RichR
Premium Member
Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
User status: Offline
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How do you go about taking the trailer endorsement for licenses after 97?
I understand the test procedure, but it has to be taken using a trailer with a minimum MAM of 1000kg.
Although I do a lot of towing for work, maneuvering triple axle boat trailers with 3.5t boats on around the yard and boat yards/marinas, in and out of water etc; I haven't towed anything large on the roads.
Do you have to have lessons, if so who with? Also who provides the trailer/vehicle for the test?
Has anyone taken it? 
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pow
Premium Member
Registered: 11th Sep 06
Location: Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire
User status: Offline
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It's not that cheap!
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Nick-S
Member
Registered: 3rd Mar 04
Location: Leigh. Drives: RS Megane 230 F1 Team R26
User status: Offline
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You need Cat B + E licence to tow trailers over 750kg. You need to do a practical driveing test for it, there is no theory involved though.
I know my local hgv training center do cat B + E upgrades, so it mite be worth haveing a chat with a hgv trainging center if there is one close to you?
[Edited on 02-06-2009 by GSi_16v]
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RichR
Premium Member
Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
User status: Offline
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Don't know, I'll have a look
Pow - work would be paying for it anyway
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Whittie
Member
Registered: 11th Aug 06
Location: North Wales Drives: BMW, Corsa & Fiat
User status: Offline
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I can honestly say I had no idea you needed a licence to use a trailer.
Glad i've not been stopped in the past! 
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Nick-S
Member
Registered: 3rd Mar 04
Location: Leigh. Drives: RS Megane 230 F1 Team R26
User status: Offline
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only for a trailer over 750kg.
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Whittie
Member
Registered: 11th Aug 06
Location: North Wales Drives: BMW, Corsa & Fiat
User status: Offline
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A Corsa on a trailer is a nono then 
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RichR
Premium Member
Registered: 17th Oct 01
Location: Waterhouses, Staffordshire
User status: Offline
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its not quite as simple as 750kg, 750kg is the limit when towing using a vehicle of 3500kg.
You are however allowed to tow a heavier trailer so long as the combined MAM of the vehicle and trailer do not exceed 3500kg and the trailer does not weigh more than the vehicle; so potentially you could tow 1500kg with a 2000kg vehicle.
Taken from here:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing/CaravansTrailersCommercialVehicles/DG_4022521
quote:
Car licences obtained on or after 1 January 1997
If you passed a car test on or after 1 January 1997 you're limited to vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes maximum authorised mass towing a trailer up to 750kgs, or a vehicle and trailer combination up to 3.5 tonnes MAM providing the MAM of the trailer doesn't exceed the unladen mass of the towing vehicle. You will need to pass an additional driving test in B+E if you wish to tow a caravan or trailer combination which exceeds these weight limits.
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richc
Member
Registered: 24th Mar 07
Location: Ilkeston
User status: Offline
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This in a way pisses me off. My dad is pretry shit and judging gaps and ofetn comes back with scrapped bumpers (like a women really ) .....
...and he has the abilty to tow caravans, drive 7.5 tonners, carry pillions on scooters etc yet he has experience of non, and i would say he isnt capable, but because he has been dribving for 389 years he is allowed to do it.
Yet i have experience of driving larger vehiles, pillion etc and i have too/have done more tests.
I think what they should do it cut the threshold. Everyone, no matter how long you have been driving, has to do it for the larger trailers etc! 
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crazybrightman
Member
Registered: 30th Mar 09
Location: leicestershire
User status: Offline
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yep unless you want to tow anything over about 1500kg you dont need the extra entitlement.
for example i need to tow my track car the car is 900kg and trailer will be around 550kg so total mam of 1450kg.
my tow car unloaded is 1475kg so im within the limits as the trailer must not exceed the unloaded vehicle weight.
then you need to add the mam of the trailer to the mam of the vehicle in my case 1980kg +1450kg keeps me nicely under the 3500kg max limit.
its all over complicated really but it does make safe limiting un trained people on what they can tow.
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a_j_mair
Member
Registered: 23rd Jan 04
Location: Scotland
User status: Offline
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i did mine recently, isnt cheap. work paid
went out driving for a couple days before we did the test practising, mirror signal manouver, need to be carefull giving plenty room at junctions, touching the kerb is an automatic fail
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