Rumours about dropping C1 test

[Googlebot]

I keep hearing rumours about C1 being dropped from the licence requirement.

This would mean Lucy can also drive up to 7.5t so we can uprate our van so that we aren’t struggling all the time to stay under the legal limits.

This in my view is great news for those of us with families who always struggle with weight.

Has anyone heard anything concrete or have any more information about the change?

I also need to find someone who can possibly do the uprating.

 

[The Wino]

I took the extra tests, whilst I don’t disagree that any extra training is good, the cost has to be paid somewhere. For the Motorhome that’s us, it isn’t cheap either!

Couriers also pass the cost onto us, they don’t lose the profit. It seems an easy win to save everyone money.

I wonder if a middle ground would be no test but a compulsory days training.

 

[Lenny HB]

The limit has to come somewhere though. Why is 4250 more logical than 3500 or any other number?

For Motorhomes very important, very few Motorhomes over 6.5m that can be run legally at 3500kg

 

[sweetie]

It's been spoken about for some time. All I can say is that those of us with grandfather rights didn't go around crashing into things because we were "out of our depth". In fact my first 5 driving lessons were in a Bedford 4 Tonner (MJ series), then a 1 ton Landrover, then 110 and 90 Landrover before doing my test in a Mini Metro. A week later I was driving a 1 Ton LR pulling a trailer with a missile launcher on the back valued at c£10-15m in todays money.

Hope the Kids will like the NEW Lenny

 

[Lenny HB]

Hope the Kids will like the NEW Lenny

Sorted that the new van will be two berth not having the drop down bed.

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[sweetie]

For Motorhomes very important, very few Motorhomes over 6.5m that can be run legally at 3500kg

I am suffering that at the moment, being forced from 4500kg down to 3500kg van l just lucky no travel abroad now so can use the toad as a trailer as the DVLA class it

 

[Lenny HB]

I am suffering that at the moment, being forced from 4500kg down to 3500kg van l just lucky no travel abroad now so can use the toad as a trailer as the DVLA class it

I'm happy at the moment just renewed my C1, the van we have on order I could just about run at 3.5t probably at 100kg over so if nessecerry could downplate.

 

[TrudeandDall]

I passed my diving test as a 17 year old in 1972 in a mini and immediately was gifted a licence to drive up to 7.5 tonnes without even setting foot in a 7.5 tonne vehicle, never mind taken a test in one. So what makes today's 17 year olds so much different, that they are not given the same privilege that I was. And what is the "highly dangerous transition from 3.5 tonnes to 3.96 toners that updating my Ducati brings? Nanny state springs to mind....

 

[Jane And Rog]

TrudeandDall it may be nanny state at play but it could also be that the UK has successfully driven road accidents down despite vastly increasing numbers of vehicles on the roads. So you were lucky to learn to drive in a relatively safe environment. Todays 17 year olds have to face off against overpopulated, roads.

 

[Silver-Fox]

I passed my diving test as a 17 year old in 1972 in a mini and immediately was gifted a licence to drive up to 7.5 tonnes without even setting foot in a 7.5 tonne vehicle, never mind taken a test in one. So what makes today's 17 year olds so much different, that they are not given the same privilege that I was. And what is the "highly dangerous transition from 3.5 tonnes to 3.96 toners that updating my Ducati brings? Nanny state springs to mind....

I see where your coming from but they were different times, less traffic and more consideration for others.

Plus there’s no way you would of got insurance for a 7.5t back then or even now at 17.

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[pagey]

I was a an owner driver of a 32 ton artic when I was 25 I was never taught how to secure a load on the trailer indeed my first load was 20 ton of planed timber on a 40 ft flat trailer

 

[stewartwebr]

I took the extra tests, whilst I don’t disagree that any extra training is good, the cost has to be paid somewhere. For the Motorhome that’s us, it isn’t cheap either!

Couriers also pass the cost onto us, they don’t lose the profit. It seems an easy win to save everyone money.

I agree around the cost, but what I gained from the training certainly enhanced my driving competency. As a general statement and not directed at anyone in particular I feel we need to increase driving standards in the UK and not reduce them. Some of the standards currently displayed on UK roads is shocking, so I would not be in favour of any relaxation to current driver testing regimes. In relation to cost, and I agree it is expensive, but if you want to do it you need to pay for it.

 

[Nanniemate]

I agree around the cost, but what I gained from the training certainly enhanced my driving competency. As a general statement and not directed at anyone in particular I feel we need to increase driving standards in the UK and not reduce them. Some of the standards currently displayed on UK roads is shocking, so I would not be in favour of any relaxation to current driver testing regimes. In relation to cost, and I agree it is expensive, but if you want to do it you need to pay for it.

It is very sad that cost is often put before safety (in all walks of life) but to be fair if you are spending 10's of thousands on a van the cost of training should be considered as a necessary over the blow up awning or cadac.
Not only will it improve a drivers perceived capabilities but it will reduce the risk of accident therefore repairs to the van and insurance claims

I was a an owner driver of a 32 ton artic when I was 25 I was never taught how to secure a load on the trailer indeed my first load was 20 ton of planed timber on a 40 ft flat trailer

Do you think that was a good thing? times have moves on thank goodness, not many drivers today could tie a dolly knot let alone 'rope and sheet' I'm glad I was not alongside you on a roundabout

I have a family member who's driving is appalling , does not enjoy driving and did not pass a test until he was sent on an intensive driving course through his workplace in his 30's, he was taught how to pass a test would he pass it now no chance. has his driving improved not really

He must be the exception that proves the rules he will tell you he is not the best driver and does not enjoy it

I think that if you are nervous driving a vehicle yes you need additional training, sometimes if you are not cautious/nervous driving a vehicle you should not be driving it or really do need more training

But controversially I am also an advocate of reassessment (not re testing) at regular intervals and this should not be age related

 

[SpeedyDux]

It is very sad that cost is often put before safety (in all walks of life) but to be fair if you are spending 10's of thousands on a van the cost of training should be considered as a necessary over the blow up awning or cadac.
Not only will it improve a drivers perceived capabilities but it will reduce the risk of accident therefore repairs to the van and insurance claims

Do you think that was a good thing? times have moves on thank goodness, not many drivers today could tie a dolly knot let alone 'rope and sheet' I'm glad I was not alongside you on a roundabout

I have a family member who's driving is appalling , does not enjoy driving and did not pass a test until he was sent on an intensive driving course through his workplace in his 30's, he was taught how to pass a test would he pass it now no chance. has his driving improved not really

He must be the exception that proves the rules he will tell you he is not the best driver and does not enjoy it

I think that if you are nervous driving a vehicle yes you need additional training, sometimes if you are not cautious/nervous driving a vehicle you should not be driving it or really do need more training

But controversially I am also an advocate of reassessment (not re testing) at regular intervals and this should not be age related

Good points. The underlying policy behind the driving test appears to be that anyone and everyone should be capable of passing it regardless. When I read about someone who passed their test at the 20th attempt I groan and tend to think they shouldn't be allowed to drive at all.

My ex-BIL eventually passed his test, then had so many minor accidents and rapidly went through about 10 different cars from a Merc down to a 2CV (he was loaded) that he was refused insurance and had to give up driving. How he even passed the test is a mystery, his driving was so unsafe.

 

[Littlewheels]

Decades back Mrs Littlewheels passed her test but in all honestly l don’t know how,at the time l drove a brand new Vauxhall Viva along the way she managed to dent every single panel on it and that included the floor pan as she tried to park over a load of Boulders in the Dales,the roof as a French Motorbiker came the wrong way around a roundabout in Fort William and hit the bonnet and continued over the roof and boot lid,hilarious but not at the time.
l am pleased to say she is now a very competent driver and handles the current MH and previous 7.5t Concordes.

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[Nigel P]

I had to take the medical and eye test to renew my C1 licence following my 70th birthday in 2020. I passed all the requirements, even though I had some impairment to vision in one eye following some corrective surgery due to a detached retina. Although my vision satisfied all requirements, my optician thought the DVLA would want to check my peripheral vision with their appointed optician, Specsavers. Just because I had had surgery. She was right.
It took Specsavers 3 attempts to conduct the tests properly, involving me in 40 mile round trips on each occasion.

I finally got my C1 licence back a couple of months ago. But C1E was not ticked which means that I am no longer covered to drive my car and caravan (approximately 4.5 t laden). Although I can drive a MH upto 7.5t plus a 750k trailer. I totally fail to see the logic.

Initially, I was peed off, but then realised it's the perfect excuse to get back to motorhoming, so we have traded in car and caravan for a motorhome without too much of a hassle. We will use our BMW i3 as a daily driver which we were pretty much doing anyway. I won't miss the caravan, all getting a bit too much like hard work for me. So all's well that ends well and really excited to get back to motorhoming.

Robin

Ref the C1E bit not being ticked; it was not necessary. The cat 'B' car licence provides for towing combinations up to 8250kgs for pre 1997 tests. C1E creates a provision to use trailers on C1 vehicles (as the car is not a C1 the C1E is not relevant)

 

[Nigel P]

I have to own up to a professional interest as I am involved in driver training and assessment in both the private and commercial fields. I have long been interested in the type and location of vehicle damage in your typical Sprinter delivery vehicles, there is an unhealthy focus on nearside sliding door damage which indicates poor left turn/reversing/lane judgement. The objects that were hit would likely be walls/fences/parked or moving vehicles etc. One of the issues of transferring from car to van/truck driving is the general lack of ability in assessing nearside margins. Many assessments I have carried out have started by adjusting nearside mirrors to give a reasonable view of the road rather than the sky! Re-designing some junctions to install additional pedestrian crossing points around junctions has made it almost impossible to complete turns in larger vehicles, creating more lanes where there isn't room leads to cutting across lanes in larger vehicles, all these things are of no consequence to a car driver but when you stick that same car driver in the larger vehicle with no prior training it may be your or my vehicle/garden wall/fence that leaves the damage on the Sprinter nearside!! (There are of course other makes of van!)