Y our driv ing licence en titlem ent (re lated totrailers, caravans and driv ing m otorhom es)

M ost people h old a n orm al car driv in g licen ce an d in th e past th is h as n ot been anM ost people h old a n orm al car driv in g licen ce an d in th e past th is h as n ot been an

issu e w h en issu e w h en C lu b m em bersC lu b m em bers h ave u sed th eir veh ic le in pu rsu it of th eir cam pin g an d h ave u sed th eir veh ic le in pu rsu it of th eir cam pin g an d

caravan n in g activ ities. O ver th e years th ere h ave been ch an ges in driv in g licen cecaravan n in g activ ities. O ver th e years th ere h ave been ch an ges in driv in g licen ce

en titlem en ts as th e U K com es in to lin e w ith E u ropean U n ion directives. Som e ofen titlem en ts as th e U K com es in to lin e w ith E u ropean U n ion directives. Som e of

th ese ch an ges in en titlem en ts im pact on leisu re activ ities an d th ou gh th ey sh ou ldth ese ch an ges in en titlem en ts im pact on leisu re activ ities an d th ou gh th ey sh ou ld

n ot stop you cam pin g th ey m ay lim it th e ran ge of leisu re veh ic les you can u se. It isn ot stop you cam pin g th ey m ay lim it th e ran ge of leisu re veh ic les you can u se. It is

im portan t to u n derstan d you r driv in g licen ce en titlem en ts to en su re you rem ainim portan t to u n derstan d you r driv in g licen ce en titlem en ts to en su re you rem ain

legal.legal.

This Da ta Shee t looks a t l icence ent it lements fo r campe rs , w ith emphas is on the ma jo r

d iffe rence s be tw een a driving l icence obta ined from a driving te s t ta ken be fo re 1 Janua ry 1997

and one obta ined from a te s t pa s sed a fte r tha t da te . Ent it lements a re e xp la ined and d ire ct ly

re la ted to type s o f t ra i le rs , ca ravans and moto rhomes you a re re s t ricte d to and show s how you

can incre a se your ent it lements o r jus t e nsure you re ta in them w hen you re a ch the age o f 70.

Furthe r s e ct ions e xp la in the ja rgon used in l icens ing te rms and o the r gene ra l p rincip le s you need

to know to rema in le ga l w hen tow ing o r d riving moto rhomes , p le a se no te , fo r e a se w e re fe r to

t ra i le rs throughout ins te ad o f l is t ing ca ravans , t ra i le rs , t ra i le r te nts and fo ld ing campe rs .

D ATA SH EET#4 0 D riv ing L icences#4 0 D riv ing L icences #40

V eh icle Iden t ificat io n Number (V IN) S t icker s ho wingG V M/MA M is 2190K g , nex t is G TW at 3990kg and

the two numbers belo w refer to ind ividual lim its fo reach ax le

C aravan weigh t s t icker/p late s ho wingMTPLM

D V LA & D V S ADriving l icence s a re cont ro l le d and is s ued by the Drive r and Veh icle L icens ing Agency, commonly

know n a s DVLA .

The Driving Standa rds Agency (DSA) w as re spons ib le fo r ca rrying out theo ry and pra ct ica l d riving

te s ts . In 2014 DSA me rged w ith the Veh icle and O pe ra to r Se rvice s Agency (VO SA) to be come a

s ing le agency ca l le d Driving and Veh icle Standa rds Agency (DVSA).

Bo th DVLA and DVSA provide in fo rma t ion on l ine through the GO V .U K w ebs ite . They o ften use

te rms w hich you need to unde rs tand to appre cia te the l im ita t ions o f your l icence , hence the

ja rgon pane l be low .

D V LA JargonTe rms o f w e ight and mas s re fe rred to in DVLA

and veh icle m anufa cture rs , documents can be

cons ide red a s in te rchangeab le and a re re fe rred

to in te rms o f ki logrammes (kg) and tonne s (t ),

w he re 1,000kg is e qu iva lent to one tonne . The

fo l low ing a re a few te rms used by DVLA and

some o the r te rms you w il l come a cros s w hen

cons ide ring the pra ct ica l it ie s o f tow ing.

M a x imum Authorise d M a ss (MAM) means the

maximum to ta l w e ight tha t a veh icle o r t ra i le r

is de s igned to ca rry. It is s e t by the veh icle 's

manufa cture r and include s the veh icle w e ight and the maximum load it can ca rry.

Equ iva lent te rms : Gros s Veh icle W e ight (GVW ),

Maximum Pe rm is s ib le W e ight (MPW ), Maximum Gros s

W e ight (MGW ), Maximum Te chn ica l Pe rm is s ib le Mas s

(MTPLM) - ca ravans

G ross tra inw e ight (GTW ) is the maximum w e ight a

veh icle can move on the road a s s ta ted by the

manufa cture r. It include s the veh icle 's ow n maximum

loaded w e ight (MAM) and the w e ight o f a t ra i le r and

load. Some t im es re fe rred to a s Gros s T ra in Mas s (GTM)

U nla de n W e ight (U LW ) is the w e ight o f the veh icle

w hen it 's no t ca rrying any pa s senge rs , goods o r o the r items . It include s the body and a l l pa rts

no rma lly us ed by the veh icle on the road, but doe sn 't include the w e ight o f fue l.

Ke rbw e ight a s de fined in a European D ire ct ive and a s mos t commonly used, is the w e ight o f the

veh icle a s it le ave s the fa cto ry w ith o i l and w a te r fo r no rma l ope ra t ion and w ith it s fue l tank

90% fu l l . It a ls o include s a nom ina l 75kg fo r d rive r and sma ll amount o f luggage . Th is de fin it ion

is no t gene ra l ly us ed by DVLA , but is commonly used by the C lub and o the rs w hen ma tch ing ca r

and ca ravan.

The above de fined w e ights can mos t usua l ly be found in the veh icle o r ca ravan handbook, but in

mos t ca se s the GVW and GTW can be found on a p la te o r s t icke r f ixed to the veh icle and mos t

com monly found unde r the bonne t o r on a doo r pos t . I f your tow veh icle doe s no t s how a GTW

then the veh icle is no t s u itab le fo r tow ing. Ca ravans no rma lly ind ica te the MTPLM f igure on a

p la te s itua ted by the doo r.

Pre January 1997 pho to card licence

Po s t 1 January 1997 pho to card licence w ith lim iteden t it lements

H ow to check your m axim um tow ingcapacityFrom the V IN p la te , ment ioned ea rl ie r, ta ke the GVW (2190kg) from the GTW (3990kg) le aving

1800kg, th is is the maximum tow ing capacity fo r the veh icle a t it s maximum w e ight o r MAM.

1 Ja nua ry 1997 - the crucia l da te

A ma jo r re duct ion in driving l icence ent it lements o ccurs fo r those drive rs w ho have pa s sed the ir

ca r d riving te s t from 1 Janua ry 1997. Fo r the se drive rs the w e ight o f t ra i le r you a re ent it le d to

tow is d im in is hed cons ide rab ly be low the ent it lements o f d rive rs w ith l icence s ga ined be fo re 1

Janua ry 1997. Furthe r m ino r change s o ccurred fo r d rive rs ta king the ir te s t from 19 Janua ry 2013.

Driving l icence ent it lements ga ined from a ca r

driving te s t pa s sed be fo re 1 Janua ry 1997

Y our ca r d riving l icence w il l s how ca tego rie s

w hich include : B , BE, C1, C1E(107). Those w ho

la s t upda ted the ir l icence be fo re June 1990

should re fe r to DVLA w ebs ite fo r the meaning

o f e a rl ie r ca tego rie s .

B w ith BE ca tego ry ent it le s you to drive a

veh icle w ith a MAM up to 3,500kg and tow a

t ra i le r up to the tow ing l im it o f the

veh icle w ith in s pe cif ie d d imens iona l

l im its .

C1 w ith C1E ent it le s you to drive a

veh icle w ith MAM up to 7,500kg and tow

a ca ravan/t ra i le r w he re the combined

MAM o f tow veh icle and t ra i le r doe s no t

e xceed 8,250kg and the t ra i le r MAM

does no t e xceed the un laden w e ight o f

the veh icle .

The ca tego ry C1E(107) ca tego ry s how n on

your l icence is no t the s ame a s the

ca tego ry C1E show n on the current DVLA

lis t o f e nt it lements . The suff ix 107 ind ica te s your ent it lement ha s a combined MAM l im ited to

8,250kg no t 12,000kg a s a s pe cif ic te s t ha s no t been pa s sed.

Fo r the m a jo rity o f peop le the se ent it lements enab le a fu l l range o f camping un it s to be used

o the r than w he re a la rge tow veh icle and t ra i le r w ould push the combined MAM ove r the 8,250kg

l im it o r i f you w is h to drive a la rge r Ame rican RV type moto rhome w ith MAM in e xce s s o f 7,500kg.

Driving l icence ga ined from a ca r driving te s t from 1 Janua ry 1997 and be fo re 19 Janua ry 2013

Y our ca r d riving l icence w il l pe rm it you to drive veh icle s in ca tego ry B , includ ing:

A veh icle (includ ing a mo to rhome) w ith a MAM no t e xceed ing 3,500kg

The above veh icle tow ing a t ra i le r no t e xceed ing 750kg.

The above veh icle tow ing a t ra i le r in e xce s s o f 750kg provid ing the combined MAM o f tow

A fo ld ing camper is an id eal cho ice fo rlarge and s mall veh icles weigh ing aro und

750kg (MA M)

veh icle and t ra i le r doe s no t e xceed 3,500kg.

W ith th is ca tego ry B l icence you need to s e le ct bo th

the tow veh icle and ca ravan ca re fu l ly to maxim is e the

w e ight o f ca ravan you can tow . Fo r e xample w he rea s a

heavy, pow e rfu l tow ca r l ike a Land Rove r D is cove ry is

no rma lly cons ide red idea l fo r la rge r ca ravans be cause it

ha s a MAM o f a round 3,200kg, a ca tego ry B l icence w il l

l im it you to tow ing a t ra i le r no t e xceed ing 750kg.

A Range Rove r tow ing a heavy ca ravan (image to the right ) canno t be tow ed w ith a pos t 1s t

Janua ry 1997 driving l icence w ithout ta king a furthe r te s t . W ith a ca tego ry B l icence a veh icle

such a s th is w ith a MAM ove r 2,750kg can on ly tow a t ra i le r w ith a MAM o f 750kg such a s the

fo ld ing campe r.

The s e cre t is to f ind a ca r w hich is heavy enough and

pow e rfu l e nough to be pra ct ica l ly compe tent to tow

your ca ravan w hile be ing l ight enough to keep you

w ith in your l icence requ irements . In many ca se s a

fam ily s a loon o r e s ta te ca r s uch a s a VW Pas sa t o r

Fo rd Mondeo w il l p rovide an e xce l le nt ba lance o f

tow ing compe tence w ith low enough MAM to provide fo r

a re a sonab le s iz e o f ca ravan. To tow a ca ravan w ith a

ca r w ith a combined MAM ove r 3,500kg you need to

upgrade your l icence . See "A re you Lega l" in the next

s e ct ion fo r e xample s o f w ha t out f it s a re and a re no t

le ga l.

D riv ing licence defin ition changes 19January 2013Ent it lements a re a s fo r the driving l icence ga ined a fte r 1 Janua ry 1997 the re is now no longe r a

requ irem ent to ensure the t ra i le r MAM doe s no t to e xceed the un laden w e ight o f the tow ca r,

how eve r you a re s t i l l re qu ired to ensure it 's w ith in the tow ing veh icle l im its .

A large A merican s tyle mo to rho me w ithMA M in ex ces s o f 7 .5 t requ ires a catego ry

C licence

A re Y ou Legal?Fo r drive rs w ith ca tego ry B l icence s ga ined a fte r 1 Janua ry 1997

A ca r w ith a maximum tow ing capacity o f 1350kg, a MAM o f 2,100kg coup led w ith a t ra i le r

w ith a MAM o f 1300kg complie s w ith the l icence requ irements be cause :

The MAM o f the combina t ion (2,100 + 1,300) is 3,400kg and s o doe s no t e xceed the

maximum l im it o f 3,500kg and the ca rs tow ing l im it is h ighe r than the t ra i le r MAM.

A s im ila r ca r and t ra i le r combina t ion to the above but now w ith a low e r maximum tow ing

capacity o f 1250kg cou ld be un law fu l be cause :

The t ra i le r is above the ca rs maximum tow ing capacity o f 1250kg. Se le ct ing a d iffe rent

ca r w ith a h ighe r capacity o r a t ra i le r w ith a low e r MAM w ould be the e a s ie s t w ay to

re so lve th is is s ue .

If the ca r is s ubs t ituted w ith the e s ta te ve rs ion you may f ind the MAM incre a se s to

2,190kg. The combined MAM (2,190 + 1,350) is now 3,540kg. Th is combina t ion w il l

re qu ire drive rs to have a BE l icence ent it lement to be le ga l.

Fo r m ore in fo rma t ion s ee our tow ing and moto rhome f low cha rts and in fo rma t ion a t the end

o f th is da ta s hee t to a id unde rs tand ing o f d riving l icence ent it lements .

U pgrading your licence en titlem entsShould you w is h to drive a la rge r mo to rhome o r tow an out f it beyond your current ent it lement

l im ita t ions you can upgrade them by taking an add it iona l te s t o r te s ts .

Fo r s ome ent it lement upgrade s you a re requ ired to app ly fo r a provis iona l l icence in o rde r to

pra ct ice on the road and take the appropria te te s t . In s ome ca se s the re is a ls o a need to pa s s

o the r te s ts fo r in te rmed ia ted ent it lements be fo re s e eking a h ighe r ca tego ry.

U pgra ding for lice nce s he ld be fore 1 Ja nua ry 1997

Fo r those w is h ing to us e out f it s ove r the 8,250kg combined MAM l im it you can app ly fo r

provis iona l e nt it lement to s ub ca tego ry C1 + E in o rde r to ta ke furthe r te s ts to incre a se your

com bined veh icle and t ra i le r e nt it lement to a maximum o f 12,000kg (tow veh icle up to 7,500kg

MAM). Y ou have to mee t h ighe r med ica l s tanda rds and pa s s bo th the ca tego ry C theo ry te s t and

the sub ca tego ry C1 + E pra ct ica l te s t .

To drive a la rge r veh icle w ith MAM ove r 7,500kg w ith o r

w ithout a t ra i le r up to 750kg you need to ta ke a

ca tego ry C te s t .

U pgra ding for lice nce s ga ine d since 1 Ja nua ry 1997

A ca tego ry B l icence ga ined a fte r 1 Janua ry 1997 comes

w ith a provis iona l e nt it lement fo r BE, s o you a re re ady

to emba rk on a BE te s t . Pa s s ing th is te s t fo r BE

ent it lement a l low s you to tow ca ravans w ith a ca tego ry

B veh icle (no t e xceed ing 3,500kg) w he re the combined

MAM exceeds 3,500kg.

How eve r, you shou ld no te tha t th is te s t is fa irly

A us efu l bo o klet to gu ide yo u th ro ugh theB E to w ing tes t

Two mo to rho mes o f s im ilar s iz e, bu t o ne has a MA M o f3 ,500kg requ iring o n ly a catego ry B licence and the

o ther a MA M o f 3 ,850kg requ iring a C 1 licence

Mo to rho me s ho wing mu lt ip le V IN p latesw ith d iffering MA M

one rous and it is gene ra l ly a ccepted tha t s ome

pro fe s s iona l tu it ion is advantageous to incre a se your

chance s o f pa s s ing . A l is t o f BE t ra ine rs is g iven on the

C lub w ebs ite . Fo r furthe r in fo rma t ion about the te s t

re fe r to How to Pa s s the Tow ing Te s t , pub l is hed by

Tow ing So lut ions .

It s hou ld be no ted tha t the BE te s t and o the r upgrade

te s ts do requ ire a pa rt icu la r s pe cif ica t ion o f t ra i le r o r

un it in te rm s o f w e ight and o r s iz e to be used during

the te s t . Re fe r to GO V .U K w ebs ite fo r the la te s t

requ irem ents .

Mo to rhome use rs w ho w ish to drive

veh icle s w ith a MAM ove r 3,500kg may

app ly fo r p rovis iona l e nt it lement to C1

ca tego ry and a s ucce s s fu l te s t w i l l g ive

ent it lement to drive veh icle s up to

7,500kg, w ith o r w ithout a t ra i le r w e igh ing

no more than 750kg. Pa s s ing a furthe r te s t

to ga in ent it lem ent to C1E ca tego ry w il l

e nab le heavie r t ra i le rs to be tow ed w he re

the com bined MAM o f mo to rhome and

t ra i le r doe s no t e xceed 12,000kg.

W hile ca tego ry B driving l icence s ga ined a fte r 19 Janua ry 2013 a re s im ila r to l icence s ga ined

be fo re th is da te and a fte r 1 Janua ry 1997 the re a re s ome m ino r d iffe rence s w ith the upgrade s

ga ined a fte r 19 Janua ry 2013 w hich include renew a l fre quency. An e xample is a BE ent it lement

ga ined on o r a fte r 19 Janua ry 2013 now p la ce s a l im it o f 3,500kg MAM on the t ra i le r pe rm it te d to

be tow ed.

D ow nplatingI f a veh icle is un l ike ly to be used a t it s po tent ia l

maximum w e ight , it may be dow np la ted , w he reby a

low e r w e ight is s how n on the p la te o r s t icke r a t ta ched

to the veh icle than o rig ina l ly pos ted by the

manufa cture r. The proce s s is mos t o ften unde rtaken by

moto rhom e ow ne rs to reduce the MAM figure to

3,500kg to enab le the veh icle to be driven on a

ca tego ry B driving l icence . Th is p rocedure needs to be

reg is te red through DVLA and shou ld on ly be unde rtaken if the ow ne r is abso lute ly s ure the

loaded w e ight o f the moto rhome can be kept w ith in the new l im it in no rma l us e . U se o f a

spe cia l is t com pany is no rma lly re commended to fa ci l i ta te th is p rocedure . Exceed ing the new MAM

figure w il l cons t itute an o ffe nce o f ove rload ing , po tent ia l ly re su lt ing in a f ine o f s e ve ra l hundred

pounds and pos s ib ly inva l ida t ing your insurance .

Sim ila rly, m o to rhomes a re o ften up ra ted from the ba se veh icle manufa cture r's o rig ina l f igure and

it is im po rtant to cons ide r the la te r conve rto r's upra ted p la ted w e ight w hen ma tch ing a veh icle to

driving l icence ent it lements .

R enew ing your driv ing licence

In Feb ruary 2014 a new s tyle pho to cardd riving licence was is s ued by D V LA wh ich

co n tains add it io nal s ecu rity featu res and anew des ign

Pre 1 January 1997 licence held by d river o ver theage o f 70 and G ro up 2 licence en t it lements no tretained

Ca r driving l icence s ga ined be fo re 1 Janua ry 1997 a re

no rma lly va l id w ith a l l the ent it lements includ ing C1,

C1E, D1 and D1E, unt i l the age o f 70 w hen they need

to be renew ed. How eve r, a l l pho toca rd l icence s have to

be renew ed eve ry ten yea rs to upda te the pho tograph.

Irre spe ct ive o f p re vious renew a ls a l l d rive rs have to

renew the ir d riving l icence w hen they re a ch the age o f

70. A ls o i f you change your pe rs ona l de ta i ls (addre s s

o r name) you w il l ne ed to in fo rm DVLA w hich w il l is s ue

a new pho toca rd l icence .

W hen it com es to renew a l o f l icence s the re a re tw o d is t inct g roups o f l icence , ca r and moto rb ike

l icence s (includ ing ca tego ry B and BE) know n a s Group 1 l icence s and lo rry and bus l icence s

(includ ing ca tego rie s C1, C1E, D1 and D1E) w hich a re re fe rred to a s Group 2 l icence s . The

d iffe rence be tw een the tw o groups is the fre quency o f renew a l and the h ighe r med ica l s tanda rds

requ ired fo r Group 2 l icence s .

Fo r pre 1 Janua ry 1997 l icence ho lde rs , the incre a sed fre quency o f renew a l and h ighe r med ica l

s tanda rds fo r Group 2 l icence s do no t come into e ffe ct unt i l the age o f 70. But fo r those w ith

pos t 1 Janua ry 1997 l icence s , Group 2 l icence s have need to be renew ed a t the age o f 45. From

th is po int the Group 2 l icence ca tego rie s need to be renew ed eve ry f ive yea rs unt i l the age o f 65

w hen you need to renew th is e lement o f your l icence e ve ry yea r.

Renew a l o f Group 2 l icence s enta i ls the

subm is s ion o f app l ica t ion fo rm D2 and fo rm D4

w hich ha s to be comple ted by a docto r and

pos s ib ly an opt ician to che ck fo r the h ighe r

med ica l s tanda rds requ ired fo r Group 2

l icence s , the re w il l be a cha rge fo r th is s e rvice .

R e ne w a l a t the a ge o f 70 a nd a fte r

Drive rs w ho took the ir te s t be fo re 1 Janua ry 1997

This renew a l can be crucia l to your future camping a s your l icence include s Group 2 ca tego rie s ,

C1 and C1E.

If you renew on l ine o r by us ing jus t the renew a l fo rm D46P tha t is s ent w ith your DVLA rem inde r

to renew 90 days be fo re your 70th b irthday you w il l on ly be ab le to renew your ca tego ry B and BE

l icence (Group 1 l icence ca tego rie s ) and no t your Group 2 l icence ca tego rie s .

Ca tego rie s B and BE w il l be re ta ined automa t ica l ly, w hich w il l be s uff icie nt fo r mos t ca ravan

use rs w ho w ish to tow w ith a no rma l ca r no t e xceed ing 3,500kg MAM and tow any ca ravan w ith in

the ca r's tow ing l im it .

How eve r, i f you w is h to drive a mo to rhome w ith a MAM ove r 3,500kg but no t e xceed ing 7,500kg

you w il l a ls o need to re ta in your C1 ca tego ry and a ls o the C1E ca tego ry to tow a t ra i le r

e xceed ing 750kg w ith s uch a veh icle up to a combined MAM o f 8,250kg.

D V LA fo rms requ ired to renew at 70 fo rp re 1 January 1997 licence ho lder w is h ing

to retain their ex is t ing en t it lement(s o met imes kno wn as "g rand father

righ ts ")

To re ta in the se add it iona l (Group 2) ca tego ry rights it

is ne ce s sa ry to app ly by pos t o r through the Pos t

O ff ice and h ighe r m ed ica l s tanda rds app ly. Fo r th is

s itua t ion add it iona l fo rms D2 and D4 have to be

subm it ted to DVLA . Fo rm D4 the med ica l e xam ina t ion

repo rt ha s to be com ple ted by a docto r. The

exam ina t ion to comple te fo rm D4 is a drive r's med ica l

and is cla s s ed a s a priva te appo intment , you have to

pay the pra ct ice 's commercia l ra te .

The rea fte r, your l icence ha s to be renew ed eve ry thre e

yea rs and fo r Group 2 ent it lements th is means a D4

fo rm has to a ccompany ea ch renew a l.

Drive rs w ith pos t 1 Janua ry 1997 l icence s

Th is renew a l fo r d rive rs w ho haven 't incre a sed the ir

l icence ca tego rie s beyond Group 1 is s t ra ight fo rw a rd

and can be unde rtaken on l ine o r by us ing fo rm D46P

w hich is s ent to you w ith your DVLA rem inde r to renew

90 days be fo re your 70th b irthday. I f you have taken

an add it iona l te s t to ga in BE then th is can a ls o be renew ed in a s im ila r manne r w ithout any

add it iona l med ica l che cks .

If you have ga ined any Group 2 ca tego ry l icence s (C1, C , D e tc) fo r med ium and la rge veh icle s

then the se renew a ls w i l l have been t rigge red a t an e a rl ie r age and by the age o f 70 the se

ca tego rie s w il l re qu ire annua l renew a ls a s d is t inct from the thre e yea rly renew a ls pre va i l ing fo r

pre 1 Janua ry 1997 l icence ho lde rs .

G e ne ra l tips for re ne w a l o f lice nce s

W hen renew ing by pos t o r a t the Pos t O ff ice re ta in a copy o f your current l icence s how ing your

pre sent ent it lem ents a s it ha s been know n fo r ce rta in ent it lements to be inadve rtent ly

de le ted by DVLA .

W hen ca tego ry B and BE l icence s a re renew ed it is w ith s e lf-ce rt i f ica t ion o f med ica l

com pe tence . Y ou have a duty to in fo rm DVLA o f any med ica l cond it ion w hich may a ffe ct your

driving and DVLA may is s ue your l icence fo r le s s e r pe riods than no rma l. Fu l l de ta i ls o f s pe cif ic

med ica l cond it ions and requ irements a re pub l is hed by DVLA on the ir w ebs ite .

If re new ing a driving l icence on-l ine be s ure to us e the o ff icia l w ebs ite . The re a re s e ve ra l

o the r w ebs ite s w hich o ffe r a che ck and s end s e rvice , how eve r, you can end up paying a s m uch

as thre e t imes the no rma l p rice fo r your driving l icence .

If you a l low any Group 2 ent it lements to la pse by no t comple t ing a med ica l they're no t lo s t .

DVLA has a s sured us tha t anyone w ish ing to re ins ta te la psed ca tego rie s s uch a s C1 may do

so but they mus t comple te fo rm D2 and have the med ica l to s uppo rt the comple t ion o f fo rm

D4.

Some othe r re stra ints for sa fe a nd le ga l driving

Driving l icence requ irements a re no t the on ly le g is la t ion you need to comply w ith. In pa rt icu la r

you need to ensure you a re driving and tow ing w ith in the veh icle manufa cture r's s pe cif ica t ion.

The re a re regu la t ions gove rn ing the d imens ions o f mo to r veh icle s and t ra i le rs and the se va ry

w ith the type o f veh icle , hence your driving l icence in re s t rict ing the cla s s o f veh icle you can

drive may a ls o a ffe ct the s iz e o f the t ra i le r you can tow . In pa rt icu la r ta ke ca re tha t non-

European s ourced out f it s a re U K le ga l.

Ensure you do no t e xceed your veh icle 's MAM no r ind ividua l a xle w e ight l im its - mo to rhom e

drive rs need to ta ke grea t ca re they don 't ove rload the ir veh icle e spe cia l ly w hen ca rrying

moto rb ike s o r o the r heavy loads a t the re a r.

Fifth-w hee l ow ne rs mus t ensure the ir p ick-up veh icle is adequa te to ta ke the f i fth-w hee l load

on the ba ck. In s ome ca se s the re a r axle needs to be upra ted and the veh icle re p la ted .

Veh icle tow ing l im its s hou ld no t be e xceeded and remembe r veh icle s w il l have a tow ing l im it

fo r unbraked t ra i le rs (w hich many sma ll camping t ra i le rs a re ) and ano the r l im it fo r b raked

t ra i le rs .

The re a re m is ce l laneous o the r ma t te rs to ta ke into a ccount to rema in le ga l s uch a s the use o f

tow ing m irro rs , b re akaw ay cab le s and tow ing bra cke ts . The C lub 's Da ta Shee t (21) Sa fe fo r

the Road - Sa fe on the Road cove rs the se o the r le ga l ma t te rs and much more .

Even though you a re le ga l to tow from the pe rspe ct ive o f your driving l icence and veh icle

requ irem ents , the C lub 's re commenda t ions may w e ll s ugge s t an ad jus tment to your prospe ct ive

tow ing out f it on the grounds o f s a fe ty, pa rt icu la rly.

W hen tow ing fo r the f irs t t ime . The Da ta Shee t (20) Ma tch ing Ca r and Ca ravan provide s much

use fu l in fo rma t ion to ensure a good ma tch.

The C lub 's w ebs ite ha s an on l ine ma tch ing s e rvice fo r membe rs know n a s Tow sa fe w hich can

be a cce s sed via the membe r log-in page a t myccc.co .uk/tow ingma tch. A lte rna t ive ly conta ct

the C lub 's Te chn ica l Team on 02476 475282 o r ema il

te chta lk@ campingandca ravanningclub .co .uk fo r more advice .

It is a ls o w o rth cons ide ring taking a C lub manoeuvring cours e . They a re he ld throughout the

count ry and w il l p rovide you w ith a good ground ing in tow ing s a fe ly and le ga l ly. Furthe r

in fo rma t ion is a va i la b le a t myccc.co .uk/cours e s o r ca l l the C lub on 02476 475426 .

Further in form ationCamping and Ca ravanning C lub w ebs ite - s e e the te chn ica l page s o f the he lp and advice s e ct ion:

w w w .myccc.co .uk/te chn ica lhe lp/

C lub Te chn ica l he lp l ine fo r membe rs : 02476 475282 o r ema il

te chta lk@ campingandca ravanningclub .co .uk

DVLA and DVSA via the ir w ebs ite - s e e driving - d riving l icence s GO V .U K

How to Pa s s the Tow ing Te s t by N ige l Le a , pub l is hed by Tow ing So lut ions (ava i la b le via

amazon.co .uk)

The C lub w is he s to thank Ba rry No rris fo r h is cont ribut ion to th is Da ta Shee t .

If you ha ve fe e dba ck on our ne w forma t Da ta she e t, p le a se le t us know , using our short

Fe e dba ck Form.

W eb :W eb : The Camping and Ca ravanning C lub

Greenf ie lds House W estw ood W ay Covent ry CV4 8JH

Tel:Te l: 024 7647 5426

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