When I was working as an installation engineer a few months back, I was 19 and spent most of my day driving a Ford Transit with a Versalift cherrypicker on the back.
The quoted vehicles weight (Before the cherry picker was added) was either 2 or 3.5t, if memory serves me correct. The cherry picker was quoted to weigh 1.5t, Making a total of 5t unladen. Adding onto this all the equipment and steel in the back, It probably closer to 6tonnes.
When originally asked to drive it, I had a few questions (As I didnt think I was licensed or insured to drive it.) My manager spent two days ringing various departments at the DVLA and even VOSA - But nobody could give a straight answer, And all of them was different.
Eventually they settled on the idea that as the company insurance covered drivers of any age, and a VOSA rep had told them it was a 'grey area' but the Cherry picker on the rear of the vehicle would, aslong as I was driving to or from a work site - class it as a 'Plant Vehicle' and make it 'expemt from UK licensing laws'
I was personally still unsure, but drove it anyway - Didnt get any problems doing it, no second glances from the police.. I even pulled into one of those VOSA road-side checks them and the police do in Ancoats quite regulary once to ask them (Then quickly left before they spent too long looking at the van and noticed it was a deathtrap. In my first month of being at the company the vans driveshaft had fallen off, its hazards stopped working -Then fixed themselves, Then jammed themselves on, Then started to flash at irregular intervals, Its warning beacons stopped working - then fell off while doing 40 down a dual carriageway, The horn stopped working.. The brakes went dodgey and then the lift platform started curse word hydraulic fluid whenever you used it.) and even the VOSA and police officers I spoke to in person, with the van couldnt give me a straight answer. The DVLA havent been any use either.
So I carried on plodding along...
Anyway, its come to the point where I'm looking at LGV training and I came across this on DirectGov:
Which is what I had always believed (I only hold B and B1).
So, Was VOSA right and was I driving legally, Or in the unfortunate event of me hitting something or even worse, Someone - was I up shitcreek without a leg to stand on?.
(And yes, i understand most of you are probably staring at me in disbelief that i would choose to pull into a VOSA stop check without being flagged down - Half the staff there stared in disbelief at first!)
The quoted vehicles weight (Before the cherry picker was added) was either 2 or 3.5t, if memory serves me correct. The cherry picker was quoted to weigh 1.5t, Making a total of 5t unladen. Adding onto this all the equipment and steel in the back, It probably closer to 6tonnes.
When originally asked to drive it, I had a few questions (As I didnt think I was licensed or insured to drive it.) My manager spent two days ringing various departments at the DVLA and even VOSA - But nobody could give a straight answer, And all of them was different.
Eventually they settled on the idea that as the company insurance covered drivers of any age, and a VOSA rep had told them it was a 'grey area' but the Cherry picker on the rear of the vehicle would, aslong as I was driving to or from a work site - class it as a 'Plant Vehicle' and make it 'expemt from UK licensing laws'
I was personally still unsure, but drove it anyway - Didnt get any problems doing it, no second glances from the police.. I even pulled into one of those VOSA road-side checks them and the police do in Ancoats quite regulary once to ask them (Then quickly left before they spent too long looking at the van and noticed it was a deathtrap. In my first month of being at the company the vans driveshaft had fallen off, its hazards stopped working -Then fixed themselves, Then jammed themselves on, Then started to flash at irregular intervals, Its warning beacons stopped working - then fell off while doing 40 down a dual carriageway, The horn stopped working.. The brakes went dodgey and then the lift platform started curse word hydraulic fluid whenever you used it.) and even the VOSA and police officers I spoke to in person, with the van couldnt give me a straight answer. The DVLA havent been any use either.
So I carried on plodding along...
Anyway, its come to the point where I'm looking at LGV training and I came across this on DirectGov:
If the vehicle has a maximum authorised mass, which exceeds 3.5 tonnes, but not 7.5 tonnes then a category C1 licence is needed.
Which is what I had always believed (I only hold B and B1).
So, Was VOSA right and was I driving legally, Or in the unfortunate event of me hitting something or even worse, Someone - was I up shitcreek without a leg to stand on?.
(And yes, i understand most of you are probably staring at me in disbelief that i would choose to pull into a VOSA stop check without being flagged down - Half the staff there stared in disbelief at first!)
