I've been out for a drink tonight with a friend who also caravans. We got talking about the Jeep Patriot and it's sub 1500kgs towing limit. As he tows a Hobby he was explaining the Jeep was pretty useless to him as his caravan is just over the 85% limit although I pointed out that the 85% was only a guide and "not the law".
This is where the conversation got interesting, my friend who is a class 1 HGV driver anounced that anyone towing over the 85% limit had to have a HGV licence. Obviously I tried to tell him he was mistaken but he very vocally insisted he was right and thrust his hand forward offering me a £500 bet
I then tried to explain that he was probably confusing the change in the law regarding 1997 and later licences but he was having none of it and insisted "his law" included every driver from the year dot.
How can I show him the error of his ways and collect my winnings?
Driving Licences
A full (not provisional) driving licence is required to tow a caravan. From 1 January 1997, new category B (generally held as 'normal' car entitlement) vehicles may be coupled with a trailer up to 750kg Maximum Authorised Mass allowing a combined weight of up to 4.25 tonnes MAM OR a trailer (for example a tourer) over 750kg MAM provided the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehicle, and the combination does not exceed 3.5 tonnes MAM. This would mean that many drivers who possess only a category B on their licence would be able to tow a caravan provided it was not heavier than their car, and that car and caravan combined, does not weigh more than 3.5 tonnes.
New drivers of outfits over these limits must take a category B + E test.
Further information from: Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA)
www.dvla.gov.uk
I've been out for a drink tonight with a friend who also caravans. We got talking about the Jeep Patriot and it's sub 1500kgs towing limit. As he tows a Hobby he was explaining the Jeep was pretty useless to him as his caravan is just over the 85% limit although I pointed out that the 85% was only a guide and "not the law".
This is where the conversation got interesting, my friend who is a class 1 HGV driver anounced that anyone towing over the 85% limit had to have a HGV licence. Obviously I tried to tell him he was mistaken but he very vocally insisted he was right and thrust his hand forward offering me a £500 bet
I then tried to explain that he was probably confusing the change in the law regarding 1997 and later licences but he was having none of it and insisted "his law" included every driver from the year dot.
How can I show him the error of his ways and collect my winnings?
Post last edited on 31/03/2008 01:20:55
See, it just goes to prove my theory right. When you drink beer, you are never wrong in an argument, you stagger about desperately trying to stay upright and you can't drive a car properly.
I did a test drive of the Jeep Patriot, as a possible replacement for my current VW Touran. The towing factors for the Patriot are exactly the same as for the Touran. The Touran also wins on CO2 emission figures, insurance group and economical fuel consumption, so the Patriot is a no-no.
In actual fact, the maximum permitted outfit weight for car and caravan is 4,250 kg (confirmed to me by DVLA in two separate phone calls). This is also applicable when renewing your licence at 70; which was the reason for those calls.
The 85% rule is advisory, and not age-related. The important factor is that you do not exceed the towcar manufacturer's specifications for maximum trailer weight and nose-weight.
See, it just goes to prove my theory right. When you drink beer, you are never wrong in an argument, you stagger about desperately trying to stay upright and you can't drive a car properly.
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Topic: Misinformed experts
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