thescottishfarmer.co.uk/new … -tractors/
This popped on my feed today.
“Proposals within a UK Government consultation include moving the licence requirement for agricultural tractors from a category F to a category C”
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It’s obvious that many tractors pulling large trailers are effectively C + E type outfits.
Also in some cases being used in a way that should not only be subject to C + E driver licencing but also O licencing.
Put tacho’s in them too! I did grain and bale cart for a guy this summer, 40T all up on the grain cart, not uncommon to be starting at half 7 in the morning and going to 1 or 2am the next morning, then going again at 7am with 5hrs off between. Some big old rigs too, I had a 385hp tractor pulling a 20T tipping trailer that did 65kmh.
Lots of 18yr old kids doing it too with pretty much zero experience doing some seriously dangerous stuff. 40T at 65kmh on country lanes and dual carriageways with 18 odd hour days is a recipe for disaster. You guys think the big general haulage planners are bad at pushing the max hours, farmers make them look laid back when they see wheat in the field going to get rained on.
Did 7 weeks, averaged 100hrs a week with just 3 days off in that time. That was “An easy year because we didn’t have weather pressures” With the rare dry summer we didnt have to push as hard or do stuff like turning straw that got rained on before baling.
I’m back on trucks now for a rest 
Wont be doing that summer gig again!!!
Abuse the regulations this is what happens.
I know where I am, you now have to take a separate test to drive a tractor of any sort…As it should be in my opinion…I think most work place related deaths still take place on farms and machinary…
Fuzrat:
Put tacho’s in them too! I did grain and bale cart for a guy this summer, 40T all up on the grain cart, not uncommon to be starting at half 7 in the morning and going to 1 or 2am the next morning, then going again at 7am with 5hrs off between. Some big old rigs too, I had a 385hp tractor pulling a 20T tipping trailer that did 65kmh.Lots of 18yr old kids doing it too with pretty much zero experience doing some seriously dangerous stuff. 40T at 65kmh on country lanes and dual carriageways with 18 odd hour days is a recipe for disaster. You guys think the big general haulage planners are bad at pushing the max hours, farmers make them look laid back when they see wheat in the field going to get rained on.
Did 7 weeks, averaged 100hrs a week with just 3 days off in that time. That was “An easy year because we didn’t have weather pressures” With the rare dry summer we didnt have to push as hard or do stuff like turning straw that got rained on before baling.
I’m back on trucks now for a rest
Sounds fun, hows the money?
osark:
Fuzrat:
Put tacho’s in them too! I did grain and bale cart for a guy this summer, 40T all up on the grain cart, not uncommon to be starting at half 7 in the morning and going to 1 or 2am the next morning, then going again at 7am with 5hrs off between. Some big old rigs too, I had a 385hp tractor pulling a 20T tipping trailer that did 65kmh.Lots of 18yr old kids doing it too with pretty much zero experience doing some seriously dangerous stuff. 40T at 65kmh on country lanes and dual carriageways with 18 odd hour days is a recipe for disaster. You guys think the big general haulage planners are bad at pushing the max hours, farmers make them look laid back when they see wheat in the field going to get rained on.
Did 7 weeks, averaged 100hrs a week with just 3 days off in that time. That was “An easy year because we didn’t have weather pressures” With the rare dry summer we didnt have to push as hard or do stuff like turning straw that got rained on before baling.
I’m back on trucks now for a rest
Sounds fun, hows the money?
Guess, farmers are known for their generosity!
Rember watching one them police stop programmes.
They stopped a tractor pulling a trailer full of potatoes. On a road the .lad driving was only 17.
The police were baffled at 1st thought he was under age but apparently turned out he wasn’t
To be honest I didn’t know you could drive tractors so young…
Probably a good idea to bring in an age limit and a licence especially if towing a loaded trailer
edd1974:
Rember watching one them police stop programmes.
They stopped a tractor pulling a trailer full of potatoes. On a road the .lad driving was only 17.
The police were baffled at 1st thought he was under age but apparently turned out he wasn’t
To be honest I didn’t know you could drive tractors so young…
Probably a good idea to bring in an age limit and a licence especially if towing a loaded trailer
In 1973, I took a specific driving test on a farm tractor at the age of 16.
With ‘L’ plates displayed on the front and rear of the International 434 tractor, I drove to the test unaccompanied and passed first time. 
Trailer entitlement came for free with the full licence in exactly the same way that it did for the old HGV Classes 2 and 3 at the time.
The examiner told me that if I’d waited for another year, I’d have got tractor entitlement for free when I took a car test, but the farmer I worked for needed me to be qualified.
Some of the best HGV drivers around my area are ones with Agri experience. I’d rather meet them on a country road than the “ I read in the back of the Sun you can earn £50000 p/a, I think I’ll give it a go” mob, white knuckles welded to steering wheel and way out of their depth.
Like me, most of the Agri boys have been piloting various bits of machinery since they started school. Just sayin
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Fuzrat:
Put tacho’s in them too! I…
Isn’t that pointless? Agri is tacho exempt. When I collected milk from farms I was told not to put my tacho in.
dieseldave:
edd1974:
Rember watching one them police stop programmes.
They stopped a tractor pulling a trailer full of potatoes. On a road the .lad driving was only 17.
The police were baffled at 1st thought he was under age but apparently turned out he wasn’t
To be honest I didn’t know you could drive tractors so young…
Probably a good idea to bring in an age limit and a licence especially if towing a loaded trailerIn 1973, I took a specific driving test on a farm tractor at the age of 16.
With ‘L’ plates displayed on the front and rear of the International 434 tractor, I drove to the test unaccompanied and passed first time.
Trailer entitlement came for free with the full licence in exactly the same way that it did for the old HGV Classes 2 and 3 at the time.
I did the same, took a tractor test at 16, in 1975.
Strangely enough, the same type of tractor.
The test was the same as the m/cycle test at the time. Several laps of a block, the examiner moving around to make sure you signalled correctly everywhere, not just when you knew you could be seen. An emergency stop and several questions on the highway code. Job done
I started driving tractors at 13, not on public roads 
, obviously.
I first drove a truck at 15, the farmers Ford Custom cab. Another farmer had borrowed it. I rode over on my bike, chucked my bike on the flat bed and drove it back. A straight road, about 2 miles long, with about 100 yards of public road in the middle 
Farmers son here - driving tractors when I was 8 years old . Over the years they just got bigger then I started driving combines and self propelled forage harvesters now I drive trucks . A new self propelled forage harvester wouldn’t leave you with much change from £250- 300 k a combine around the same and a new 300hp tractor is the best part of £200 k
I first drove a Unimog with a trailer (A frame, of course 
), once a week, around the local market, whilst 2 guys loaded the trailer with the knocked down stalls. I was 12.
Health and safety? Nil.
Happy days? Many
Convenient timing.
Add yet more costs to farmers they are already encouraging to retire.
LazyDriver:
Fuzrat:
Put tacho’s in them too! I…Isn’t that pointless? Agri is tacho exempt. When I collected milk from farms I was told not to put my tacho in.
A lot of agri work in trucks may be on UK Domestic rules, not EU Tacho, all true.
Should it be?
If working silly hours in a field, and then driving a heavy tractor/trailer on a public road, is the driver safe?
Aren`t Domestic rules an historical hangover? Who would choose such a system if starting from scratch?
Franglais:
LazyDriver:
Fuzrat:
Put tacho’s in them too! I…Isn’t that pointless? Agri is tacho exempt. When I collected milk from farms I was told not to put my tacho in.
A lot of agri work in trucks may be on UK Domestic rules, not EU Tacho, all true.
Should it be?If working silly hours in a field, and then driving a heavy tractor/trailer on a public road, is the driver safe?
Aren`t Domestic rules an historical hangover? Who would choose such a system if starting from scratch?
The irony when EU regs allow a 15 hour shift made up of 10 hours working as a farm labourer and then a few more hours driving what is effectively a 30t artic outfit without even a class 2 HGV.
As for tachos can’t even stop for an unauthorised break anywhere during a 15 hour shift without the guvnor knowing about it.
LazyDriver:
Fuzrat:
Put tacho’s in them too! I…Isn’t that pointless? Agri is tacho exempt. When I collected milk from farms I was told not to put my tacho in.
The line between ‘haulage’ v ‘agri’ is often deliberately blurred by tractors being used to pull artic type trailers over relatively long distances.Was held up for miles recently by such an outfit being driven at 20 mph from Southam to Banbury and the driver refused to pull over to allow the massive traffic jam built up behind to pass.
dieseldave:
Trailer entitlement came for free with the full licence in exactly the same way that it did for the old HGV Classes 2 and 3 at the time.
To be fair the old system could have created the legal question of whether a tractor pulling a semi trailer is technically an artic so class 1 not class 2 or 3.
Carryfast:
dieseldave:
Trailer entitlement came for free with the full licence in exactly the same way that it did for the old HGV Classes 2 and 3 at the time.
To be fair the old system could have created the legal question of whether a tractor pulling a semi trailer is technically an artic so class 1 not class 2 or 3.
I make it that you’re correct in this Carryfast, so here’s me agreeing with you.
Some machinery set ups, such as the Howard Rotorspreader, were IMHO an ‘artic’ (Class 1) whilst a hay/straw trailer would be the old idea of Class 3.
I’m now having some difficulty with my own use of “HGV Class 2” in my post above because I don’t recall ever having seen a 3 or 4-axle farm tractor. 
We both missed that one!!
I’d prefer if they just had to do a tractor test. I spent 5 years driving them full-time, after 10 years in artics, so the other way to the norm and now move them, the trouble is how they’ve increased in size from about 20 years ago.
Passing a rigid test isn’t really that relevant to driving a modern tractor and trailer. With the downside for truck drivers that you’re massively going to increase the pool of drivers with farmers, farmers that are busy and quiet at different times of the year depending on what they do, so when they’re quiet might decide to pick up some driving shifts and we all know that then will have a negative effect on wages, so it’s a no from me.