I’m only 23 and as far as I’m concerned a lorry is an LGV and I have a Cat C licence. Obviously I know a C was a Class 2 and a C+E was a Class 1, but I’ve heard people talking about things like ‘Grandfather Rights’ and somebody once told me you could once drive class 2 vehicles without taking a test. Is that Grandfather Rights, something else or just a load of old rubbish?
Basically can anybody give me a rundown on the way things were in the old days, cos I think it’s always good to know such stuff.
Another thing somebody told me was that you could drive a preserved Bus on a Car Licence as long as there are no passengers, or not for ‘Hire or Reward’. Can you still do this? Does it apply to preserved goods vehicles?
I’ve got the old class 2 which is now C. However because of grandfather rights my licence is C+E but with a category restriction to prevent me driving articulated vehicles but allowing me to drive rigids with trailors. The reason for grandfather rights is to allow a person to carry on driving vehicles that they could before the law changed.
David5l:
I’ve got the old class 2 which is now C. However because of grandfather rights my licence is C+E but with a category restriction to prevent me driving articulated vehicles but allowing me to drive rigids with trailors. The reason for grandfather rights is to allow a person to carry on driving vehicles that they could before the law changed.
So Grandfather Rights can apply to several different types of licensing situation?
Also isn’t that a little silly, considering I could go and pass my C+E next week in a Rigid and Trailer and then drive an artic. I’m sure I’d still be far below your level of skill driving either combination.
Also isn’t that a little silly, considering I could go and pass my C+E next week in a Rigid and Trailer and then drive an artic
Thats too true, but its the way of the world. Dont forget though that theres many out there with the same rights as me thats never pulled a trailor and can legaly just jump in one and go
Andyroo:
Also isn’t that a little silly, considering I could go and pass my C+E next week in a Rigid and Trailer and then drive an artic. I’m sure I’d still be far below your level of skill driving either combination.
Yep, it’s very silly. It means that should David want to drive artics, he can drive himself to the test centre in a Wagon+Drag, pop the L plates on, do the test, and EVEN IF HE FAILS IT, he can then take the L plates off and drive himself home.
Before the licensing changes (whenever they were), a driver with a HGV Class 3 license used to be able to drive a ‘wagon and drag’.
Two of us went into Nacanco Wakefield, with a wagon and drag each, a few years ago. I’ve got a Class 1 license so driving a rigid with a trailer was no problem. However, the bloke with me had only a Class 3 license and had never driven with a trailer before. Poor bloke was wetting himself!
He did really well considering it was his first time, and without instruction. I heard, not long after, that he’d enjoyed it so much he went out and passed his Class 1!
As to the change in licensing, I thought it was a good idea. I could never understand why there was the difference between Class 3 and Class 2 licenses, after all they were both ‘rigid’ licenses. The current system seems to make more sense.
Nevertheless, I can’t see the point of having to take your Class 2 test and then Class 1 immediately after. The old system, where you could go straight to Class 1, was better. Conspiracy theorists would say it was another stealth tax set by the government!!!
repton:
Yep, it’s very silly. It means that should David want to drive artics, he can drive himself to the test centre in a Wagon+Drag, pop the L plates on, do the test, and EVEN IF HE FAILS IT, he can then take the L plates off and drive himself home.
Paul
TruckNets own Davey Driver did the exact same thing!! apart from he passed his C+E test, mind you he had been driving Wag&Drag for 20 years!!!
Yep, it’s very silly. It means that should David want to drive artics, he can drive himself to the test centre in a Wagon+Drag, pop the L plates on, do the test, and EVEN IF HE FAILS IT, he can then take the L plates off and drive himself home.
Paul
nows theres an idea. I wonder if my firm will loan me the truck.
Question is would I really have to put L plates on it though ■■
brummie:
I could never understand why there was the difference between Class 3 and Class 2 licenses, after all they were both ‘rigid’ licenses. The current system seems to make more sense.
Class 3. New one on me totally. What is the difference?
brummie:
Nevertheless, I can’t see the point of having to take your Class 2 test and then Class 1 immediately after. The old system, where you could go straight to Class 1, was better. Conspiracy theorists would say it was another stealth tax set by the government!!!
I believe they is a very good reason, I also think as time passes they will be less and less 7.5 tonners drivers and maybe even they will be demanding the same pay as class 1!
Because all new drivers now have to take a test for 7.5 tonners or go to the old class 2, so if you go straight to class 2 the last thing new guys will want to drive is 7.5s they will want 18 tonners or bigger! soon we will have no 7.5 tonners left or drivers who want to drive them!
the easy answer is to have just one ridgid licence and one artic licence! but we dont have anyone that brainy in govenment!
So at the moment we have 2 rigid licences(7.5 & C) and one artic licence(C+E + C1) and a mix of all depending on when you 1st passed your car test!!!(7.5) or (7.5 + C+E restricted)
the easy answer is to have just one ridgid licence and one artic licence! but we dont have anyone that brainy in govenment!
So at the moment we have 2 rigid licences(7.5 & C) and one artic licence(C+E + C1) and a mix of all depending on when you 1st passed your car test!!!(7.5) or (7.5 + C+E restricted)
repton:
Yep, it’s very silly. It means that should David want to drive artics, he can drive himself to the test centre in a Wagon+Drag, pop the L plates on, do the test, and EVEN IF HE FAILS IT, he can then take the L plates off and drive himself home.
That was the situation when I did my PCV minibus test; I drove to the test centre on my own, I then had to put L plates on (I had to buy L plates just to take the test), take the test, then I had to take the L-plates off (since you’re not allowed to drive with them on unnecessarily), then drive home.
brummie:
I could never understand why there was the difference between Class 3 and Class 2 licenses, after all they were both ‘rigid’ licenses.
Because the axles were restricted, the MAM was also restricted. So, it’s basically class 2 up to about 20t (whatever the limit is for 2 axles).
The reason for the changing of licensing is to bring the UK in line with the EU licenses; however, we’ll still have people around with grandfather rights for quite some time, but I think that overall it’s a reasonably good simplification.
Andyroo:
Another thing somebody told me was that you could drive a preserved Bus on a Car Licence as long as there are no passengers, or not for ‘Hire or Reward’. Can you still do this? Does it apply to preserved goods vehicles?
Andyroo:
So Grandfather Rights can apply to several different types of licensing situation?
Yes. Any situation where the automatic addition of driving categories is removed creates a “grandfather rights” situation.
For example, many years ago, when you got a car license, you automatically got motorbike entitlement as well. So, some people have never touched a motorbike, but are still entitled to ride one, whereas I’d have to take CBT and pass my test.
Since I have a pre-1997 car license, I have grandfather rights to categories C1, C1E, D1 and D1E, whereas people who pass their tests nowadays don’t get them.
Also isn’t that a little silly, considering I could go and pass my C+E next week in a Rigid and Trailer and then drive an artic. I’m sure I’d still be far below your level of skill driving either combination.
Maybe, but then should someone who’s only passed a rigid test automatically be given a full artic license (whether they’ve pulled a trailer or not)? Or should they lose the entitlement they previously had (and may have been using)?
everyone here has given all the answers already but asi like to enlighten you a bit more…the government of the day way back when decided to bring in a HGV licencing system which was to take place in 1974…so in effect whatever class of vehicle a driver was using…then that was the licence he would get…i for example was on artics so i got a class 1 licence…the application form had to be signed by your employer…and many drivers got caught out…for whatever reason…some drivers had down graded themselves to a rigid…so even though he could drive an artic…and maybe had more experience on an artic…he only got a licence for the vehicle he was driving at that time.sad really…
the government said that this licence would last a lifetime…which we all know it didnt…and then low and behold the medical also came into play…another con…and the rules keep changing…by the way my first medical cost 50p cos the doctor didnt know how much to charge…i`ve heard that the licences are going to change again…again to keep us in line with europe…so after changing to the photo licence…with a bit of paper showing entitlements and endorsements etc…we are changing over to god knows what…so there you have it…
have a nice day
