I’ve been on test this week with the 6 wheeler wagon and drag. The mechanic has only got a class 3 licence so he was unable to take it. By rights if he had applied at the right time he would have qualified for a new C & E licence with a 102 restriction as he used to take one of the 4 wheelers with trailer but he never bothered with it.
I’ve the old class one so I’m covered anyroad, but I was thinking that if I only had the class 2 (multi axle rigid) and showed in 19997 when they changed over that I pulled trailers then I would have ended up with a C & E with a 102 restriction. If I then wanted to uypdate my licence to a full C & E I could present myself for test took it in the wagon and drag and ended up with an artic licence. How mad is that?
marlow:
If I then wanted to uypdate my licence to a full C & E I could present myself for test took it in the wagon and drag and ended up with an artic licence. How mad is that?
What’s more mad is that if you took the test and failed, you would still be able to drive it home by yourself!
Paul
Davey Driver did exactly that, he passed but already had a licence for the truck he took his test in, and if he failed was gonna drive out the test station in the waggon he failed on.
I guess some system had to be put in place, but it does sound a bit mad now.
If you go back further still to when HGV licences were first introduced, you didn’t have to do a test. If you were a ‘regular driver’ of that class of vehicle on a certain date you were just issued with a licence.
I was in a similar situation when I did my coach test. I already had my HGV 1 and drove the coach to the test centre myself, did the test (& passed) and then drove home. I didn’t even have any lessons - all self-taught from reading a bit and following some of the service buses around town!!
Then came the fare-paying passengers and that put me off the coach!! 
If you want to drive a 16 seater PSV mini bus then you need a medical for the provisional
Sounds fine until you consider that you can drive exactly the same vehicle without a PSV & thus no medical, on not for hire & reward work, with exactly the same number of passengers & with no training at all.
So for example if you worked for a social services you would need a medical & L plates to take a test in exactly the same vehicle you normally drive.