B & C licence

[Teuchter]

Having been ardent caravanners since 1983 and with our old car/caravan outfit we were well inside the legal limit, when I reached 70 I did not bother to undergo medicals etc. to retain my old C1 qualification on my licence.
Last year after 32 years of caravanning we "went over to the dark side" and bought a second hand Rapido motorhome not even thinking about weight/licence restrictions - since then we have toured France, Portugal and Spain and really enjoyed it.
As we are both now 72 and there are no pockets in shrouds we decided now is the time to "splash out" on a new motorhome and to my surprise I found out through a friendly dealer that for the past 9 months I have been driving my current 'van illegally as it is plated at 3800Kg!! which came as a bit of a shock.
The dealer we bought the Rapido from, E S Hartley near Kendal, never mentioned this ( I'm told that it should have been mentioned at time of sale but that's history now) Anyway problem now solved as our new 'van, a Knaus, is plated at 3500 Kg.
A friend tells me that it is quite common for some motorhomers to ignore this restriction and to carry on driving 'vans over 3500Kg on a B licence but I do not know whether this is true or not also is this well policed both here and abroad? or is a "blind eye" sometimes turned?
What about penalties if caught? and what if any is the effect on insurance in case of an accident?

I would be very interested to know people thoughts on the above

PS - I don't need you to remind me that I was a plonker when I bought the Rapido without checking the weight/licence restrictions - I already know that!!

 

[irnbru]

I would guess in the event of an accident the insurance would not pay out if you are not entitled to drive it.

 

[DBK]

I suspect I will have to go through the medicals when I get to 70 as our 'van is plated at 3,500 but a visit to the weighbridge this week has suggested to me I need to uprate it, which should be just a paper exercise.

 

[pappajohn]

I suspect I will have to go through the medicals when I get to 70 as our 'van is plated at 3,500 but a visit to the weighbridge this week has suggested to me I need to uprate it, which should be just a paper exercise.

I assume thats a typo ?

If not, then you dont need a medical as you are licenced up to 3500kg on a group B.

Ooops....sometimes wonder how i can walk when i jump in with both feet and dont read all the post.

 

[pappajohn]

The op is driving a vehicle other than in accordance with his licence.

A fine and points for the licence offense plus insurance void and a fine and points for that offense too

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[DBK]

I assume thats a typo ?

If not, then you dont need a medical as you are licenced up to 3500kg on a group B.

Ooops....sometimes wonder how i can walk when i jump in with both feet and dont read all the post.

I do that all the time - I had to delete half my original reply to the OP because I hadn't read his post correctly.

And my PVC weighed in at 3,360 Kg on the weighbridge with only me on board and fuel and water tanks only quarter full! It was fairly well loaded with stuff having just come back from a rally but still too close for comfort. I've already downloaded the form from SV Tech and will send it off tomorrow. It is a Maxi chassis so it shouldn't be more than a paper exercise.

 

[pappajohn]

And easy enough to change back again if for any reason your licence applcation is refused.

 

[Teuchter]

I gather from your replies that although my 'van is plated at 3500Kg then when fully laden there is a possibility that it may weigh in excess of 3500Kg - if so what are the consequences? - I doubt if the chassis would suddenly "fold"

What are the chances of being directed by the Police on to a weighbridge? - if that did happen and it was a bit overweight what are the consequenses?

 

[Puddleduck]

I gather from your replies that although my 'van is plated at 3500Kg then when fully laden there is a possibility that it may weigh in excess of 3500Kg - if so what are the consequences? - I doubt if the chassis would suddenly "fold"

What are the chances of being directed by the Police on to a weighbridge? - if that did happen and it was a bit overweight what are the consequenses?

Fines for each axle that is overweight and for the total..... unloading there and then to bring it back into limits. Insurance void so points / fine for that. And that's just for starters!!!!

I'm not sure how many people have been puled over and weighed.

 

[DBK]

You could probably safely get away with it but increasingly technology is catching up. There are things called weight in motion sensors (WIM) which coupled with automatic number plate recognition measure your vehicle as you drive over the sensors buried in the road and check if you are overweight. No doubt the fine is issued equally automatically!

Given where you live, near a port, I would expect if there are none near you now, they are coming.

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[PaulyP]

Sent the forms of to SV Tech a couple of days ago.
Mine is plated 3500, weighbridge showed it to be 3560 with just me, quarter tank of fuel and half tank water.
Can go to 3850 just as a paperwork exercise.
People forget from original plating at 3500 then adding awning, satellite dome, solar panel, microwave etc the the 300kgs you used to have spare has been well reduced.

 

[Teuchter]

Sent the forms of to SV Tech a couple of days ago.
Mine is plated 3500, weighbridge showed it to be 3560 with just me, quarter tank of fuel and half tank water.
Can go to 3850 just as a paperwork exercise.
People forget from original plating at 3500 then adding awning, satellite dome, solar panel, microwave etc the the 300kgs you used to have spare has been well reduced.

Fair comment Paul - however you must have a C1 licence for that - which I have not got!!

 

[pappajohn]

I gather from your replies that although my 'van is plated at 3500Kg then when fully laden there is a possibility that it may weigh in excess of 3500Kg - if so what are the consequences? - I doubt if the chassis would suddenly "fold"

What are the chances of being directed by the Police on to a weighbridge? - if that did happen and it was a bit overweight what are the consequenses?

DVSA WEBSITE.......

The penalties if your vehicle exceeds its maximum permitted axle weight are:

Vehicle overweight by / Penalty
5% to 10% £100
10% to 15% £200
15% to 30% £300
More than 30% Court summons


A
up to 5% doesnt look as though there is a penalty but you will be warned....possibly in writing...and over 5% you wont be allowed to continue until the excess weight is dumped.
How you do that is up to you but will almost certainly mean another vehicle to move it....unless you can dump enough fresh water to get below weight.
i dont think they would appreciate dumping the grey water on their nice clean weighing area somehow.

 

[PaulyP]

Fair comment Paul - however you must have a C1 licence for that - which I have not got!!

Yes my licence covers me to upgrade.
What I was trying to get over was you may start off with 3/4/500 kgs capacity payload when first plated but it can soon be whittled away with all the extras.
Definately need to get on a weighbride, I know I got a shock when i did mine.

 

[Teuchter]

DVSA WEBSITE.......

The penalties if your vehicle exceeds its maximum permitted axle weight are:

Vehicle overweight by / Penalty
5% to 10% £100
10% to 15% £200
15% to 30% £300
More than 30% Court summons


A
up to 5% doesnt look as though there is a penalty but you will be warned....possibly in writing...and over 5% you wont be allowed to continue until the excess weight is dumped.
How you do that is up to you but will almost certainly mean another vehicle to move it....unless you can dump enough fresh water to get below weight.
i dont think they would appreciate dumping the grey water on their nice clean weighing area somehow.

Thanks for that pappajohn - so I should be OK up to 3675Kg - more than enough for my needs I think (hope)

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[pappajohn]

Thanks for that pappajohn - so I should be OK up to 3675 - more than enough for my needs

If you upgrade you may as well take it to its maximum weight....doesnt cost any more and you save on road tax as well over 3500kg.....£165pa regardless of weight over 3500kg

 

[Teuchter]

If you upgrade you may as well take it to its maximum weight....doesnt cost any more and you save on road tax as well over 3500kg.....£165pa regardless of weight over 3500kg

No intention of upgrading - licence does not cover it

 

[pappajohn]

No intention of upgrading - licence does not cover it

I see what you mean now......"unintentional" overloading by 175kg. (3675kg)
you will still have to lose the excess weight before being allowed to continue but apparently no financial penalty.
you dont have 175ltrs of water to dump so other stuff would need removing and taking away.

 

[PaulyP]

Just leave the wife and say I'll be back later.

 

[PaulyP]

Just leave the wife and say I'll be back later.

OMG I am not insinuating that your wife weighs 175 kgs, just that she could be left to look after all the things you have to dump.

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[pappajohn]

OMG I am not insinuating that your wife weighs 175 kgs, just that she could be left to look after all the things you have to dump.

How deep is that hole you are digging ?

 

[DBK]

No intention of upgrading - licence does not cover it

You can upgrade your license. It just needs a basic medical exam which to be honest if you fail you shouldn't be driving anyway! I mean that kindly - I will be there in my vest in front of the Doc in a few years.

 

[Judge Mental]

there was me worried when 40 kg over before I came down to Spain (dropped water, left one e bike behind and had a clear out) I wouldn't mind but on a maxi chassis as well but diabetic restricted to 3500. so while van safe to drive I wouldn't like to get pulled overweight.

I think I read recently you can upgrade via VOSA cheaper then using SVT if its a simple paper exercise?

 

[Gromett]

You can upgrade your license. It just needs a basic medical exam which to be honest if you fail you shouldn't be driving anyway! I mean that kindly - I will be there in my vest in front of the Doc in a few years.

You can't get a C1 on your license without doing the test. Once you have lost the category it is nigh on impossible to get it back even if you have proof you used to have or so I have been told. A number of bikers have lost their bike category and had to retake the test. If it is still on your license but expired you may be able to get it back with just a medical but ensure you take a scan of both parts of your license before sending it off. Even this may not be enough to ensure you keep the category if it has expired though. DVLA are notorious for cocking this up and "they never make mistakes".

 

[GWAYGWAY]

You can upgrade your license. It just needs a basic medical exam which to be honest if you fail you shouldn't be driving anyway! I mean that kindly - I will be there in my vest in front of the Doc in a few years.

That is not true, My GP has told me that under no circumstance will he allow me to have a medical at 70 because he is also a CAA medical examiner (and has access to my historical record),and I lost my commercial pilots licence 25 years ago, because of a suspicion of a heart problem which might, have caused me to have a heart attack???? I lost everything then but still no heart attack and going very strongly . BUT IT IS ON MY RECORDS therefore must be complied with.. PS I have only ever seen that doctor on the one occasion and that is when he told me that would be the case unless I had an angiogram, treadmill test or a nuclear medicine stress test, all of which I have had without any conclusion and they cost an awful lot of money. I am a healthy specimen compared to some of those I see driving monster motorhomes/ buses/ lorries etc but they all have clean records???? but look ready to drop. My motorhome is 3860 kilos but comes very close to that without a lot of extra bits only water and fuel.

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[DBK]

You can't get a C1 on your license without doing the test. Once you have lost the category it is nigh on impossible to get it back even if you have proof you used to have or so I have been told. A number of bikers have lost their bike category and had to retake the test. If it is still on your license but expired you may be able to get it back with just a medical but ensure you take a scan of both parts of your license before sending it off. Even this may not be enough to ensure you keep the category if it has expired though. DVLA are notorious for cocking this up and "they never make mistakes".

I meant retain, rather than upgrade. Bad wording by me, not for the first time!

That is not true, My GP has told me that under no circumstance will he allow me to have a medical at 70 because he is also a CAA medical examiner (and has access to my historical record),and I lost my commercial pilots licence 25 years ago, because of a suspicion of a heart problem which might, have caused me to have a heart attack???? I lost everything then but still no heart attack and going very strongly . BUT IT IS ON MY RECORDS therefore must be complied with.. PS I have only ever seen that doctor on the one occasion and that is when he told me that would be the case unless I had an angiogram, treadmill test or a nuclear medicine stress test, all of which I have had without any conclusion and they cost an awful lot of money. I am a healthy specimen compared to some of those I see driving monster motorhomes/ buses/ lorries etc but they all have clean records???? but look ready to drop. My motorhome is 3860 kilos but comes very close to that without a lot of extra bits only water and fuel.

I now realise folk can be denied their license to drive vehicles over 3500 kg for matters which do not include what I was thinking about. I was thinking about poor eyesight but I now understand it can include conditions like diabetes.

So, best not to listen to me on medical matters!

 

[JockandRita]

I now realise folk can be denied their license to drive vehicles over 3500 kg for matters which do not include what I was thinking about. I was thinking about poor eyesight but I now understand it can include conditions like diabetes.

So, best not to listen to me on medical matters!

I wasn't aware of a new ruling regarding the appealing against a DVLA decision to revoke your licence, due to Insulin dependent Diabetes, until it was pointed out to me recently.
Apparently, it is still possible to retain a Group 2 licence even if you are a Type 2 Diabetic.
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2011...ing-rules-being-brought-forward-97656530.html

Jock.

 

[Gromett]

I meant retain, rather than upgrade. Bad wording by me, not for the first time!

Ah that makes more sense

 

[sedge]

You can upgrade your license. It just needs a basic medical exam which to be honest if you fail you shouldn't be driving anyway! I mean that kindly - I will be there in my vest in front of the Doc in a few years.

Oh no it doesn't !!! Once you have let go of your C1 either by age or medical condition - because giving it up is voluntary - I could have kept it if I could be arsed to have, and pay for, an annual medical - not only do you have to then pass the medical - you have to take the C1 driving test, which now involves compulsory lessons - rather like the CBT for new motorbike licences!

 

[sdc77]

Just to add.. In addition to papajohn's post re driving not in accordance with a licence... In addition to that you are likely to have your vehicle seized and impounded and the costs attributed to you

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