Licence Requirements for Trailers. Being legally entitled to tow a trailer starts with having a car licence. In other words, you cannot even think about trailer towing unless you possess a valid Category B licence at a minimum. From there, licencing requirements for trailer towing depend on when you earned your car licence. Those requirements are as follows On or After 19 January 2013 – If you gained your licence within this time frame, you would need a Category B+E licence to tow a trailer. This licence will entitle you to tow trailers no heavier than 3,500 kg MAM, with a combined weight of both the trailer and tow vehicle not to exceed 7,500 kg. Anything heavier will require a category C1+E licence. Between 1 Jan 1997 and 19 Jan 2013 – If you earned your licence within this time frame, you would also need a Category B+E licence to tow a trailer. This licence will allow you to tow heavier trailers, such as caravans, but with some restrictions. For example, the unladen weight of a caravan may not exceed 85% of the weight of the tow vehicle. Before 1 January 1997 – If you obtained your car licence prior to this date, you automatically have an entitlement to tow trailers that fall within the modern B+E and C1+E entitlements. This includes heavier trailers and tow vehicles with weights of up to 8,250 kg. You may no longer qualify under this category if your car licence has been restricted in the past. You should know that all of the weights listed above are based on something known as 'maximum authorised mass' (MAM). This is defined as the total amount of weight encompassed by the vehicle and all of the cargo being carried. This means that an MAM of 3,500 kg for a trailer dictates that the trailer and all of its contents do not exceed 3,500 kg. Manufacturers routinely display weight limit information on their trailers.

Just passed your test, got a horsebox that’s a bit bigger then you thought?. Let C W Driver Training Ltd take your worries away. We can come to your location show you how to hitch and unhitch with the vehicle you normally use. Then we take you on a drive making sure you are happy towing your horsebox, after that we show you how to reverse at your storages place incorporating blind sided reversing. Book your two hour course now. If you require another visit from us not a problem just let us know. Need tuition on towing with you horsebox loaded with your pride and joy, again we come to your location. For further information content us now or leave a message below.

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