When did driving licences start restricting categories?

GGizmo

GGizmo

GGizmo

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My Dad recently reached 70 and he was told he as to renew his driving licence. It said he could do it online. So when he sat down to do it he noticed that the web page said some categories wouldn't be renewed unless he filled out other forms by post.

After consulting some of his friends, because he pulls a small trailer with a car, he decided to let the other categories lapse and do it online.

When I was looking up what the different categories mean I've noticed I can still drive a lot of the categories, including the ones removed from his licence. I noticed there are a lot of driving places offering tests to add categories on to driving licences.

So as the amount of categories on new driving licences been reduced these days? If so, when did that come in?
 
Yep, as above it was late 90's. I have several categories on my license that I would need to take a test for nowadays.
 
It was the first of January 1997 they removed the higher tow/weight categories. You then needed to sit additional tests to get them added.

I was unlucky passed my test a couple of weeks after this.
 
Last year I was surprised to see a trailer driving school start up around here, I didn't even know you needed a seperate test to pull a trailer these days. Then again after seeing many people trying to reverse a car with a simple single axle trailer I can understand why there is a need.
 
pastymuncher said:
Last year I was surprised to see a trailer driving school start up around here, I didn't even know you needed a seperate test to pull a trailer these days. Then again after seeing many people trying to reverse a car with a simple single axle trailer I can understand why there is a need.
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I only know because it popped up on some garbage 24 hours in police custody/police camera action type show. Young bird pulling her horse trailer got done - driver and passenger baffled and only accepted the officers position when they compared their photo IDs.
 
Ahh that explains it. I passed my test in the early 90s.

I was thankful I got my licence before the theory test came in... phew!
 
dLockers said:
I only know because it popped up on some garbage 24 hours in police custody/police camera action type show. Young bird pulling her horse trailer got done - driver and passenger baffled and only accepted the officers position when they compared their photo IDs.
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We've had a few problems related to that at work with our drivers - it doesn't seem to have been done very well in terms of keeping people in the loop in some cases.

I had fun and games when it came to renewing the photo part of my license as it seems I incorrectly had IIRC C1E on the old license and for some reason they were insisting they "couldn't" just take it off and they were trying to tell me I'd have to take the course for it out of my own pocket - eventually managed to get it escalated to someone higher up :s (but it was an absolute pain dealing with it)

TBH I probably should have just got my LGV license hah - they seem to be able to command their own pay right now.
 
pastymuncher said:
Last year I was surprised to see a trailer driving school start up around here, I didn't even know you needed a seperate test to pull a trailer these days. Then again after seeing many people trying to reverse a car with a simple single axle trailer I can understand why there is a need.
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Don't need it specifically to pull a trailer, just when the total train weight is over 3.5t.
 
squerble said:
Don't need it specifically to pull a trailer, just when the total train weight is over 3.5t.
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Close, but in fact it's the combined plated MAM/GVM that must be under 3.5t, regardless of the actual train weight.

It's such an odd system, I suppose it's something the Police can check at the road side, but you could just as easily have a legal car/trailer combo but be overweight :confused:
 
mikehhhhhhh said:
Close, but in fact it's the combined plated MAM/GVM that must be under 3.5t, regardless of the actual train weight.

It's such an odd system, I suppose it's something the Police can check at the road side, but you could just as easily have a legal car/trailer combo but be overweight :confused:
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Ah thanks, didn't realise it was based on the max ratings, though that probably does make more sense as you'd risk going over 3.5t otherwise.
 
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