Rayjsj Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Hi all, I am 68, but will soon need to plan for my 70th and all that will entail 'license' wise. I passed my car test in 1966, and have driven consistantly since then, I also have a full Motorcycle license. My Motorhome is 3650kg unladen, with a max of 4250kg. I tow a car on an A-Frame which weighs 1060 kg. (vans max tow limit is 1100kg, which is why the car doesn't go on a trailer). I presume (gleaned from reading other threads on here) that I will need a medical ? which shouldn't be too much of a problem (i hope, i am reasonably fit). How often will I need one ? every 3 years ? or every year ? I have a C1+E on my license at present, and my understanding is that I will need to Keep it if I want to continue as I am. Is this correct ? Also how often do I have to renew this license ? I have been told various things, from every year ? every 3 years ? to 'they will only give you a C1 once you are 70' which would scupper towing the car. I HAVE tried the DVLA website, but come off more confused than before, as they don't seem to cover my situation. any (positive) help appreciated. Thanks Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolandrat Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 If you take a medical at 70 for a 7.5 ton HGV licence it will last for 3 years. If you have a medical for an HGV class 1 it will only last for 1 year. I'm in my seventies and just passed another HGV class 1 medical which I have done every year since I was 65. My 7.5 ton entitlement will be plus 3 years from this month as well. The D4 medical form has changed in format now and there's a full page just for your eyesight. I don't know of any GP's surgeries that has all the equipment set up for eyesight tests of the standard that is now required so for me I went to an optician first who did an in depth examination and then stamped and signed the first page of the D4. I then went to a GP for my HGV1 medical and then it was signed again on the last page. It's now at the DVLA along with my licence for renewal. What you need to remember is that your eyesight test results will be on the DVLA's records for the rest of your life so if you have any doubts you need to stay below 3.5 tons and carry on with your normal car licence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted July 17, 2014 Author Share Posted July 17, 2014 Thanks for that Roland, I don't really want or need an HGV (do I ?) I just want to keep my C1 + E , Which will allow me to tow a trailer over 750kgs with a vehicle over 3500 kgs. As I said my van is 3650kg and i don't wish to 'Downplate' it. can I ?? Ray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Dwight Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 Raymond approx. three months before your 70th birthday DVLA will send you all the information you need regarding keeping you C1E. Basically its a medical and eye test. When you get your new licence it lasts for three years. Your motorhome is already classed as a HGV. There is a link on the forum during the last week regarding getting a medical cheaper than by your GP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Rayjsj - 2014-07-17 8:33 PM............ As I said my van is 3650kg and i don't wish to 'Downplate' it. can I ?? Ray. Ray, that is not what you said in your first post above. There, you said: "My Motorhome is 3650kg unladen, with a max of 4250kg." For licence categories, have a Google for DVLA leaflet D100. Can you downplate? In principle yes, though obviously not if your unladen weight exceeds 3.5 tonnes! If you know how much your van actually weighs laden, and how much your actual payload is (that is to say the weight of everything you carry in the van including yourselves), then if the normally laden van is at, or below, 3.5 tonnes you could downplate it to 3.5 and not have to omit anything. If it normally exceeds 3.5 tonnes, you'd have to start working out what/who to leave behind. :-) When sending your documents/licence to the DVLA keep copies of everything, just in case! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted July 18, 2014 Author Share Posted July 18, 2014 Brian Kirby - 2014-07-18 12:08 AM Rayjsj - 2014-07-17 8:33 PM............ As I said my van is 3650kg and i don't wish to 'Downplate' it. can I ?? Ray. Ray, that is not what you said in your first post above. There, you said: "My Motorhome is 3650kg unladen, with a max of 4250kg." For licence categories, have a Google for DVLA leaflet D100. Can you downplate? In principle yes, though obviously not if your unladen weight exceeds 3.5 tonnes! If you know how much your van actually weighs laden, and how much your actual payload is (that is to say the weight of everything you carry in the van including yourselves), then if the normally laden van is at, or below, 3.5 tonnes you could downplate it to 3.5 and not have to omit anything. If it normally exceeds 3.5 tonnes, you'd have to start working out what/who to leave behind. :-) When sending your documents/licence to the DVLA keep copies of everything, just in case! Thanks for the info Brian, when I said (wrote) Can I ? I was referering to keeping my C1+E License, not downplating, sorry for the confusion. Ray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 So my V5 says 3850K and the vehicle plate says 3500K, which one is relevant to my licence? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Billggski, the figures contradict each other, so you need to decide whether to get the vehicle plate or the V5 changed. Allowing the ucertainty to persist could cause problems - and for example give your insurer an excuse to repudiate a claim. Was your MH re-plated to incease it's payload at some stage, as the V5 figure might suggest? MHs sometimes have two plates, one from the base vehicle manaufacturer and one applied later by the MH builder, so check for that. I'm also approaching 70 and have a C1+e licence which i want to keep so i did some homework. I eventually managed to get DVLA to send me a blank Medical D4 Form but it wasn't easy to do on line. Post Offices don't keep them. If you have spectacles and a copy of your spectacle prescription you can take the form straight to the doctor rather than pay an optician as well. Your own doctor will probably charge you about £100 but there are companies offering HGV medicals (same thing effectively) for as little as £55 if you shop around. No reason why you can't use any doctor. The completed medical form only goes out of date after four months and you can send your licence application in to DVLA 56 days before your birthday, so you have plenty of time to set things up. DVLA have been known to lose track of things like motorcycle category entitlements so I'm planning to keep a photocopy just in case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Billggski - 2014-07-18 8:25 PM So my V5 says 3850K and the vehicle plate says 3500K, which one is relevant to my licence? Bill, if you are stopped and weighed, it will be the vehicle plate that rules! If you produce the V5C as evidence for a higher load, you will likely be referred to the back of section 12, where it says: "The regsitered keeper is: responsible for making sure the vehicle is properly registered.............." Whoever made the mistake, it unfortunately becomes your responsibility to ensure the details are accurate. It would be wise to get the error corrected, just in case, but especially if you are running at over 3,500kg. If you bought the van from a dealer on the basis that it is 3,850kg, you need to have a "talk" to the dealer, because he has made a serious error! However, is it possible it has been re-plated and the plate has fallen off, or possibly never been attached? Have you owned your van from new? If not, might the previous owner/s have had it re-plated up and not attached the plate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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