Which do i do first

[POH]

Do I apply for my c1 before I upgrade the vans weight or do it the other way round , I will be sending my application to dvla around end of May .

 

[Lenny HB]

Get the C1 first because if you uprate the van you won't be able to drive it until you get your licence.

 

[POH]

Get the C1 first because if you uprate the van you won't be able to drive it until you get your licence.

Sorry Lenny I didn't mention i already have c1 but expires end of July, passed test waaaay back its that far back i have check my license to see the date.

 

[fat haggis]

Sorry Lenny I didn't mention i already have c1 but expires end of July, passed test waaaay back its that far back i have check my license to see the date.

Was it that long ago it meant cart plus1

 

[rosalan]

Licence. Apply a few months before needed. The licence is for you and not part of the vans equipment. My wifes arrived very quickly a few weeks ago but could be a rush when we are let free.

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[POH]

Was it that long ago it meant cart plus1

Yeah it also had square wheels

 

[Lenny HB]

Sorry Lenny I didn't mention i already have c1 but expires end of July, passed test waaaay back its that far back i have check my license to see the date.

Same applies if you fail your medical and don't get it renewed.

 

[Pausim]

Get the C1 first because if you uprate the van you won't be able to drive it until you get your licence.

I totally agree.

My C1 was due to expire in March, I started the C1 process in December received it in January. I then proceeded to up-plate the motorhome which was completed in February before my 70th birthday. Why take the risk of ending up with a vehicle you can’t drive by doing things the other way round?

 

[POH]

We will have to travel light until July then

 

[Lenny HB]

You can get the medical done 90 days before, assuming you pass you can apply for your licence.

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[Pausim]

If you apply for your new C1 with more than 56 days left on the old one you do not have include a new photo or a fee. I suspect this not only makes it easier for you but probably makes it easier for them to process. You do not lose any license time with the new 3 year license starting when the old one would have expired on your birthday. Make sure to use a postal service which gives you proof that the DVLA have received the license application before the 56 day cut off.

 

[Lenny HB]

If you apply for your new C1 with more than 56 days left on the old one you do not have include a new photo or a fee.

It's 30 days and there is no fee anyway if you are 70 or over.
I left mine too late last year but at least they accept DIY photos now.

 

[Headrush]

You still need a photo if it's expiry date is passed. Your licence has a date near the photo to check.

 

[Pausim]

It's 30 days and there is no fee anyway if you are 70 or over.
I left mine too late last year but at least they accept DIY photos now.

I was going by the information on the D2 form.

 

[Lenny HB]

I was going by the information on the D2 form.
View attachment 473129View attachment 473130

I stand corrected on the 56 days but it is definitely free over 70.

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[Pausim]

I stand corrected on the 56 days but it is definitely free over 70.

View attachment 473140

I took the £17 photo fee to be a separate and additional charge so avoided it. The rules could change again by July.

 

[Lenny HB]

I took the £17 photo fee to be a separate and additional charge so avoided it. The rules could change again by July.

Never sent any money with mine or the boss's, my mates wife sent a cheque they returned it.

 

[EzeeRider]

If you already hold category C1 you can continue to drive over 3.5 tons as long as you have applied to renew and it has not been refused. It does not matter how long it takes to process your C1, it is still valid until refused..
ezee

 

[Headrush]

I just recently sent off my renewal form for my hgv. My photo expires a few days after the hgv entitlement in April. The form said no fee required. I'm 55.

 

[Lenny HB]

If you already hold category C1 you can continue to drive over 3.5 tons as long as you have applied to renew and it has not been refused. It does not matter how long it takes to process your C1, it is still valid until refused..
ezee

But only in the UK.

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[EzeeRider]

But only in the UK.

Agree, you it would be unwise to leave the country without a valid licence in hand.
ezee

 

[Pausim]

If you already hold category C1 you can continue to drive over 3.5 tons as long as you have applied to renew and it has not been refused. It does not matter how long it takes to process your C1, it is still valid until refused..
ezee

Yes but if they then turn you down and you have already up-plated your motorhome you have a problem. Still seems sensible to do the C1 first. I have recently done both and neither took more than about 3 weeks.

 

[EzeeRider]

Agree but if you are confident about passing a medical! I was and it was just a formality.
peedee

 

[Pausim]

The D4 is only a medical report, the DVLA then decide if a medical test is needed. Sometimes they will grant the C1 license for 1 year only and subsequently require annual medicals, in which case up-plating might still be a mistake.

 

[EzeeRider]

The D4 is only a medical report, the DVLA then decide if a medical test is needed. Sometimes they will grant the C1 license for 1 year only and subsequently require annual medicals, in which case up-plating might still be a mistake.

Surely that depends on your outlook, you may well welcome a 1 year licence. I think there is a fat chance of doing medical tests at the moment if they are demanded. If the D4 is completed without any reservations I would not expect any questions to be asked by the DVLA.
ezee

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[Pausim]

Surely that depends on your outlook, you may well welcome a 1 year licence. I think there is a fat chance of doing medical tests at the moment if they are demanded. If the D4 is completed without any reservations I would not expect any questions to be asked by the DVLA.
ezee

None of this changes my opinion concerning the OP‘s original question about whether to apply for his C1 or his weight upgrade first. I think it makes sense to do the C1 first.

 

[denisejoe]

Surely that depends on your outlook, you may well welcome a 1 year licence. I think there is a fat chance of doing medical tests at the moment if they are demanded. If the D4 is completed without any reservations I would not expect any questions to be asked by the DVLA.
ezee

Joe got his medical done a few weeks ago with D4Drivers, so you can still get medicals done. Certainly cheaper than getting your GP to do it.

 

[Pausim]

Joe got his medical done a few weeks ago with D4Drivers, so you can still get medicals done. Certainly cheaper than getting your GP to do it.

Definitely cheaper but does a medical report completed by a doctor who only meets you for 15 minutes have the same credibility as one completed by your GP, who has access to your full medical records? I don’t know the answer but I know that if I was having to pass me as fit to drive I might have more confidence in the GPs medical report.

 

[Gents]

I used D4drivers, not impressed, had to meet a (doctor ?), in one of our main towns , hotel rooms. The application form said, bring some one who can speak english, if you, the patient, cannot, (I can, so no need), when I got there, it was a freezing cold room, hotel in lockdown, the doctor spoke broken english through a mask, and she sat at a table, the other side of the room, with a electric heater under it.
It was a nightmare. She couldn’t understand me & I couldn’t understand her.
When I went to check that I was happy with everything, before signing the form, I couldn’t read what she had scribbled.
The end result! The DVLA, have written back, saying that the Optical report was in the wrong format, and they are writing to my doctor for a full medical. What a joke!
Just be ware, of who files any info on your behalf !!!! I started this process, 3 months ago.

 

[Pausim]

I used D4drivers, not impressed,

I was not happy with my D4Drivers experience either (December 2020). I had to wait in a crowded unsupervised waiting room that slowly filled up way past the point of any social distancing. The appointments fell further and further behind, by the time I was called 45 minutes late there were 7 waiting and I was appointment 3 of the day. The medical report was a hurried mess with several mistakes. In fairness to D4Drivers they did try to get it corrected and then refunded my payment.

I already had an appointment booked for an eye test and the optometrist filled out the eye test on a new D4 without charge, he also reported better sight than D4D. I made an appointment with my GP who took 45 minutes to complete the D4 report properly, with full explanations of my several medical conditions. My DVLA D2/D4 application went through quickly without any problems.