rawhide Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Hi to you all, Very excited but not blind folded about Hobby 750fml,8mtr length,i know my license is ok on weight, what about length? Help, is anybody there :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 What makes you think length comes into the equation? Whats the length of a car towing a caravan, a good bit more than 7m? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 12 m is the max length but you can't register one longer than that anyway. (lol) Edit: Just saw your other post, you will need to update your licence if you want to travel over channel Green licences only valid in the UK unless you get an International Driving Permit each time you go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 sshortcircuit - 2014-01-30 4:27 PM What makes you think length comes into the equation? Whats the length of a car towing a caravan, a good bit more than 7m? Yes my last caravan with car came to just over 10m in total. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hallii Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 I recently swapped my old green paper licence for a 2 part plastic and paper one. Both the French and Spanish police have accepted it without question. I didn't have an international licence either. Maybe I was lucky? No matter I am fully up to date now :-) H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave225 Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 lennyhb - 2014-01-30 4:44 PM 12 m is the max length but you can't register one longer than that anyway. (lol) Edit: Just saw your other post, you will need to update your licence if you want to travel over channel Green licences only valid in the UK unless you get an International Driving Permit each time you go. Since when??? Old licences are still valid in Europe as they are valid in the UK. I agree the local 'Plods' may object but there is nothing illegal about them. My wife is finally accepting that she will have to swop her tattered paper one for a new plastic thing with a (to her unacceptable) photograph, but in the interests of harmony etc etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Dave225 - 2014-01-30 5:18 PM lennyhb - 2014-01-30 4:44 PM 12 m is the max length but you can't register one longer than that anyway. (lol) Edit: Just saw your other post, you will need to update your licence if you want to travel over channel Green licences only valid in the UK unless you get an International Driving Permit each time you go. Since when??? Old licences are still valid in Europe as they are valid in the UK. I agree the local 'Plods' may object but there is nothing illegal about them. My wife is finally accepting that she will have to swop her tattered paper one for a new plastic thing with a (to her unacceptable) photograph, but in the interests of harmony etc etc. Green & Pink and the Pink paper licences with EU on them are valid in Europe the very old Green one isn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docted Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Sorry to ddisagree Lenny but old paper licences are still legal in Europe, not reccomended but still valid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rawhide Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 Hi to all replies and thanks, so if i change my paper license to new type, will i still be able to drive heavier vehicles than the modern license allows, my license is from 1973, ps , i think someone is getting fed up with me, is anybody there *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rawhide Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 Hi len, sorry, in France 2 years ago green license was legal then i can assure you, Regards steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 The original green licence as never fully acceptable EU wide when first issued I still remember having to get an Italian translation 30+ years ago, AFAIK all subsequent licences are legal EU wide. Would any foreign police officer know if your licence was legal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Have to agree with Colin, with the original Green license Italy requires an official translation & Spain a IDP. The later Green & Pink ones with EU on them are fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 rawhide - 2014-01-30 7:50 PM Hi to all replies and thanks, so if i change my paper license to new type, will i still be able to drive heavier vehicles than the modern license allows, my license is from 1973, ps , i think someone is getting fed up with me, is anybody there *-) The validity of UK 'paper' driving licences outside the UK was discussed at some length in this earlier forum thread http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/News-about-new-licences/33587/ If you have an all-green UK paper licence, it would probably be a good idea to swap it for a current photocard version if you plan to drive outside the UK. If you have the later-model pink-and-green paper licence (which may well be the case if it's 1973 vintage) there is less incentive to swap it. If you do decide to swap your paper driving licence for a photocard, this should have no effect on your driving entitlements. Whatever vehicles your present paper licence shows you are entitled to drive (eg. vehicles up to 7500kg in weight), those entitlements should be transferred to the replacement licence. https://www.gov.uk/exchange-paper-driving-licence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 For anyone exchanging or renewing a licence, I would remind them that the DVLA are still 'losing' entitlements, photo copy your original before sending it off, it's strange, a lot of people seem to lose their licence just before renewing and have to apply for replacement, if it comes back with missing groups these same people usually manage to find the lost licence after a more thorough search ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul- Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Your licence is ok its the vehicle you tow with that matters The maximum body length you can legally tow with a vehicle whose max gross weight is under 3,500kg is 7mtrs, this excludes drawbar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 It's often not necessary nowadays to send away one's existing driving-licence when applying for renewal of a photocard licence or exchange of a paper licence for a photocard one. The DVLA's Form D1 http://www.mojawyspa.co.uk/download/dokumenty/drivinglicence.pdf suggests that a current driving licence only needs to be sent to the DVLA when applying for a replacement (due to change of name/address). I'm not doubting for a moment that the DVLA can 'lose' entitlements and, if there is a requirement to send an existing licence to the DVLA, it makes excellent sense to take a photocopy of the original before sending it. When my wife needed to renew her (paper) driving licence at age 70, it proved necessary to contact the DVLA as, after a few weeks had been allowed to pass, no replacement licence appeared. The DVLA's records (apparently) showed that a new licence had been issued not long after my wife had applied and the chap she spoke to at the DVLA said he would arrange for a duplicate to be sent. This arrived a couple of days later. I still have a paper licence and, when I reach 70 (I'm just a youthful toy-boy) I'm not concerned with losing my 'up-tp-7500kg' entitlement. But I shall want to keep my motorbike entitlement even though it's unlikely I'll ever need it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Paul- - 2014-01-31 1:46 PM Your licence is ok its the vehicle you tow with that matters The maximum body length you can legally tow with a vehicle whose max gross weight is under 3,500kg is 7mtrs, this excludes drawbar. Fuller details are here: http://www.ntta.co.uk/law/law/dimensions.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 The topic of Paper licence/Plastic card always causes much fuss, debate and differences of opinion. Where else but good ol' blighty could we end up with such a batty set of 'rules/regs' which naturally as 'brits' we have a peculiar obsession with. Like a fool i fell for the "get your new plastic card licence for free" con when they were first introduced. I'd been suckered in as from then on i had to pay £20 to renew after ten years (another shambles too which finds many people unwittingly driving with an invalid licence.....but that's another story). Thinking i'd got rid of the 'old' paper licence, back came my plastic card plus paper Counterpart which has to be kept at all times. Lose the counterpart and DVLA charge you for a re-issue. So effectively instead of having one licence, you now end up with two! Whenever i tour i always used to take the paper counterpart with me but found it simply bamboozled Police or Border control officers. Who can blame them either?!! Most don't know what it is anyway, so now i just take my plastic card which is instantly recognised, understood and gets me waved through on my journey without any stupid hassle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 It will be very evident from the following Wikipedia entry that there are significant variations in how different countries deal with driving licences. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driver's_license I see no reason why the UK's current system of a 'Euro-standard' plastic card plus a paper counterpart should be considered bizarre. Nor - as having a driving licence is not a God-given right - why administration charges should not be part of the issuing/renewal system. Licence endorsements are recorded on the paper counterpart but, as there is no legal requirement for drivers to carry driving-licence documentation while driving in the UK, such information will only become available to the UK police if it is demanded that a driver present his/her licence at a police-station. Personally, I'd rather have visual evidence of my endorsements (or lack of endorsements) on a paper part of my driving-licence that I'm in charge of, than rely on the accuracy of endorsement-related data held on a remote computer that I've no access to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Only time I've ever been asked for the paper counterpart outside of the UK was when hiring a car in Ireland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Derek Uzzell - 2014-01-31 2:23 PM I still have a paper licence and, when I reach 70 (I'm just a youthful toy-boy) I'm not concerned with losing my 'up-tp-7500kg' entitlement. But I shall want to keep my motorbike entitlement even though it's unlikely I'll ever need it. It appears that cat A motorcycle is the most commonly 'Lost' one, so best take precautions. For myself if/when I make it to 70 a 7.5t licence will probably not be necessary in europe, but hiring a RV in north america could be a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulletguy Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Derek Uzzell - 2014-02-01 7:51 AM I see no reason why the UK's current system of a 'Euro-standard' plastic card plus a paper counterpart should be considered bizarre. Nor - as having a driving licence is not a God-given right - why administration charges should not be part of the issuing/renewal system. The old green paper licence (now often confused with the Counterpart paper licence) was issued FOC to everyone once going from provisional to a full licence......back in it's day. From memory there was no charge (it was 46 years ago for me so stand to be corrected if wrong) and only changed with the introduction of the plastic photocard licence which had to be renewed every ten years due to the photograph. Those with an 'old style' paper licence who chose not to take a plastic photocard licence could still continue to drive on the old licence only. In fact two of my friends similar in age to myself never opted to take a photocard and continue to drive using their 'old style' licence. All perfectly legal of course. In my naivety i chose to go for a photocard when first issued as i thought (wrongly as it's turned out) that in a few years it would become compulsory. The idea behind the photocard is very good of course. Being the size of a credit card it easily fits in any wallet/purse so where in the past i never carried my 'old style' paper licence, i now always have my photocard with me. Where the idea falls down (IMO), is having a Counterpart paper issued as well as. Totally unnecessary, a complete fag and OTT administration. Also, once you have opted for a photocard you cannot suddenly decide to revert back because DVLA won't let you. You are fixed into the system then and must renew the photocard every ten years paying a fee of £20 until you reach 70 when it becomes free. As mentioned previously i used to take my Counterpart with me when touring other countries but after a couple of years gave up and don't bother with it now as no foreign Police or Border guards have a damn clue what the thing is.....no doubt because they cannot understand why a driver should have two totally different licences. I'm in no doubt they feel that 'bizarre' and tend to agree with them! They recognise a photocard licence in an instant as they are virtually identical to the licences which drivers from all other foreign countries are issued with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Bulletguy - 2014-02-01 4:00 PM Derek Uzzell - 2014-02-01 7:51 AM I see no reason why the UK's current system of a 'Euro-standard' plastic card plus a paper counterpart should be considered bizarre. Nor - as having a driving licence is not a God-given right - why administration charges should not be part of the issuing/renewal system. The old green paper licence (now often confused with the Counterpart paper licence) was issued FOC to everyone once going from provisional to a full licence......back in it's day. From memory there was no charge (it was 46 years ago for me so stand to be corrected if wrong) and only changed with the introduction of the plastic photocard licence which had to be renewed every ten years due to the photograph. Like yourself I struggle to remember exactly what happened, but I seem to recall that either you paid for a test which included in it's price the green licence, or when your old licence expired (which they did every 3 years) then you paid for the new licence. I have no recollection of any free licences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 colin - 2014-02-01 7:20 PM Like yourself I struggle to remember exactly what happened, but I seem to recall that either you paid for a test which included in it's price the green licence, or when your old licence expired (which they did every 3 years) then you paid for the new licence. I have no recollection of any free licences. The old licence are you talking about the little red books ones? Got me wondering what happened to my old ones probably in the attic somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidmac Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Hi, just had a look at my license, green paper issued in 1976,expires in 3 years time. I never bothered to change to a photo license and have only had to show it abroard when picking up a hire car,which was always o.k.,and once to a policeman in Bulgaria who stopped me for speeding. In Bulgaria out of towns there was/is a 60 k.p.h. speed limit 50meters? either side of a road junction . The junction was at the end of a long downhill gradient ,and I had rolled down this hill with foot off the gas and was clocked at 78kph.Had to show license but from the way the ploiceman looked at it a green sheild stamp book would have sufficed. The penalty was an on the spot fine of 20 Lev (the official excange rate at the time c1990 was £1=Lev22, blackmarket was 27/28. Luckily the fine didn't put too much of a dent in the holiday budget. If I remember correctly prior to my current green license, I had a little red book.Can't remember how much it cost .but could fill the car with petrol, take the girlfriend to the pictures ,get fish and chips on the way home and have change from 5/- Regards David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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