End of the 3.5 T limit?

[r4dent]

Many of us are restricted to 3.5 T because we don't have C1.

This can be because we are too young and passed out test after 1997
or because we are too old and didn't bother to keep C1 when we renewed our license
or (as in my case) because of medical reasons.

The government are looking to promote small commercial van users to switch to EVs, but the extra battery weight means many of these vans will be over 3.5.
However a lot of the drivers do not have C1 and firms are sticking with fossil fuel to avoid the costs of getting C1 for their staff.

So, according to the Telegraph, the government are thinking about scrapping the 3.5 limit.

Fingers crossed.

Heavy EV batteries force overhaul of driving licence rules on vehicle weight

Heavy electric vehicle batteries are due to spark a government overhaul of driver’s licence rules that will allow motorists to operate weightier vehicles.

uk.yahoo.com

 

[mark61]

Been on the cards for a while.
I think the increased limit from 3.5 tonnes to 4.25 tonnes is only for alternatively-fuelled vehicles though.

 

[Robmac]

Been on the cards for a while.
I think the increased limit from 3.5 tonnes to 4.25 tonnes is only for alternatively-fuelled vehicles though.

That's ok, I'll use chip pan oil.

 

[colinm]

As Mark says this has been ongoing for some time, but there where suggestions this will only apply to some classes of vehicle, 'motor caravans' not being one of those classes.

 

[Tim120]

Been on the cards for a while.
I think the increased limit from 3.5 tonnes to 4.25 tonnes is only for alternatively-fuelled vehicles though.

Surely, that is discriminatory.

 

[mark61]

Surely, that is discriminatory.

May well be, but thats the way it stands at the moment.

The list of alternatively-fuelled vehicles is somewhere on .gov site.

Of course, one day, I guess diesel will be seen as alternative.

Edit to add links.
Plenty to read if you fancy. I didn't

https://www.gov.uk/government/consu...lexibility-for-alternatively-fuelled-vehicles

https://assets.publishing.service.g...uidance-category-b-licence-requirements-1.pdf

 

[colinm]

Thanks for the link Mark, from that you can see no motorhomes.

The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) Regulations 2018 (the 2018 Regulations) made changes to the law to allow Category B licence holders to drive an alternatively fuelled vehicle that weighs between 3.5 and 4.25 tonnes, provided it is not driven outside of Great Britain, used for the transportation of goods, is not towing a trailer and the driver has completed a minimum of 5 hours training.

 

[1807truckman]

A friend of mine is an LDV (owned by SAIC the largest Chinese vehicle manufacturer) van dealer and has been pushing for a change to the law concerning being able to drive vehicle over 3,500kg because of the increase in electric small commercial vehicles unladen weight.

 

[mark61]

Thanks for the link Mark, from that you can see no motorhomes.

Yes,I think thats the case now, but there is also this.

"The government will legislate to extend the licence flexibility to all vehicle types to support the transition to zero emissions. This will only apply to ZEVs which would weigh 3,500kg or less without the extra weight of their clean powertrain. All existing conditions applying to specific vehicles, such as age limits and passenger numbers, will continue to apply."

Probably just enough to make an electric MH a viable option?

Extra 750KG of battery, current technology, I guess thats around 100kWh worth of battery. Around 180 > 200 extra miles in a loaded van, so around 300 to 350 miles in total?

Ok, just to clarify, I've not worked any of that out properly, but I'll put a £5 on it, i'm within a 30% discrepancy.
So no jumping down me throat, well, you can if you want.

 

[Drover]

The bit I read was 4250kgs and 7000kgs including a trailer.
For battery van's on commercial work.

 

[zzr1400tim]

I just checked my driving licence and I have C1 listed (passed car driving test in 1979)
I sometimes I hire a 7.5 ton vehicle for work reasons
I didn't realise that folks passing their test after 1997 were restricted to only 3.5 ton?
I have never had to "apply" for the C1 .. its just automatically been included every time I have renewed my licence

I did read a few years ago that some bikers lost their full motorbike licence (category A) when applying for the new photocard licence and the DVLA wanted proof of date passed and a copy of the pass certificate / test centre (impossible for most who passed their test 40-50 plus years ago)

 

[colinm]

I just checked my driving licence and I have C1 listed (passed car driving test in 1979)
I sometimes I hire a 7.5 ton vehicle for work reasons
I didn't realise that folks passing their test after 1997 were restricted to only 3.5 ton?
I have never had to "apply" for the C1 .. its just automatically been included every time I have renewed my licence

I did read a few years ago that some bikers lost their full motorbike licence (category A) when applying for the new photocard licence and the DVLA wanted proof of date passed and a copy of the pass certificate / test centre (impossible for most who passed their test 40-50 plus years ago)

Yes that's grandfathers rights, when renewing license I take a photo of old license which shows all dates, DVLA at one time would not take that as proof, but I believe that some have challenged that and won.

 

[Okta]

Many of us are restricted to 3.5 T because we don't have C1.

This can be because we are too young and passed out test after 1997
or because we are too old and didn't bother to keep C1 when we renewed our license
or (as in my case) because of medical reasons.

The government are looking to promote small commercial van users to switch to EVs, but the extra battery weight means many of these vans will be over 3.5.
However a lot of the drivers do not have C1 and firms are sticking with fossil fuel to avoid the costs of getting C1 for their staff.

So, according to the Telegraph, the government are thinking about scrapping the 3.5 limit.

Fingers crossed.

Heavy EV batteries force overhaul of driving licence rules on vehicle weight

Heavy electric vehicle batteries are due to spark a government overhaul of driver’s licence rules that will allow motorists to operate weightier vehicles.

uk.yahoo.com

Don’t get too excited. Only covers zero emissions vehicles which does not include our current motorhomes.

 

[guerdeval]

That's ok, I'll use chip pan oil.

I ran a Gwagen for years on chip pan oil, I was constantly hungry from the fumes

 

[Fisherman]

Currently the driving licence reflects the level of training and ability to drive a vehicle of a certain weight category. To change this to being determined by vehicle type (ie EV versus ICE) really makes no sense. There are other issues here other than the EV versus ICE element. The post office and many delivery companies are struggling to stay within the 3.5t limit. In the past they relied on drivers with grandfather rights to drive vehicles up to 7.5t. But many of these have retired now and companies are struggling to find drivers with a C1 licence.

Also the EU are almost certain to increase the weight limit to 4.25t. This has been reported on various platforms in recent times. This months MMM makes reference to this change, and they think a decision may be made in April 2024.

I find it hard to justify allowing someone driving a commercial vehicle may do so to a higher given weight than someone driving a non commercial vehicle, this would open up a Pandora’s box. Would this allow the vehicle to be driven for private use, how would we determine exactly what a commercial vehicle is, this is not always clear. My current car used to be used commercially before I retired, but now it’s only used for private use.

To determine what weight category of vehicle can be driven based on the type of vehicle and not the ability of the driver would be a serious departure from what has been standard practice since the advent of the driving licence, and would lead to many confusing anomalies. My dealer and many other dealerships expect the limit to be raised for motorhomes. Motorhome manufactures are struggling to maintain the current 3.5t limit, and some motorhomes are being produced with under 200kg payloads due to this. Let’s be honest raising the weight limit for all drivers to 4.25t makes sense and would do little or anything to affect road safety.
And 4.25t is way below the 7.5t limit allowed on my driving licence.

 

[GeoffL]

The 3.5 tonne limit seems to be a EU thing and other countries are more enlightened. It's a pity that you can't drive what a foreign licence allows. e.g. an Australian car licence allows 4.5 tonnes GVW solo or with a trailer of up to 9 tonnes; and a US car licence is good for 26,000 lb (almost 12 tonnes) ...

 

[Fazerloz]

I just checked my driving licence and I have C1 listed (passed car driving test in 1979)
I sometimes I hire a 7.5 ton vehicle for work reasons
I didn't realise that folks passing their test after 1997 were restricted to only 3.5 ton?
I have never had to "apply" for the C1 .. its just automatically been included every time I have renewed my licence

I did read a few years ago that some bikers lost their full motorbike licence (category A) when applying for the new photocard licence and the DVLA wanted proof of date passed and a copy of the pass certificate / test centre (impossible for most who passed their test 40-50 plus years ago)

When renewing I do not return or destroy my old licence as they want you to before I get my new one and check it. If need be declare the old one lost { it can then always be found again if need be}. It happened to a police sergeant motorcycle instructor and even he had to resit the motorcycle test to get his entitlement back as he didn't have his original cert and despite many official letters sent from his police force. It used to be they will not accept any form of copy or photo of your licence as they are easily altered. Things may have changed.

 

[Drover]

The new category is not out yet even if it's coming at all
Sent my licence in last week to get hgv /coach removed and it's back with a extra year or 2 added to the C1, and the rest of groups.
Very quick service .... now able to keep the over 3500kgs motorhome another 3 years.

 

[alice007]

Many of us are restricted to 3.5 T because we don't have C1.

This can be because we are too young and passed out test after 1997
or because we are too old and didn't bother to keep C1 when we renewed our license
or (as in my case) because of medical reasons.

The government are looking to promote small commercial van users to switch to EVs, but the extra battery weight means many of these vans will be over 3.5.
However a lot of the drivers do not have C1 and firms are sticking with fossil fuel to avoid the costs of getting C1 for their staff.

So, according to the Telegraph, the government are thinking about scrapping the 3.5 limit.

Fingers crossed.

Heavy EV batteries force overhaul of driving licence rules on vehicle weight

Heavy electric vehicle batteries are due to spark a government overhaul of driver’s licence rules that will allow motorists to operate weightier vehicles.

uk.yahoo.com

The situation you've described highlights a significant issue faced by many drivers who are restricted to vehicles under 3.5 tonnes due to various reasons such as age, licensing, or medical conditions. The government's initiative to promote the switch to electric vehicles (EVs) among small commercial van users is commendable, but the added weight of batteries poses a challenge for vehicles to stay within the 3.5-tonne limit.

Understandably, firms may be hesitant to invest in obtaining the C1 license for their staff, especially when considering the costs involved. This reluctance could hinder the transition to EVs and perpetuate reliance on fossil fuel-powered vehicles.

The news about the government considering scrapping the 3.5-tonne limit, as reported by the Telegraph, could potentially address this issue and encourage the adoption of EVs in the commercial sector. However, any policy changes must ensure that drivers have access to the necessary training and licensing requirements to operate heavier vehicles safely.

 

[Okta]

Many of us are restricted to 3.5 T because we don't have C1.

This can be because we are too young and passed out test after 1997
or because we are too old and didn't bother to keep C1 when we renewed our license
or (as in my case) because of medical reasons.

The government are looking to promote small commercial van users to switch to EVs, but the extra battery weight means many of these vans will be over 3.5.
However a lot of the drivers do not have C1 and firms are sticking with fossil fuel to avoid the costs of getting C1 for their staff.

So, according to the Telegraph, the government are thinking about scrapping the 3.5 limit.

Fingers crossed.

Heavy EV batteries force overhaul of driving licence rules on vehicle weight

Heavy electric vehicle batteries are due to spark a government overhaul of driver’s licence rules that will allow motorists to operate weightier vehicles.

uk.yahoo.com

The limit for commercial electric vans was raised to 4.25T in 2018. This is an extract from the Governments more recent consultation about removing some of the limitations attached to this existing relaxation.
“In 2018, the UK secured a derogation from the European Commission which allowed category B licence holders to drive alternatively-fuelled goods vans with a maximum authorised mass (MAM) of 4,250 kilograms (kg), over the standard 3,500kg entitlement.”
The full document can be found here.

Changes to driving licence flexibility for alternatively-fuelled vehicles

www.gov.uk