moandick
Free Member
Many of the RV trade stands at the Motorhome Show at Malvern 2009 were quite openly stating that as from April this year a car licence holder over 21 years of age can drive any weight of motorhome:
My response to that statement is thus:
I have long been a supporter of the RVDA and their aims in supporting the RV Industry - BUT I do advise caution when stating openly that motorhomes are NOT subject to normal licence regulations.
The recently issued IVA Scheme does indeed state that the motorhome now comes under the title of M1 (Special Purpose Vehicle) as a passenger vehicle rather than a goods vehicle - however as far as I can see that has nothing to do with regulations concerning driving a vehicle over 3½ tonnes.
The European Directive 2006/126/EC on driving licences is an attempt to harmonise driving licences throughout the European Community by laying down the relevant class of driving licence that we are all by now familiar with - B for a car, C for an HGV and D for a coach etc - and article 6 para 4b of that document does indeed state that:
(short-version): Vehicles over 3½ tonnes may be driven by a person over 21 years old who has held a car licence for two years or more, provided that vehicle when stationary can only be used in the recreational area by non-commercial bodies for social purposes etc.
HOWEVER that paragraph is headed by the statement:
Member States may, after consultation with the Commission, authorise the driving on their territory of..........
The way that I read that - is that somebody such as the Dept of Transport or DVLA would have to consult with the EU Commission in order to gain permission to waive the C or C1 licence for motorhomes - and that even if they did get that permission it would possibly only be relevant whilst the driver was in this Country.
From my information so far nobody from the Dept of Transport or DVLA has carried out that consultation - in fact, as was reported to me:
"We have just busted our backsides getting horseboxes categorised as HGV - do you think we would be silly enough to apply for permission to allow 21 year old petrol-heads to drive a bl***y great RV!"
I am certainly not an expert on driving licences, nor am I privvy to the internal workings of the RVDA, nor do I have access to any of their documentation, so I could be totally wrong in my assumptions but I do sincerely urge caution before you go buying that 18 tonne tag axle RV - and think on...... that document was published in April of this year - why has it taken so long to come to light? - why has nobody other than the RVDA heard about it? - why haven't the driving schools, the Dept of Transport or DVLA not published it?
If I am wrong then I will be the first to admit it BUT let us all see the proof in black and white before we celebrate!
My response to that statement is thus:
I have long been a supporter of the RVDA and their aims in supporting the RV Industry - BUT I do advise caution when stating openly that motorhomes are NOT subject to normal licence regulations.
The recently issued IVA Scheme does indeed state that the motorhome now comes under the title of M1 (Special Purpose Vehicle) as a passenger vehicle rather than a goods vehicle - however as far as I can see that has nothing to do with regulations concerning driving a vehicle over 3½ tonnes.
The European Directive 2006/126/EC on driving licences is an attempt to harmonise driving licences throughout the European Community by laying down the relevant class of driving licence that we are all by now familiar with - B for a car, C for an HGV and D for a coach etc - and article 6 para 4b of that document does indeed state that:
(short-version): Vehicles over 3½ tonnes may be driven by a person over 21 years old who has held a car licence for two years or more, provided that vehicle when stationary can only be used in the recreational area by non-commercial bodies for social purposes etc.
HOWEVER that paragraph is headed by the statement:
Member States may, after consultation with the Commission, authorise the driving on their territory of..........
The way that I read that - is that somebody such as the Dept of Transport or DVLA would have to consult with the EU Commission in order to gain permission to waive the C or C1 licence for motorhomes - and that even if they did get that permission it would possibly only be relevant whilst the driver was in this Country.
From my information so far nobody from the Dept of Transport or DVLA has carried out that consultation - in fact, as was reported to me:
"We have just busted our backsides getting horseboxes categorised as HGV - do you think we would be silly enough to apply for permission to allow 21 year old petrol-heads to drive a bl***y great RV!"
I am certainly not an expert on driving licences, nor am I privvy to the internal workings of the RVDA, nor do I have access to any of their documentation, so I could be totally wrong in my assumptions but I do sincerely urge caution before you go buying that 18 tonne tag axle RV - and think on...... that document was published in April of this year - why has it taken so long to come to light? - why has nobody other than the RVDA heard about it? - why haven't the driving schools, the Dept of Transport or DVLA not published it?
If I am wrong then I will be the first to admit it BUT let us all see the proof in black and white before we celebrate!
That they are saying it openly means they are becoming more condfident that they are right. I know that a leading figure in the RVDA has long been of the opinion that motorhomes, whatever the weight, can be driven by anyone with a full car licence. Maybe we are nearing a point where this issue will be cleared up. It seems that the RVDA have an excellent relationship with the powers that be. Lets hope, one way or another the issue gets sorted.
oh:
