I was asked today this question by the lad that recovered my truck,it was a good one.
The recovery driver said…I hold a class2 licence but yet i can’t drive them,ok so far 
but yet i can’t tow them, why not. 
Can anyone explain this one please.
because his licence is not for the class of vehicle combination that he should have recovered ?
Um… Do you need a class 1 to tow them??
Is it something to do with the weights?? 
Isn’t the towed vehicle in effect a ‘trailer’ so therefore requires a C+E (or C+E drawbar restricted) ?
I presume you meant to say he can drive them but can’t tow them.
If his recovery vehicle is fitted with an underlift to allow suspended towing, then the disabled vehicle becomes a trailer. To tow a trailer over 750kg(M.A.M)with a class C vehicle,he would need a C+E driving licence. Not sure whether the same would apply when flat-towing on a solid bar.
what licence do you need to tow these 7.5 ton tippers you see towing the trailers with the mini diggers on the back.
Standard C1 licence, because the digger is being used solely for the job the driver is emplyed in, and the driver is first and foremost a workman on a building site or wherever, and only drives the 7.5t truck as a means to get him and all the required equipment to site.
brit_mark:
what licence do you need to tow these 7.5 ton tippers you see towing the trailers with the mini diggers on the back.
As has been said a cat. C1 is sufficient providing the trailer is less than 750 kgs, a larger trailer would require at least a C1E licence.
Here is his
And here is what he was towing
kitkat:
I was asked today this question by the lad that recovered my truck,it was a good one.The recovery driver said…I hold a class2 licence but yet i can’t drive them,ok so far
Can anyone explain this one please.
Have you reached the end yet, and if so can you explain it to me as I seem to have missed the plot on this one… 
Using a ‘spec / wheel lift on a car recovery truck requires C+E.
So if I read this right, then this guy is probably unlicenced and uninsured !
There might be a get out under the “offering assistance” to tow someone off the highway. But I’d guess this guy is working for a living rather being a full time Samaritan !
I asked this question ages ago and got told that you only need to hold the cat of licence for the vehicle you are driving i.e 7.5 tonner C1 17 tonner C…
It does not matter what your towing.
Super Dan:
I asked this question ages ago and got told that you only need to hold the cat of licence for the vehicle you are driving i.e 7.5 tonner C1 17 tonner C…
It does not matter what your towing.
Huh?
So, you could effectively use a 7.5t to tow a 38t (assuming it could actually move it etc!!)
Hmm… 
MAN broke down, thats new. 
NOT.
kitkat:
Here is his
And here is what he was towing
So if he knows he can’t tow a class C vehicle,what makes him think he can tow a C+E?
are you sure he didnt say that he cant drive artic`s but he can tow them?
I just phoned the DVLA and whilst onto them, I enquired after the definitive answer. They said the a recovery vehicle driver who wishes to tow a “trailer” i.e any recovered vehicle, over 750kg would require a C+E (Class 1) licence.
Tramper:
I just phoned the DVLA and whilst onto them, I enquired after the definitive answer. They said the a recovery vehicle driver who wishes to tow a “trailer” i.e any recovered vehicle, over 750kg would require a C+E (Class 1) licence.
Ok, so if he’s only a C or C1 driver then he’s breaking the law.
Can you refuse to be recovered as the driver is uninsured/unqualified etc??
Where does the responsibility transfer?
Tramper:
I just phoned the DVLA and whilst onto them, I enquired after the definitive answer. They said the a recovery vehicle driver who wishes to tow a “trailer” i.e any recovered vehicle, over 750kg would require a C+E (Class 1) licence.
They seem to be contradicting what their information leaflet says.
If the recovery vehicle is less than 3.05tonnesunladen weight,it can be driven on a cat B licence. The weight of the “trailer” doesn’t come into it,so long as G.T.W. and axle weight limits of the towing vehicle aren’t exceeded.
Obviously,over this weight limit aC1+E or C+E licence is needed,depending on towing/towed vehicles.
http://www.dvla.gov.uk/forms/pdf/INF52_250205.pdf
Going by Kitkat’s photos,and the quote from the driver,then he was driving illegally.
Super Dan:
I asked this question ages ago and got told that you only need to hold the cat of licence for the vehicle you are driving i.e 7.5 tonner C1 17 tonner C…
It does not matter what your towing.
The only exemption is the one Highlander has mentioned above. Whenever exemption is mentioned in connection with licences people seem to think they can go and drive whatever they like regardless of what licence they hold 