I got a HGV Licence on C and C+E plus the Car - passed in 2000.
Just got myself a nice tidy Merc 611d Minibus with 16 seats in.
Can someone tell me what steps I need to do to make sure I am legal to drive this during the stages I am converted it into a camper for personal use - during the conversion is it a minibus without its seats or is it a Private HGV? (as rear doors can swing right open for a pallet to be placed inside If I wished.)
If its a PHGV then I am okay, if its a Minibus then I would need a Cat D1 with 101 on my licence ? then I get to hear that I wouldn’t need that Cat D1 as there will be no people inside and no fare paying / for hire or rewards…
Yet under DVLA speical rules I can drive a mini bus upto 3.5 tons on my car licence (or 4.25 tons if it has a lift) - trouble is, its got a lift, but plated at 5tons on the plate in the front)
Can’t seem to find the answer to this on internet at all, anyone know?
ROG:
If you are only using the vehicle for private use and it is over 3.5 tonnes or 9 seats then you need a C1 or D1 respectively in order to drive it
Its the drive home to get the works started is buggering me… insurance company advise to remove all of the seats from their fixtures so therefore it becomes a 5t van with minibus windows in it under campervan conversion policy. Still on the licence front, surely I don’t need C1 as I got C and C&E?
ROG:
If you are only using the vehicle for private use and it is over 3.5 tonnes or 9 seats then you need a C1 or D1 respectively in order to drive it
Its the drive home to get the works started is buggering me… insurance company advise to remove all of the seats from their fixtures so therefore it becomes a 5t van with minibus windows in it under campervan conversion policy. Still on the licence front, surely I don’t need C1 as I got C and C&E?
C1 is a subcategory of C so you are covered
From what I gather (not fact) is that the vehicle must HAVE more than 9 seats in total at the time of driving it to be a D1 so removing the seats (easy to do) would make it into a C1 of 5 tonnes
OR
It could be that removing the seats still has it classed as a D1 on the paperwork in which case removing them would make no difference
Thanks Rog, have emailed DVLA about this - there is a few things that need sorting (indicators) before it even goes on the road as its 1/2 mile away from the VOSA station (sods law will mean its open when I decide to bring it home)
I imagine simply not being paid or carrying fare paying passengers does it. After all it allows fitters to drive a service bus with “Not in Service” on the busblind. Doesnt it?
What about this bit from Direct Gov? That must mean I can drive it then?
Driving licence held before 1 January 1997
If you had entitlement to drive cars before 1 January 1997 you can drive a minibus provided it has a maximum of 17 seats including the driver’s seat and is not being used for hire or reward. Your minibus entitlement will remain valid in the United Kingdom until your licence is next renewed.
DVLA cannot give legal advice on how vehicles are classified but, generally speaking it depends on the weight of the vehicle or the number of passengers it can carry.
