Car & Trailer Training
Car Driving Licence First Obtained Since January 1, 1997
Drivers who passed a car test on or after 1 January 1997 are required to pass an additional driving test in order to gain entitlement to category B+E and all larger vehicles.
Category B vehicles may be coupled with a trailer up to 750kgs MAM (allowing a combined weight up to 4.25 tonnes MAM) or, a trailer over 750kgs MAM provided the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehicle, and the combination does not exceed 3.5 tonnes MAM.
Vehicle manufacturers normally recommend a maximum weight of trailer appropriate to their vehicle. Details can usually be found in the vehicle‘s handbook or obtained from car dealerships.
The size of the trailer recommended for an average family car with an unladen weight of around 1 tonne would be well within the new Category B threshold. As for towing caravans, existing general guidance recommends that the laden weight of the caravan does not exceed 85% of the unladen weight of the car. In the majority of cases, caravans and small trailers towed by cars should be within the new category B threshold.
The training course material is to be found in the DSA publication ‘Driving the Essential Skills’, ‘Driving Goods Vehicles, the Official DSA Syllabus’ and ‘The Official DSA Driving Test’. Advice and information on how to carry out vehicle safety checks can also be found in the manufacturer's handbook and will be discussed with your Instructor.
Candidates will be asked five questions, which will be a combination of ‘show me’ and ‘tell me’. A driving fault will be recorded for each incorrect answer to a maximum of four driving faults. If the candidate answers all five questions incorrectly, a serious fault will be recorded.
For further information visit the DSA or the DVLA web site .