Towing A Trailer Or Caravan - Practical Test Explained

If you passed your driving test after or on the 1st of January 1997 and you want to tow a caravan or a trailer then you may have to take a specific practical driving test to enable you to do so.

If you were taught by any driving schools in York or whichever part of the country you live in before 1st of January 1997 they should have informed you that if you pass your test before this date then you keep your entitlement to be able to drive a vehicle and trailer combination of 8.25 tonnes, as well as a mini bus and a trailer as heavy as 750 kilograms.

However a new law was introduced on 1st January 1997 that states all drivers that pass after this date lose that entitlement and have to take a practical test in order to be able to gain it back again. If you decide not to take this practical test then it isn't the end of the world.

If you do decide to take the towing a trailer or caravan test it would be advantageous to ask any of the driving schools in York if that is where you live or whichever other area you live to give you some driving lessons as this would give you some relevant experience.

The law states that if you haven't taken this practical test then you are only allowed to drive vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes and only allowed to tow a maximum weight of 750 kilograms.

The car and trailer test, more commonly known as the B+E, is based on the lorry driving test and lasts roughly an hour. The B+E tests aren't conducted at regular driving test centres, but at vocational bus and lorry driving test centres.

The towing test (B+E) includes such things as:

Vehicle safety questions
An off of the road reverse manoeuvre
A controlled stop
Un-coupling and coupling of the trailer and driving on the road

Your practical B+E test will include approximately 10 minutes of independent driving to assess your ability to drive safely whilst making decisions independently.

You can also take someone with you on your test. The most logical person to take would be your driving instructors, although most good driving schools in York or whichever area you live should tell you that you don't have to take them along. As long as they are at least 16 years old, and they are aware that they can't help or take part in any of the test.

I hope this has helped you when you come to take your B+E practical test

Darren Hirst is one of the leading, professional driving instructors in the UK and is the owner of Just Driving, which was founded many years ago. Just Driving is a national driving school and supplies top quality driving lessons

Darren spends a lot of his time writing articles and press releases on driving instructor related experiences in order to help assist other people when searching for help and advise on these particular topics.

Darren spends a lot of his time writing articles and press releases on driving instructor related experiences in order to help assist other people when searching for help and advise on these particular topics.