7.5ton back on a car licence 🤔

[Richard Hunton]

As per title, talking to a mate yesterday who seems to think he will be getting a 7.5ton wagon to take his tractor to ploughing matches as they are going to put the the car licence back up to include 7.5 ton.

Has anyone heard anything about this?

Its news to me

 

[pettsy]

Driving licensing call for evidence

www.gov.uk

 

[Simon edwards]

Seems a fairly pointless move to me.Mainstream 7.5 tonners have such a limited payload now that they are surely no longer a viable option for most companies .
In my opinion it’s time for a big shakeup of the whole system.
It would make sense for instance for a company to be able to run a vehicle up to say 10 ton without an o license but perhaps 6 monthly mot’s or similar.Would surely be safer and more practical than heavily overloaded trucks and trailers.

 

[pettsy]

As a post 2001 license holder, I had to do my trailer test to legally tow a decent sized trailer and as such can run at 7t gtw with suitable vehicle and trailer….but can’t drive a 7.5t lorry

 

[Monkeybusiness]

I remember the first time I drove a 7.5 tonner. I was 19 and lived on Waverley Road in Bristol, and cars were always parked on both sides with enough room for a single car to pass up the middle.
The firm I worked for hired a truck for me to take to a job somewhere, and it was dropped off down the road and the keys posted through my letterbox.
I’ve never driven so slowly along any road anywhere - the biggest thing I’d driven on the road before that was a transit Luton.
Soon got my head around it but would have preferred a bit more room for my first attempt!

 

[Simon edwards]

Or even a 4 ton van,the same dated logic applies to a class 2 license,I can drive 32 ton on 4 axles but can,t tow a 3.5 trailer behind a 7.5.
It just all needs a current day reset.

 

[Lancs Lad]

As a post 2001 license holder, I had to do my trailer test to legally tow a decent sized trailer and as such can run at 7t gtw with suitable vehicle and trailer….but can’t drive a 7.5t lorry

Still maintain that a 7.5t on proper maintenance schedule is damn site safer than a 16ft Ifor behind a pickup...surely logic says b+e can now drive 7.5t?

 

[Storrsy]

I remember the first time I drove a 7.5 tonner. I was 19 and lived on Waverley Road in Bristol, and cars were always parked on both sides with enough room for a single car to pass up the middle.
The firm I worked for hired a truck for me to take to a job somewhere, and it was dropped off down the road and the keys posted through my letterbox.
I’ve never driven so slowly along any road anywhere - the biggest thing I’d driven on the road before that was a transit Luton.
Soon got my head around it but would have preferred a bit more room for my first attempt!

Reminds me when I first past my test at the tender age of 19. Within the week my then boss had me towing a 16ft ifor loaded with Oak rings through the center of Coventry- nuthin like being chucked in at the deep end!

 

[Lancs Lad]

Is it worth getting on the 7.5t gravy train early? Prices will rocket I bet

 

[Storrsy]

Is it worth getting on the 7.5t gravy train early? Prices will rocket I bet

Gamble isn't it- could pay off though. And worse case can always sell it.

 

[Smiffy]

A traditional 7.5t lorry holds bugger all. A heavy duty steel bodied drop side daf lf will carry 2.6t. the Isuzu n75 will carry just over 3t
An iveco daily 7.2t van will carry over 4t.

But a 7.5t lorry will tow an ifor better than any pickup. Some are only 160hp so not the fastest of things. But the tail doesn't wag the dog over uneven ground. And the setup stops a lot better than any pickup will.
What's more a 7.5t tipper towing the shortest of the 3.5t ifors will go places a twin cab transit won't fit.

 

[Simon edwards]

But as it currently stands you need a class one license.class 2 and trailer license should logically allow this combination which as you say is far safer and more practical than ,pick up/transit and trailer loaded to the max.

 

[Smiffy]

But as it currently stands you need a class one license.class 2 and trailer license should logically allow this combination which as you say is far safer and more practical than ,pick up/transit and trailer loaded to the max.

Realistically I can't see the sense in the split being at 3.5t. considering a 7.5t lorry is far far closer to driving a 3.5t van than a full fat lorry. The license swap over should either be 2.5t or 18t. Having it at 3.5t makes little sense especially as it seems almost impossible to run a modern van within weight limits. Transit tippers seem to have 2 settings. Empty and overloaded. And the new ad blue ones I think are even heavier. Twin cabs can only carry about 750kg.

 

[Storrsy]

A 7.5t would be pretty handy for all us chaps running 2.8tonners. could either put the digger on the bed and tow all the attachments to keep it legal or the other way round, but either way far better then all this ridiculous loading everything to within an inch of its life that we all do. Yeah I'd love it and then just have a van for nipping around and carrying tools

 

[6feetdown]

So being older and more mature , I'm entitled to drive a 7.5t on my licence but pretty sure its something like 8.5 ton train weight.
Is that correct ?

 

[doobin]

So being older and more mature , I'm entitled to drive a 7.5t on my licence but pretty sure its something like 8.5 ton train weight.
Is that correct ?

8.25t. 7t plus 750kg trailer.

 

[Monkeybusiness]

So being older and more mature , I'm entitled to drive a 7.5t on my licence but pretty sure its something like 8.5 ton train weight.
Is that correct ?

8.25 train - you can only tow 750kg (which is what I’d imagine they’ll reinstate if this becomes reality, just reset the rules to pre 96 or whenever it changed).
Doobin beat me to it!

 

[6feetdown]

8.25 train - you can only tow 750kg (which is what I’d imagine they’ll reinstate if this becomes reality, just reset the rules to pre 96 or whenever it changed).
Doobin beat me to it!

So no real benefit to owning 1 then at present?

 

[Furniss]

So what do you need to tow 3.5t with 7.5t lorry license wise in u.k ?

 

[craig]

So what do you need to tow 3.5t with 7.5t lorry license wise in u.k ?

A C1+E or a full C+E