might have the chance of some occasional work with a merc atego transporter
a friend does the odd day on it and says if he gets long distance might get a double man shift out of it (he has class 1)
think it is about a 10 tonne rigid with a spec lift (sort of like a t bar front wheels only lifted) which tows an additional car or van, not too worried about this even though i have not done much reversing as it would all be double manned.
think i am allowed to tow up to 750 kg trailer by law which would be fine for most cars , would this mean that i could not tow a transit van as it has say a mam of upto 1800kg
youāll struggle to find a car at 750kg, the average modern saloon i would guess to be 1200kg - 1400k, so youāll need a class 1. the spec lift is rated at 1500kg wont that be lifting capacity not towing capacity? its not picking up the whole car, only half. also any trailer with a mam over 750kg must be braked, iām guessing thereās an exemption for the recovery of vehicles but i donāt know if that extends to the transportation of vehicles.
They presumably try and get away with it on the basis of it being ārecovery of a disabled vehicleā or something like that. In theory that would exempt you from the need for a C+E licence and also the need for trailer brakes but IMO itās dodgy ground and personally Iām not sure how they get away with it.
i would say a vehicle on a spec was just part of the load
not a trailer in its own right
if the speccced vehicle was still towing a trailer maybe that would be different
maybe google law on spec lifts
i would say you dont need a class1 . Do people have a trailer licence when they tow cars with other cars i think not. Just my opinion i could be wrong i usually am.
s2rich:
i would say you dont need a class1 . Do people have a trailer licence when they tow cars with other cars i think not. Just my opinion i could be wrong i usually am.
As mentioned above you can tow a car for recovery purposes even if you donāt have a trailer licence. You would have to be going a āreasonableā distance. Say to the nearest garage, home or off the motorway.
A lot of recovery law consists of many grey areas. I think strictly speaking you would need a class 1. If so does the truck run fully loaded both ways? If not would you be able to work the double shifts so that the other guy drives when car is on spec, and you drive after its been dropped?
s2rich:
Do people have a trailer licence when they tow cars with other cars i think not. Just my opinion i could be wrong i usually am.
You can tow a trailer over 750kgs on a car licence providing the combination of towing vehicle and trailer donāt exceed 3.5t. A cat. C licence restricts you to a trailer of an absolute maximum of 750kgs.
Didnāt I also hear that the car being towed must have a valid mot. Sure I read on here of a driver getting done for towing a car on spec without an mot.
You need a class 1 to tow a car on a spec lift; I know one of the Scottish auctions and the driver were done for it somewhere up in the nort of Scotland a couple of years ago.
thanks for all your replies , think I will give the driving with a car on tow a miss, itās not worth the risk for the sake of a few possible shifts.
However, this sounds like a plan, cheers mechanic77, why didnāt I think of that.
mechanic77:
A lot of recovery law consists of many grey areas. I think strictly speaking you would need a class 1. If so does the truck run fully loaded both ways? If not would you be able to work the double shifts so that the other guy drives when car is on spec, and you drive after its been dropped?
its all a big maybe any way its nice to know where you stand incase i get that what you doing tommorow call
If the car on the spec is under 750kgs, you can drive the truck with a category C driving licence and the car on the spec does not need a valid MOT certificate.
If the vehicle on the spec is over 750kgs, then a C+E driving licence is required and the car/van on the spec needs a valid MOT certificate.
The reason for this is because 750kgs is the magic weight that makes the vehicle on the spec a ātrailerā for the purposes of goods vehicle legislation. As we all knowā¦semi trailers and drawbar trailers all need MOT tests, thatās because they are over 750kgs, the vehicle on the spec takes on the trailer status regardless, but as with other trailers, will need to have an MOT if used on a road only if over 750kgs.
If the car on the spec is under 750kgs, you can drive the truck with a category C driving licence and the car on the spec does not need a valid MOT certificate.
If the vehicle on the spec is over 750kgs, then a C+E driving licence is required and the car/van on the spec needs a valid MOT certificate.
The reason for this is because 750kgs is the magic weight that makes the vehicle on the spec a ātrailerā for the purposes of goods vehicle legislation. As we all knowā¦semi trailers and drawbar trailers all need MOT tests, thatās because they are over 750kgs, the vehicle on the spec takes on the trailer status regardless, but as with other trailers, will need to have an MOT if used on a road only if over 750kgs.
if you are right with regard this then even AA and rac driver who pulls a car in the van is to have a class one if there were to pull cars in excess of 750kg
If the car on the spec is under 750kgs, you can drive the truck with a category C driving licence and the car on the spec does not need a valid MOT certificate.
If the vehicle on the spec is over 750kgs, then a C+E driving licence is required and the car/van on the spec needs a valid MOT certificate.
So in practice you need C+E as there are very few cars under 750kg.
Slghthly off topic but still relevantā¦ the range rover sport weights nearly 2.5 ton kerb weight so i understand, so if someone wacks trailer on back or carryās heavy things in the car they could in theory breach the 3.5 car licence without realisingā¦
If the car on the spec is under 750kgs, you can drive the truck with a category C driving licence and the car on the spec does not need a valid MOT certificate.
If the vehicle on the spec is over 750kgs, then a C+E driving licence is required and the car/van on the spec needs a valid MOT certificate.
The reason for this is because 750kgs is the magic weight that makes the vehicle on the spec a ātrailerā for the purposes of goods vehicle legislation. As we all knowā¦semi trailers and drawbar trailers all need MOT tests, thatās because they are over 750kgs, the vehicle on the spec takes on the trailer status regardless, but as with other trailers, will need to have an MOT if used on a road only if over 750kgs.
some right, some not!!! (i think!!)
a trailer doesnāt need a mot if its mam is over 750kgās it just needs brakes. is it not the case that only if a trailer is over 3.5t then it needs a mot? caravans, ifor type drop sides etc. if its on a spec lift its always classed as a trailer. or is there differant goods vehicle legislation??
my take, if its mam is under 3.5t then its just like any other trailer, but any other trailer with a mam over 750kg needs to be braked on all axles, whilst thereās an exemption to recover broken down vehicles i donāt see why thereād be an exemption for the movement of vehicles (there is a difference!)
Slghthly off topic but still relevantā¦ the range rover sport weights nearly 2.5 ton kerb weight so i understand, so if someone wacks trailer on back or carryās heavy things in the car they could in theory breach the 3.5 car licence without realisingā¦
Wonder if anybody has yet to be done for this
if they only have a catorgry B license they can put a trailer on the back with a mam upto 750kg and take the train weight upto 4.25t. if someone overloads without realising, then bluntly, thats there own fault, its upto to the driver to know / find out what they can put on / in a vehicle exactly the same as us lot in trucks!
i am allowed to tow up to 750 kg trailer by law which would be fine for most cars 
