Towing Tuition

Did you know that if you passed your driving test after the 1st January 1997, then there are restrictions on your licence that prohibit you from towing with certain vehicle & trailer combinitions.

The law is quite complicated to understand, and is available for you to read in full on the direct.gov.uk website. But we will try to explain it in an easy to understand way here.

First of all, here are some terminology that will be used when talking about towing and the vehicles used.
MAM - Maximum Authorised Mass. This is the maximum permissible weight that either the trailer or your towing vehicle is allowed to carry.
Gross Weight - Another term for MAM. Also known as Permissible Maximum Weight.
Unladen Weight - The weight of a vehicle or trailer when it is not carrying any cargo.
Curb Weight - Another term for Unladen Weight
Train Weight - This is the combined MAM of your towing vehicle and your trailer.

Where can you find this information? Usually, there is a metal plate attached to your vehicle under the bonnet with numbers stamped on it. These are the weight limits of your car. Refer to your vehicle handbook or car manufacturer for help if needed. On your trailer or caravan, there should also be a stamped or engraved plate detailing the weight limits.

The Rules

If you passed your test prior to 1997, then you retain your existing entitlement to tow trailers. You are generally permitted to drive a vehicle and trailer combination of up to 8.25 tonne MAM.

However, if you passed after the 1st January 1997, then you may need to take a B+E test depending on what you plan to tow.

If your Train Weight exeeds 3.5 tonne, then you will need a B+E licence, unless the trailer you are towing is less that 750kg MAM. This means that if you have a vehicle whose MAM is 3.5 tonne, you can add a trailer of up to 750kg MAM to give you a train weight of 4.25 tonne. You can not however, have a vehicle that has a MAM of 3 Tonne and pull a trailer with a MAM of 1.25 tonne.

If your trailers MAM exceeds the Curb weight of your vehicle, then you will also require a B+E licence. It is recomended that with caravans, you limit your caravans MAM to 85% of the Curb weight of your vehicle.

In order to try and make it easy to understand if you need the extra catagory on your licence, follow these few simple questions:

DO I NEED A B+E LICENCE? <--- click!

Prices
£35 per hour. 2 hours minimum
£95 half day
£180 full day
Test £115 (weekday)
Test £141 (weekend)

£100 non refundable deposit to book course. Full payment on first day.