Horse Boxes, Stock Cars, Boats, Trailer - Take Note!

Summer is here at last and people are taking to the roads, towing horse boxes, stock cars, small yachts - perhaps not realising their driving  licenses may not cover it.  John Silvester of the  Berkshire Driving School - an AscotMatters advertiser -  advises that many younger drivers may be trailer towing without trailer entitlement and driving illegally. This is because the laws controlling towing with vehicles are hugely complicated.  The problem occurs if an insurance claim has to be made.  Insurance companies are well aware of the regulations and will not pay out unless they have to.
Entitlement to tow is a complicated business and the BDS can explain the details and provide training.  If you would like further information on this subject, visit the BDS website at  http://www.berkshire-driving-school.co.uk or contact John Silvester for advice,  at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  Alternatively, read on .....

If you passed your test 1 January 1997 and you have not passed the trailer test, you will not have +E on your license.   If you tow a trailer with over-run brakes you may be driving illegally.  There are two main reasons for this -

1)     You are limited to a maximum authorised train weight of 3.5 tonnes
In practice a good tow-car will have a high maximum laden weight, which would permit only a tiny trailer to be pulled.  The combination would otherwise have a maximum permitted weight exceeding 3.5 tonnes.
2)     The maximum trailer weight must not exceed the unladen weight of the car.
A decently sized trailer could be coupled to a smaller car to avoid going over     the 3.5 tonne weight limit.  Unfortunately that would result in the trailer having     a higher maximum permitted weight than the unladen weight of the car.
If you thought that a trailer of 1.75 tonnes maximum permitted weight could be coupled with a family saloon car with a maximum laden weight of 1.75 tonnes to form a vehicle combination of 3.5 tonnes you would be neglecting the fact that a car with a maximum weight of 1.75 tonne car would have an unladen weight considerably less than 1.75 tonnes.  The 1.75 tonne maximum permitted weight of the trailer would therefore be greater than the unladen weight of the car.
The maximum trailer weight should be less than the unladen weight of the car.  In practice you would be restricted to a trailer of about 1.5 tonnes providing you were careful with vehicle selection. This may be –
Weight of car empty                    1.5 tonnes
Seats for five passengers each weighing 75kg,    0.375 tonnes
25 kg allowed per passenger for luggage        0.125 tonnes
Total maximum permitted weight of the car        2.0 tonnes
Total maximum permitted weight of the trailer        1.5 tonnes
Total maximum permitted train weight            3.5 tonnes

I have ‘fiddled’ these figures to make the numbers round up nicely and you would need to look at the user manuals of both the trailer and the car, or better still, get the information from the VIN plates.  These are fixed to the chassis of the trailer and car.
Let us take practical examples, “Tow Cars of the Year 2010”,
In these two examples I have underlined the figure, which restricts the towing capacity -

Golf 2.0 TDi
Weight of car empty                    1.35 tonnes
Total maximum permitted weight of the car        1.92 tonnes
Manufacturers Towing Weight                 1.5 tonnes
Maximum towing weight permitted with this car
If driver does not have trailer entitlement        1.35 tonnes
If driver has the trailer entitlement            1.5 tonnes

Land Rover Discovery 4 V6
Weight of car empty                     2.5 tonnes
Total permitted weight of the car                3.2 tonnes*
Manufacturers towing weight with towing pack        7.7 tonnes
Maximum towing weight with this car
If driver does not have trailer entitlement          0.75 tonnes (unbraked)*
*You would expect that the maximum trailer weight would be only 300kg.   However unbraked trailers can be drawn by most vehicles over 1.5 tonnes unladen weight and by car drivers with a 'full' license but without trailer entitlement.  Such trailers are restricted to 750kg (providing the trailer weighs less than half the weight of the car)
There are some other complications which would influence your choice of vehicle and trailer – for example it is advisable that when towing a caravan or a trailer which could be affected by side winds, the laden trailer should not exceed 85% of the unladen weight of the towing vehicle.  This means an empty caravan of 2.1 tonnes could be towed with the Discovery providing the driver had the trailer entitlement.  (85% of 2.5 is 2.1)  
Overrun brakes are not permitted on trailers over 3.5 tonnes so although the towing weight of the Discovery may exceed this figure, in practice this is not possible with a B+E driving license.  Trailer towing legislation is a complex matter!
In summary -
Without the trailer entitlement, (the +E group) on your driving license you would not be permitted to tow most car trailers or horseboxes, empty or loaded.  Unless of course you displayed ‘L’ plates, have a suitably qualified driver accompanying you and arranging insurance for the purpose.
When you have passed the trailer driving test these driving license restrictions are removed and bigger trailers may be towed.  Be aware that this article focuses on the driving license regulations - other regulations may prevent you towing heavy loads at normal road speeds.  
If you would like further information on this subject, the trailer page of my website   could be your best source  http://www.berkshire-driving-school.co.uk.  Alternatively I would be happy to discuss trailer towing if you were to contact me.

John Silvester.
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it