally posted by alpiner on 10/5/2015
you could say driving a car with a big caravan is harder to do, but its not, when i changed from a single axle caravan to a large twin axle i found the outfit a lot easier to handle
So are you making the case for no extra test to tow any caravan or the case for no towing at all without an extra test?
The cost of 'elf and safety in this country in ridiculous,
We spend £millions to prevent a few accidents, £billions in insurance costs and £trillions to maintain a largely out of date and inadequate road system.
Safer not to allow cars on the road at all or bring back men with red flags.
This is the nanny state gone mad.
I'm a driver trainer and I charge just £35 per hour. (Not intended to be an advert)
Typically clients have about 5 hours if their going to do the DVSA B+E test.
I have many that don't know about the rules of towing but after they have the info they choose to go ahead with a 'familiarisation drive' as I use a actual caravan.
I also get alot of younger clients (22-30's) wanting to have ago at towing so I honestly don't think that the B+E scenario is going to affect the caravanning industry much at all.
If you can get £500 for a trailer lesson, I might change from teaching normal learners! These rules have been around for about 18 years if I remember correctly? (New drivers act 1997) and caravanning is reputeded to be on the rise.
------------- Alan
2016
February C&CC Theobalds Park
March C&CC Salisbury
May C&CC Adgestone IOW
July Le Clos Auroy, Auvergne France
August C&CC Polstead
August C&CC Oxford
October C&CC Lauder
HGV test was suspended during WW 2 but somehow it never got reintroduced until 68. I passed my test in 55 but couldn't jump into an hgv until I turned 21, which I did. Never did have to pass a test, just a medical when it was reintroduced. Roads were a lot quieter in the 50s, vehicles were a lot slower, hgvs max 30mph. Not many caravans about and certainly no motorways. If you saw one it was probably being towed by a big Wolesly 6 cylinder or similar and chugging along at a rather sedate rate of knots. By the end of the 50s begining of 60s cars/trucks were changing rapidly and gone were the old prewar designed sidevalvers and cars were beginning to perform a little differently. HGV test nreintroduced, not before time, but anyone with a car licence could just about tow anything (Which I did). Again, imho the towing test for heavier combinations was long overdue when introduced and surprised that it's not required for any trailer other than the small unbraked variety.
By the way, I did get nicked for speeding:
36 mph on a derestricted road with an 'O' type Bedford truck. Cost me £3............Mick
I don't think that the end of caravanning is in sight, but I do think that we will be in a new era of lightweight vans. Manufacturers seemed to have realised reacently that anyone who was seventeen in 1997 or younger (ie. born since 1980), or took their driving test later in life will mainly not have the B+E licence. They will be all restricted to combined outfit weights of up to 3500Kg. I think that the large heavy vans and twin axles etc. will become a rarer sight in the future, although innovation with new materials will always be welcome of course.
------------- The Sun always shines on TV.(and not on my caravan!)
I dont why this post has turned into tests for hgv and twin axle caravans, the op was saying it was the end of caravans, I can find many outfits that weigh less than 3500 kg, a family car like a mondeo or passet can tow a good size van and be nowhere near 3500kg, all legal for drivers who passed after 1997
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Topic: B+E test spells the end of Caravanning?
