Trailer towing:- B and B+E licence rules explained

[Danes183]

Hi Fuzz, there are some gaps in your information, but yes I think you are right, your girfriend can drive a laden or unladen trailer with 'L’ plates to the front and back of the vehicle and trailer as long as you are in the passenger seat, because you passed your test before 1997.

Westyfield2, again really you need to look at the detail/specs of your vehicle and trailer but actually I think you actually could tow the combination you described.
It is illegal for a holder of a category B license to tow a trailer if the towing vehicle and trailer empty or loaded exceeds 3.5 ton MAM maximum autherised mass but what you described doesn't. Copied from the .gov site, "If you passed your driving test after 1 January 1997 and have an ordinary category B (car) licence, you can drive a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as it is no more than the unladen or ‘kerb’ weight of the towing vehicle (with a combined weight of up to 3,500kg in total)"

Hope this helps.

 

[pcoltrane]

H, there are some gaps in your information, but yes I think you are right, your girlfriend can drive a laden or unladen trailer with 'L’ plates to the front and back of the vehicle and trailer as long as you are in the passenger seat, because you passed your test before 1997.

Westyfield2, again really you need to look at the detail/specs of your vehicle and trailer but actually I think you actually could tow the combination you described.
It is illegal for a holder of a category B license to tow a trailer if the towing vehicle and trailer empty or loaded exceeds 3.5 ton MAM maximum autherised mass but what you described doesn't. Copied from the .gov site, "If you passed your driving test after 1 January 1997 and have an ordinary category B (car) licence, you can drive a trailer over 750kg MAM as long as it is no more than the unladen or ‘kerb’ weight of the towing vehicle (with a combined weight of up to 3,500kg in total)"

Hope this helps.

With a 2700kg tow vehicle adding the MAM of the trailer would surely exceed the 3500kg limit. It might be possible if the trailer MAM is under around 1600kg with an appropriate tow car.
What MAM is stamped on the trailer plate?

 

[Danes183]

It is difficult to speculate on that without all the information. You are right it could go either way, but just working on the specs given it could be towed. Note: it is possible for trailers to be down rated for this kind of situation.

 

[ROG.]

Ok, a real world example for you.
I passed my test in 1991 so there is no need for me to take a test to pull a trailer.
Lets assume this trailer is a horse box and it is behind a landrover.
Assuming that no weight rules are broken, my girlfriend who passes her test at a much later date does not have the correct licence to do so.
Does this mean as long as I am a passenger in that vehicle and the vehicle is displaying the relevant L plates, she can drive / pull the trailer legally without taking any further tests

yes she can

You will be her supervising driver

L plates
correct insurance

 

[ROG.]

The whole trailer thing confuses me!

Scenario: Using a 2700KG vehicle to tow a ~300KG twin-axle braked trailer. The trailer has a 480KG car on it, making the total towing weight 780KG.
From what I understand I, having passed my Theory, Hazard Perception, and Practical tests in 2008 am not allowed to do so... but my father having passed his Practical test in 1975 is allowed to do so.

The test I would need to do to make the above legal... is it hard? I suck at reversing trailers .

If the vehicle has a GVW of 2700 and the trailer is not plated at more than 800 then you will be legal to tow that on a B licence as they do not add up to moore than 3500 kgs

It is the vehicle GVW and the plated MAM of the trailer which matters - not the actual weights