Peter Smythe:
There is a time limit to take the medical in, not sure what it is but it’s more than six months. My licence expired June 2006 and I renewed it April this year without problems
It’s 5 years
I only said 6 months coz that’s what the plod said who pulled us. He didn’t say it was the actual law, just that my mate “should be ok (to get his licence back) for up to 6 months”.
I’ve been looking for the defined law on this and all I’ve found so far is this :
112 Grant of HGV drivers’ licences
(1) Subject to the provisions of any regulations made by virtue of section 117(2)(m) of this Act, the licensing authority must not grant a full licence to drive a heavy goods vehicle of any class unless he is satisfied–
(a) that the applicant for the licence has at some time during the period of five years ending on the date of the coming into force of the licence passed the prescribed test of competence to drive vehicles of that class, or
(b) that the applicant for the licence has within that period held a full licence authorising the driving of vehicles of that class, or
(c) that the applicant for the licence holds a licence to drive a motor vehicle granted under Part III of this Act and that–
(i) either he holds an exchangeable licence authorising the driving of vehicles of a category corresponding to that class or, at the time of the application for the licence granted under Part III of this Act which he holds or of an application for a previous such licence, he surrendered such an exchangeable licence, and
(ii) he fulfils the requirements of subsection (2) below.
So it looks like 5 years is right.
