is there any point in spending money on a C1 licence? obviously this is aimed at those who passed their B test from 1997 and didnt get the automatic entitlement. they are subject to the same drivers hours, speed limiters, digitachs etc etc etc so why would anyone bother with it when they could spend a bit more and have the extra flexibility of HGV2? the woman i spoke to yesterday was going to advise her son to get his 7.5T licence first but i told her that it would be a waste of time and money since he can bypass it by going straight to class 2. i dont see why anyone would want it for private or vocational purposes 
Waste of [ZB] time & money.
Wait till Sept 10 this year and go straight for C - ok, it will involve a little extra cost as it will include the INITIAL DRIVER CPC modules but apart from that it is basically the same for the Theory questions, HPT and the road drive.
The Theory questions, HPT and the road drive bit will cost the same as for C with the only difference being the gearbox - straight 5 or 6 on C1 and either splitter and/or range change on C
out of interest, how much would the C1 be? she reckons around £300, i reckon a bit more but i dont really have any idea. if its nearer £500 then it might explain where her son went wrong with that number. he may have been confused with regards to what he was quoted for
I would expect that the C1 training and test would cost very nearly as much as C . The main costs of both are labour eg. instructors time and fuel. When you factor in the medical you are looking at £1000 my advice would be wait until you can go straight to C.What will you earn on 7.5. ton work at this stage in your life while economy is on its knees.I suppose its easy for an old guy to say be patient.
For anyone intending to be a professional, go straight to C and skip C1. Most people who go for C1 are the horsey types who want to drive horse-boxes. And yes, the cost is 90% of C from all I heard.
has the rules changed then?
so i can do an artic straight away in sept? or am i being a dumb sod
mickyblue:
has the rules changed then?so i can do an artic straight away in sept? or am i being a dumb sod
Hi mickeyblue, No mate, the rules are that (usually) it’s possible to skip licence category C1 (7.5t) and go straight to licence category “C.” (Any rigid.)
An artic (or wag-and-drag) is licence category “C+E,” so you’d need to take a test that includes the trailer (“E”) to be licenced to drive an artic.
I hope that helps. 
C1 is 7.5T which can be bypassed if you go for C which is rigids. artics are C + E. you have to pass C before going for C + E
whats the bet that half the DVLA staff dont know which is which? 
ROG:
Wait till Sept 10 this year and go straight for C - ok, it will involve a little extra cost as it will include the INITIAL DRIVER CPC modules but apart from that it is basically the same for the Theory questions, HPT and the road drive.
Surely you’re better off getting it in BEFORE Sept 10th as it’ll be cheaper cos you don’t have to worry about the CPC? I can’t see the point in deliberately waiting for it to get more expensive. Am I missing something here?
Paul
Unless the lad is under 21 maybe?
ROG:
Wait till Sept 10 this year and go straight for C - ok, it will involve a little extra cost as it will include the INITIAL DRIVER CPC modules but apart from that it is basically the same for the Theory questions, HPT and the road drive.
repton:
Surely you’re better off getting it in BEFORE Sept 10th as it’ll be cheaper cos you don’t have to worry about the CPC? I can’t see the point in deliberately waiting for it to get more expensive. Am I missing something here?Paul
tofer:
Unless the lad is under 21 maybe?
I should have said that I ASSUMED the person was under 21 as scanny77 did not say that they could have the choice of going for either at this point in time.
scanny77:
is there any point in spending money on a C1 licence? obviously this is aimed at those who passed their B test from 1997 and didnt get the automatic entitlement. they are subject to the same drivers hours, speed limiters, digitachs etc etc etc so why would anyone bother with it when they could spend a bit more and have the extra flexibility of HGV2? the woman i spoke to yesterday was going to advise her son to get his 7.5T licence first but i told her that it would be a waste of time and money since he can bypass it by going straight to class 2. i dont see why anyone would want it for private or vocational purposes
You’re absolutely right, as far as I know, and this was from a mate who’s an instructor, the training and test are the very same, (in a lot of cases, theres not much to choose between the vehicles either). No, the best way to go is with class 2.
dieseldave:
mickyblue:
has the rules changed then?so i can do an artic straight away in sept? or am i being a dumb sod
Hi mickeyblue, No mate, the rules are that (usually) it’s possible to skip licence category C1 (7.5t) and go straight to licence category “C.” (Any rigid.)
An artic (or wag-and-drag) is licence category “C+E,” so you’d need to take a test that includes the trailer (“E”) to be licenced to drive an artic.I hope that helps.
OOO forgot about the little tonka toy licence and sounds like it is still the same
Cheers
Licences and upgrades for catagories B, C & D;
B must be done first in all cases.
B+E is the next one up but can be missed out as it will be included in either C1+E, C+E, D1+E or D+E
C1 (LGV 7.5) or D1 (PCV minibus) are the next 2 up but again, can be missed out, as, depending which is taken (LGV or PCV), will be included in either C or D
C1+E (LGV 7.5 with trailer) or D1+E (PCV minibus with trailer) are the next 2 up but again, can be missed out, as, depending which is taken (LGV or PCV), will be included in either C+E or D+E
C (LGV rigid over 7.5) or D (PCV over 17 seats) are the next 2 up and must be taken before doing C+E or D+E
Passing a D auto AND a C manual in any order will result in BOTH being manual
C+E or D+E are the final stages in the process and can only be taken if C or D, depending which is taken (LGV or PCV), are passed first.
Passing a C+E will give D+E if, or when, D is passed but passing D+E will not give C+E if, or when, C is passed.
Passing C+E will give B+E and C1+E
Passing D+E will give B+E and D1+E
All these catagories may not not be shown on the licence but they are there by inference.
I think I’ve said all that correctly - please correct me if wrong.
sorry people. i knew Rog was aware of the original post that this stemmed from (HERE but this was a general comment hence i didnt pm.
the lad is under 21 now and is saving up for his HGV for his birthday. i dont know when that is but i got the impression that it is after the drivers CPC comes in. i did mention that he would be better doing it before but his mothers reaction seemed to suggest that he cant do that so i am assuming that he is not 21 until after the drivers CPC comes into effect.
this is what got me thinking about whether or not there is any point in training for 7.5T but if the price is similiar to cat C then why bother? even the horse transporters would have an advantage if they could get a 12 tonner instead of a 7.5 tonner. remember a couple of years ago one was pulled by VOSA and even after they stripped everything out, their 7.5 tonner was overweight thanks to the coachbuilders. the same would apply when moving house yourself. a long bodied 7.5 tonner isnt much different to look at than a 12 tonner so why would you go for a C1 instead of C?
with the speed limiters attached, i wonder if C1 is going to be phased out altogether 
C1 is now mainly done by companys who only hav 7.5 ton trucks. if they put the driver through a C test thy will just move jobs whereas a C1 licence isnt worth so much because there are so many kicking about. same reason as all the bus companys put you throughin an auto.
scanny77:
with the speed limiters attached, i wonder if C1 is going to be phased out altogether
I was wondering the same bout the advantages, or lack of -
Apart from the 7.5 tonne weight limits everything else is going to be the same as for C - age, training, test, driver cpc etc.
Did agency for Royal Mail on 7.5.tonners they were going to phase them out as they were really to small to carry a significant payload Its worth remembering that the tail lift and associated hydraulics all add up weight wise leaving the driver as even more fodder for our good friends at VOSA.We can understand the horsey folk using them as they are no more of a handful than their 4x4s
scanny77:
this is what got me thinking about whether or not there is any point in training for 7.5T but if the price is similiar to cat C then why bother? even the horse transporters would have an advantage if they could get a 12 tonner instead of a 7.5 tonner. remember a couple of years ago one was pulled by VOSA and even after they stripped everything out, their 7.5 tonner was overweight thanks to the coachbuilders. the same would apply when moving house yourself. a long bodied 7.5 tonner isnt much different to look at than a 12 tonner so why would you go for a C1 instead of C?
in a perfect theoretical world you’re right, but in the real world having to do tests for 7.5 tonners and 4x4 & trailers has led to a massive increase in 3.5 tonne horseboxes which can be driven by a 17 yr old on a car licence !!
like this
I agree with others who have said that 7.5ton wagons are going to become less common as time goes by. The advantage of being able to employ someone who only has a “car licence” is gradually fading away as more and more of the workforce have passed their car test after 1997. They are now subject to the same speed limiters as bigger stuff, so the advantage of being able to do the job faster isn’t there. So more companies will start getting 10, 12, 14 ton wagons which in terms of productivity are at a huge advantage over a 7.5tonner. There was a test in CM recently of Isuzu (I think?) trucks and it showed that comparing a 12t wagon to a 7.5t one gave you twice the payload for only 18% extra fuel used or something like that.
So to go back to the original question, don’t bother with C1, go straight for C. If he’s already 21, try and get it in before September. If he’s not going to be 21 until after September then do it then, but factor in the extra cost of the initial driver CPC.
Paul