C1 driving licence renewal

[SimonM]

Today I have had my second test to see if my heart works, 2 weeks ago an echo test, and today the exercise/treadmill test.

It was horrendous! I barely managed to do the 3rd set of 3 minutes at the increased speed and ramp angle. I had bypass surgery over 2 years ago and so I had to prove my fitness. The nurse said all my vital signs were well controlled, but the walking was torture.

But how exactly is walking at a high speed up a ramp helping with their assessment? I can walk miles on the flat when out walking miss Molly, and moderate hills, but this was a real horror. I was almost having to jog, and I’m a biker I don’t jog!

I have at the back of my mind that there is a test without the need for such severe exercise, what if I had a gammy leg, or a missing leg perhaps? My new Hymer is 4500kg and I need a large unit to carry Sue’s mobility scooter. Otherwise I’ll end up with a smaller unit and drag a trailer.
Thoughts?

 

[Drover]

I've not done it but a mate did and failed it
He was 60 at the time.

Good news then that the nurse said you were ok..

 

[r4dent]

I had to do the threadmill after my heat attack (2001).

It was agony and the doctor told me after that they just keep making it harder until you can't do it! ( a sort of medical Peter Principle).

My C1 wasn't dependent on my fitness at that time and I carried on driving my 4.5 Burstner. It was only when I became Insulin dependent that I as told I needed a medical to retain C1. I decided not to bother and downsized. I know drive 3.5 and tow a trailer for bikes and mobility scooter.

 

[SimonM]

The daft thing about it is a 3500kg MH and trailer can be up to the max vehicle weight of the MH , perhaps 5250 or so.

 

[Martin P]

Meaningless test dreamed up by some idiot beaurocrat who has probably never driven anything bigger than a Fiat fart an hopit.
Any idiot knows its your mental health that's important to drive and not prowess in the 500 metre steeplchase

 

[Bigshug]

When I renewed my license I used D4D for the medical the doctor asked about medication, checked my blood pressure and eyesight and just asked about my medical history. There was no stress test.

 

[GeoffL]

I know someone who has a lung condition that means they'd be out of breath well before their heart gave out! A couple of decades ago, they were considering taxiing to supplement income and went for the medical. When they mentioned the condition, the doctor commented that they would be driving the taxi, not pushing it, so it wouldn't pose any problems! It's a pity that pragmatism seems to have gone out of the window!

 

[witzend]

I have at the back of my mind that there is a test without the need for such severe exercise, what if I had a gammy leg, or a missing leg perhaps?

Yes there is involves a injection to speed up your heart Not very pleasant I'm lead to believe and you could end up doing it every couple of years if they don't renew for 3 yrs

 

[Boris7]

Had to do a medical for my CE last year, no treadmill involved

 

[SimonM]

Had to do a medical for my CE last year, no treadmill involved

Have you had your heart replumbed? For me that was the reason for the Echo test and then Treadmill

 

[shortcircuit]

Having scraped through first test I downsized, with no regrets, as I would have failed next test.

 

[r4dent]

The daft thing about it is a 3500kg MH and trailer can be up to the max vehicle weight of the MH , perhaps 5250 or so.

I think you mean "up to the Gross Train Weight (GTW)." (i.e. total weight of a fully-loaded vehicle and trailer, including the vehicle's unladen weight, payload, the trailer's unladen weight, and its payload.) rather than "Vehicle Weight.

If your vehicle’s Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM) is 3,500kg or less, you cannot tow a trailer that’s longer than 7 metres.

 

[Okta]

The stress test is something the DVLA require if you have had heart problems. Others don’t need to have it. I passed it but immediately started the process of downsizing to something less than 3500kg that doesn’t need a C1. The last 3 minutes on a steep incline is not something I want to do twice. They do it to see if you have got over your heart problem because they don’t want you driving heavy vehicles if you haven’t. However it does seem daft that you can tow trailers and caravans with a combined weight of more than 3500kg without any tests.

 

[SimonM]

I’ve just posted elsewhere about this, and gave details of my old Burstner. When I bought it the gvw was 3500kg. I added air suspension and uprated tyres and had it uprated to 4100kg. Its gross train weight, ie MH and a caravan/trailer/toad car dragged behind was 6000kg!

Where is the logic that I could drive that at 6000kg and my Hymer be illegal at 4500kg if I didn’t have a C1? Can you believe that my Hymer ‘only’ has a gross of 5880kg?

DVLA your weight limits are out of touch with reality.

 

[Boris7]

Have you had your heart replumbed? For me that was the reason for the Echo test and then Treadmill

No luckily enough no adverse medical history

 

[r4dent]

I’ve just posted elsewhere about this, and gave details of my old Burstner. When I bought it the gvw was 3500kg. I added air suspension and uprated tyres and had it uprated to 4100kg. Its gross train weight, ie MH and a caravan/trailer/toad car dragged behind was 6000kg!

Where is the logic that I could drive that at 6000kg and my Hymer be illegal at 4500kg if I didn’t have a C1? Can you believe that my Hymer ‘only’ has a gross of 5880kg?

DVLA your weight limits are out of touch with reality.

Not sure I understand what you are saying.

But, without a C1
a) You can drive the Burstner with a plated MAM of 3500 kg
b) You can drive it with air and uprated tyres but without uprating the plating. The vehicle weight must be under 3500, because that is the plated maximum.
c) You can drive it with a trailer provided the weight of Bustner and trailer do not exceed the plated MTW and the trailer does not exceed 7 meters
d) As soon as you have it replated to 4100kg you cannot drive it with or without a trailer.

 

[colinm]

I’ve just posted elsewhere about this, and gave details of my old Burstner. When I bought it the gvw was 3500kg. I added air suspension and uprated tyres and had it uprated to 4100kg. Its gross train weight, ie MH and a caravan/trailer/toad car dragged behind was 6000kg!

Where is the logic that I could drive that at 6000kg and my Hymer be illegal at 4500kg if I didn’t have a C1? Can you believe that my Hymer ‘only’ has a gross of 5880kg?

DVLA your weight limits are out of touch with reality.

Not sure I understand what you are saying.

But, without a C1
a) You can drive the Burstner with a plated MAM of 3500 kg
b) You can drive it with air and uprated tyres but without uprating the plating. The vehicle weight must be under 3500, because that is the plated maximum.
c) You can drive it with a trailer provided the weight of Bustner and trailer do not exceed the plated MTW and the trailer does not exceed 7 meters
d) As soon as you have it replated to 4100kg you cannot drive it with or without a trailer.

What Simon is saying is, with a b+e you can drive up to a MAM of 7000kg, 3500kg vehicle and 3500kg trailer, but driving a vehicle on it's own with MAM of (say) 4000kg is illegal, this isn't the most logical of rules IMO.

 

[SimonM]

Perhaps I’m not saying it correctly, here’s my Burstner weight plate. Ignore the fact that I later updated it to 4200kg just look at the ‘standard’ numbers. Front axle 1850, rear 2000, plated weight 3500, and then maximum overall weight with a trailer 6000kg. All on a non C1 licence.

 

[r4dent]

Perhaps I’m not saying it correctly, here’s my Burstner weight plate. Ignore the fact that I later updated it to 4200kg just look at the ‘standard’ numbers. Front axle 1850, rear 2000, plated weight 3500, and then maximum overall weight with a trailer 6000kg. All on a non C1 licence.

But as soon as you up plated to 4200kg you couldn't drive the Burstner.

I drive my 3500kg + trailer without C1 (Lost when I started injecting Insulin), if I upgraded it to 3850 (no changes to the vehicle required, a pure paper exercise) I couldn't drive it.

My previous employer amended some of their vehicles by strengthening the specialist steel work fitted.
As part of the amendment the vehicles were replated above 3500kg. Only afterwards did they realise that this meant some of the younger (non C1) staff could no longer drive them.
The specialist steel work was the prisoner cage! Whoops.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Any update Simon?