CAT + TRAILER TOWING

Staycations are the new vacations. But are you Legal to tow ?

Greer's Gears Driving School offer car + trailer / caravan safety and towing courses across Ayrshire, Scotland. With recent legislative changes implemented by the UK Government there is now no requirement for drivers to sit either a theory test or a practical driving test to demonstrate competence in towing.

Please note that our course prices do not include DVSA test fees as practical driving / towing tests are no longer required.

How do I work out if I am allowed to tow?

* LEGISLATION UPDATES *

Recent legislation has been implemented allowing drivers to have an automatic entitlement to tow without the need to sit another practical driving test to show competence in all aspects of towing. DVSA still advise that drivers undertake an accredited training programme before towing on public roads. This is to mitigate the risk of road accidents involving vehicles used to tow trailers for various purposes and caravans.

Another aspect to consider why it is advantageous to take a towing course is your car insurance. If you can demonstrate that you have taken an accredited towing course and evidence competence then it more likely that should an incident occur whilst towing you can at least mitigate on any potential claim if the unthinkable happens.

Below are some video clips demonstrating the standard required in the reverse, uncouple / recouple and trailer inspections.

Prior to the legislative changes, Road Traffic laws changed in 1997 for the majority of people. If you passed the UK Driving Test before 1st January 1997 then you will be entitled to tow. Your licence should show the CAT E (trailer) entitlement on the reverse side of your driving licence photo card. You can use the UK Gov licence checker service if it is not shown.

All drivers who passed a car test before 1st January 1997 retain their existing entitlement to tow trailers until their licence expires. This means they are generally entitled to drive a vehicle and trailer combination up to 8.25 tonnes MAM.

If you sat a practical driving test after 1st January 1997 then you will be required to take another practical test to gain the licence categories of B (CAR) + E (TRAILER). This will allow you to tow legally on UK roads. There are weight and length restrictions that apply when towing.

Category B vehicles weighing up to 3.5 tonnes MAM and with up to 8 passenger seats may be coupled with a trailer up to 750kgs MAM (allowing a combined weight up to 4.25 tonnes MAM) OR a trailer over 750kgs MAM provided the MAM of the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehicle, and the combination does not exceed 3.5 tonnes MAM. Click here to check the towing capacity of your vehicle.

Car + Trailer Reverse exercise

Reverse the vehicle unit around the centre cone and finish the exercise with the vehicle and trailer within the designated bay marked by the cones.

Car + Trailer : uncouple / recouple exercise

Ten hours tuition. £500.00 Ten hours tuition split over 5 x (2hrs) sessions. In these sessions we will boost your confidence in reversing up to a trailer, completing safety and road legal condition checks, coupling & uncoupling the trailer, the reversing manoeuvre, forward driving - road positioning, correct use of mirrors, speed awareness / limits on a variety of roads. Test fee is NOT included. Twelve hours tuition. £600.00 Twelve hours tuition split over 6 (x2hrs) sessions with the car and trailer test taken at the end of your course. This option includes all the elements in our 10 hour package plus a little more time on reversing. Ideal for those who have some towing experience but are less confident going backwards. DVSA test fees (£115) are NOT included and should be factored into your budget. Sixteen hours tuition. £800.00 Sixteen hours split over 8 (x2 hr) sessions. Great course for those who haven't towed before but are confident and competent drivers. The content looks at trailer safety and road condition checks, reversing up to a trailer, manual handling and moving a trailer when not connected to a vehicle, coupling to / uncoupling from a towing vehicle, correct mirror use and road positioning, general reversing in a straight line, around left and right hand corners and the B+E trailer test requirements. Twenty hours tuition. £1000.00 Twenty hours tuition split over 10 (x2 hr) sessions. This is suitable for those who have never towed before and need extra help to get general all round driving skills back up to test standard. Inclusive of all trailer related course content listed in our packages but simply spread over a longer time period. Twenty-Four hours tuition. £1200.00 24 hours tuition on a 1-2-1 basis split over 12 (x2 hr) sessions with a test at the end of the course. This is the option if you need everything related to towing and is aimed at being suitable for those who have never towed before, need training to build manual trailer handling skills, improve general forward driving and reversing skills.