How many of you read the article inthe August T & D mag titled,“Through the haze”,about eyesight requirements for HGV drivers?
The correspondent was so out of touch and behind the times with the reqirements that I had to write in to pass comment.
Before it is likely to be published,I recieved an answer from the editor Colin Barnett.
Here is the letter I sent:
In the item Through the haze,(Truck & Driver August),I think your correspondent,Eric Barton, is well behind on the eyesight requirements for HGV drivers.
Quoting the eyesight requirement as to being able to read a number plate at 20 metres may be good enough to gain a car licence,but no where near good enough for an HGV licence.
Up until last year,the eyesight “Acuity” needed to be at least 6/9 in the better eye,and 6/12 in the other measured on a Snellen chart,and your examining doctor could carry out this test.
This year the exact requirement states: as measured by the 6 metre Snellen chart,at least 6/7.5 in the better eye,but strangely,only 6/60,(Quite a low standard), in the other eye,and can be carried out by your examining doctor or optician
So the number plate test may be good enough for a roadside police check,but in no way would it get you through a proper HGV standard eye test.
Saying that at your driving test the examiner will ask you to read a number plate,that should be no problem,as if you don’t pass the eyesight requirement for your D4,(Medical examination form),you wont even get a provisional licence,and will not get as far as the driving test stage!
I recieved the following reply:
Ian
Thank you for your comments. By coincidence, I heard yesterday of at least 20 drivers who have had their HGV licences revoked because of the new rules. I will be contacting the author of the feature and rest assured, I will publicise the situation ASAP.
bestbooties:
How many of you read the article inthe August T & D mag titled,“Through the haze”,about eyesight requirements for HGV drivers?
The correspondent was so out of touch and behind the times with the reqirements that I had to write in to pass comment.
Before it is likely to be published,I recieved an answer from the editor Colin Barnett.
Here is the letter I sent:
In the item Through the haze,(Truck & Driver August),I think your correspondent,Eric Barton, is well behind on the eyesight requirements for HGV drivers.
Quoting the eyesight requirement as to being able to read a number plate at 20 metres may be good enough to gain a car licence,but no where near good enough for an HGV licence.
Up until last year,the eyesight “Acuity” needed to be at least 6/9 in the better eye,and 6/12 in the other measured on a Snellen chart,and your examining doctor could carry out this test.
This year the exact requirement states: as measured by the 6 metre Snellen chart,at least 6/7.5 in the better eye,but strangely,only 6/60,(Quite a low standard), in the other eye,and can be carried out by your examining doctor or optician
So the number plate test may be good enough for a roadside police check,but in no way would it get you through a proper HGV standard eye test.
Saying that at your driving test the examiner will ask you to read a number plate,that should be no problem,as if you don’t pass the eyesight requirement for your D4,(Medical examination form),you wont even get a provisional licence,and will not get as far as the driving test stage!
I recieved the following reply:
Ian
Thank you for your comments. By coincidence, I heard yesterday of at least 20 drivers who have had their HGV licences revoked because of the new rules. I will be contacting the author of the feature and rest assured, I will publicise the situation ASAP.
Best regards, Colin
I await the outcome!
I heard that they had changed the eye sight requirements, does the new rules still have exemptions to the rules depending on when the HGV test was passed?
SteveBarnsleytrucker:
I don’t think they do. Could be wrong though.
I hope you are!
I’ve just checked, I will be ok, all ready been granted grandfather rights at the 45 medical, phew!
Also I will add, that there is no requirement to pass the eyesight test with out corrective lenses any more, so as long as you can meet the standards with corrective lenses you will be ok, IIRC you had to meet both standards for a pass.
weeto:
Also I will add, that there is no requirement to pass the eyesight test with out corrective lenses any more, so as long as you can meet the standards with corrective lenses you will be ok, IIRC you had to meet both standards for a pass.
That’s a relief for me. I’ve always been worried about my uncorrected sight,always struggled with the chart.
If they now only check corrected vision, no probs!
had to send my prescription with my last medical at the beginning of the month, as it states on my licence that I have to use glasses for driving, thought there might of been a problem as it was written in Bulgarian even my name was in Cyrillic script so it looked like this Петър камък instead of peter stone lol but got my licence back no problems at all
Strangely, the last time I picked up transport’s version of That’s Life, there was an article about BSE or Blinding Spectacle Ejection. It was some patronising guff about a forthcoming EU eyesight law.
Another publication that richly needs to go web-only.
SteveBarnsleytrucker:
I don’t think they do. Could be wrong though.
I hope you are!
I’ve just checked, I will be ok, all ready been granted grandfather rights at the 45 medical, phew!
Erm,grandfather rights on a medical???Please explain!
D4 - Medical examination report: Vision assessment
Medical assessment for vision to be filled in by a doctor or optician/optometrist.
Detail
If you’re aged 45 to 65, you have to fill in a D4 and send it to DVLA if you haven’t done so in the past 5 years.
From the age of 65, your licence will need to be renewed each year and your application must be accompanied by a completed D4 medical report form.
On all the D4’s I have ever filled in,there’s never been a mention of an exemption,(Grandfather rights).
The only exemption I see is that as highlighted above,if you have had a medical in the last 5 years,for example,if you had a medical to take your class 2,if you go for your class 1 shortly after,then you wont require another medical.
I gained my HGV licence under “Grandfather rights” as I was driving HGV’s from the '60’s,and I took my first medical at age 45,(In 1988).and every medical as it fell due ever since.
This document is last years version and is out of date
The visual acuity in section 3a is now to a higher standard,(In one eye at least,see the new D4 in the link),so I don’t know how this will be translated in regard to the exemption mentioned.
Fortunately I have never had to question the requirement of a full D4 as I have passed all stages in all my medicals.
As there are no requests on the D4 or D47P,(Licence renewal form),for an exemption,I presume you must have to ask for it as a separate issue.
Has anyone on this BB had experience of renewing a driving licence with the exemptions mentioned?
Let us know about it,there are a lot of us out here who are short on facts.
bestbooties:
This document is last years version and is out of date.
The visual acuity in section 3a is now to a higher standard,(In one eye at least,see the new D4 in the link),so I don’t know how this will be translated in regard to the exemption mentioned.
Fortunately In have never had to question the requirement of a full D4 as I have passed all stages in all my medicals.
As there are no requests on the D4 or D47P,(Licence renewal form),for an exemption,I presume you must have to ask for it as a separate issue.
Has anyone on this BB had experience of renewing a driving licence with the exemptions mentioned?
Let us know about it.
I did, and the exemptions are still current, The doctor who did my medical did not know about these exemptions, she told me I would be refused renewal, as I wanted to take the eyesight test with out glasses.
IMHO the rules have actually been relaxed, as you only need to pass a corrected vision test, not both, well if you can meet the new new standard with glasses that is.
This is dated June 2013 https://www.gov.uk/current-medical-guidelines-dvla-guidance-for-professionals-conditions-a-to-c#acuity
/ *** Grandfather Rights below.
NB: Before the exceptions -** can be accepted, the driver or applicant must meet all of the Group 1 acuity standards:
have held the Group 2 licence on either BOTH 01.01.1983 and 01.04.1991 OR on 01.03.1992 and be able to complete a satisfactory certificate of experience to be eligible - if obtained first Group 2 licence between 02.03.1992 and 31.12.1996 uncorrected visual acuity may be worse than 3/60 in 1 eye
the Group 2 licence must have been issued prior to 01.01.1991 in knowledge of monocularity
monocularity is acceptable for C1 applicants who passed the ordinary driving test prior to 01.01.1997 if they satisfy the number-plate test, the visual acuity standard and the visual field requirement for the remaining
weeto:
Also I will add, that there is no requirement to pass the eyesight test with out corrective lenses any more, so as long as you can meet the standards with corrective lenses you will be ok, IIRC you had to meet both standards for a pass.
That’s a relief for me. I’ve always been worried about my uncorrected sight,always struggled with the chart.
If they now only check corrected vision, no probs!
Apologies for the thread bump, I appreciate this was posted over a year ago but as I’m new to the forum I didn’t want to start a new thread asking questions that have already been answered in the past however :
Is the above still the case? are you no longer tested for uncorrected vision? I was worried about my eye test, with glasses I can read all bar the bottom row, without glasses I can read the top two lines, the 3rd at a push (most likely one letter wrong Q being an O for example) but all lines are blurry. I always wear glasses for driving, always carry a spare pair as I wouldn’t risk driving without, but I would like some clarification if possible?
If the test has been changed what has happened to all the drivers who failed the uncorrected eye test and subsequently lost their HGV entitlement?
gazzer:
So, does this mean anyone with a licence issued prior to 1991 only needs to meet the 6/9 and 6/12 standard in order to pass the eyesight test?
Actually, possibly. Our Fleet Engineer at ConShips (now no longer with us, sadly) was blind in one eye. They tried to pull his HGV and he fought it on “grandfather rights” grounds. I believe he was successful. This must have been best part of 10 years ago, mind, but something like that wouldn’t change, I don’t think. It’d certainly be worth a try.
(I didn’t know about his eye until he told me about what was happening with his licence - probably because he knew I’d had to fight a bit for mine. It did explain why he was such a liability on a heavy lift container reach stacker, though… )
From the age of 65, your licence will need to be renewed each year and your application must be accompanied by a completed D4 medical report form
Can someone clarify this please my license is due for renewal in April,I will be 65 in June will I have to renew again in June or will it be June next year when I’m 66
)