Just been speaking to a lad I know he runs two concrete wagons,an 8 wheeler and a 6 wheeler.he’s adamant he can run them on red diesel because their classed as a mobile plant and he has a lad driving one on just a car licence.ive never heard this before surely that can’t be legal■■?
If its an normal mixer …dont think so ,but if its one o the self mixers i believe that is classed as plant.
JIMBO47:
If its an normal mixer …dont think so ,but if its one o the self mixers i believe that is classed as plant.
Yep if it’s a mixer with the drum you need a hgv licence for it and if it must run at its plated weight ie 32 tonne 8 legger, if its the ready mix ones where they deliver the ammount you want and looks like an over sized tipper then they are classed as plant so my mrs god forbid could get in one now and cause havoc down a country lane also they can run at the vehicles maximum designed weight could be 40 tonne or more its like the concrete pumps some off them lorrys can be huge and there classed as plant so can be driven on a car licence as for running on red diesel I’m not to sure.
I thought that although they can run on red an no tacho they still need an HGV entitlement to drive. Mobile cranes were previously drivable on a car licence but now are not so, I’ve a feeling the ruling covers volumetric mixers and pumps too.
I’m not sure then i was talking to a chap at a firm that runs a couple I did wonder because I heard the entitlement off driving cranes on car licences had changed and asked if it had with his mixers and he said no its still classed as plant and can be driven on a car licence.
Ok i know what the ones with the drum look like, but am i being a bit dim here, what do the plant ones look like 
Anyone got a pic.
I don’t know how to put pictures on from google but basically an 8 legger chassis with a big tipping body type skip to hold the ballast and cement between this and the cab you have a water tank and has a belt off the back suppose to the chutes on the drum type mixers not a great explanation but that’s about it.
motionlotion:
Ok i know what the ones with the drum look like, but am i being a bit dim here, what do the plant ones look like
volumetric mixer
I have often wodered this about the concrete pumps, you can drive them on a plant licence yet an 8ft Hiab would require a licence. Some of these pumps can reach to 150 feet.
Karl86:
I’m not sure then i was talking to a chap at a firm that runs a couple I did wonder because I heard the entitlement off driving cranes on car licences had changed and asked if it had with his mixers and he said no its still classed as plant and can be driven on a car licence.
I could be wrong then.
Wheel Nut:
I have often wodered this about the concrete pumps, you can drive them on a plant licence yet an 8ft Hiab would require a licence. Some of these pumps can reach to 150 feet.
How about this 101m one then 
A similar thread from a few years ago, still no definative answer about the licence needed to drive them although it does answer some of the other questions raised on here.
Used to drive a tar sprayer on red and a car licence. It was taxed Road Construction so was legal
Well i never, you learn something new every day, as an employer i would need to know the the guy driving my motor was capable though. thanks for the pics and explanations. 
We drive similar trucks for the railway, our firm insists that we have the correct licence for the truck we’re using, even though they can be driven on a non hgv.
Believe all rail companies are the same now
8wheels:
I thought that although they can run on red an no tacho they still need an HGV entitlement to drive. Mobile cranes were previously drivable on a car licence but now are not so, I’ve a feeling the ruling covers volumetric mixers and pumps too.
Sounds about right. Exemptions for licensing aren’t as wide ranging as people seem to believe.
I’d wonder about who might employ a non HGV driver to drive one, with people doing HGV work for peanuts it can’t be a money thing. Surely putting a non trained driver in one is not sensible, I suppose if you had someone with a non EU HGV type licence then it’d make sense but I’d wonder how things would pan out if the driver injured or killed someone. Would it be decided that the driver had not had suitable instruction.
Plant operators need no formal certification only that they are competent and have received instruction. Or similar wording.
I personally think that is massively illegal. Look at your driving licence category for a car:
" Cars
Category B
You can drive vehicles up to 3,500kg Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM) with up to 8 passenger seats (with a trailer up to 750kg)."
And now heavier vehicles
"Large vehicles
Category C
You can drive vehicles over 3,500kg (with a trailer up to 750kg)."
Category G is a road roller so I don’t think a concrete mixer can be misconstrued as a roller.
So surely by these simple definitions from gov.uk/driving-licence-categories
We can see that for a mixer of any sort that is based on a truck chassis you would need Cat C. There would be no way to register it as plant and even if it some how was I’m pretty sure you local traffic policeman wouldn’t be very happy to see you driving a 32ton wagon on Cat B.
As for the red diesel I would take a stab in the dark and say that that is probably illegal as well.
Personally it sounds like your man that’s running on these “loopholes” if you will, might be in for a nasty shock one day…of course I could be wrong but thats my tuppence worth!
You definitely can’t run these vehicles on red diesel, I used to drive one and we had an unannounced visit by revenue and customs, they dipped the tank and tested the fuel (was using regular diesel) and then went on to explain about vehicles that can use red diesel
Concrete pumps can use red but not volumetric mixers, they are not on the list of vehicles that are allowed to use it