B+E Trailering - L Plates & Supervisor (workaround)

[PYoung]

As a driver qualifying post 01.01.1997 I am limited to a combined towing limit of 3500kg. I am currently in the process of buying a BC23 and need sort out the towing setup.

I have been looking into the B+E test, but have been slightly put off with the cost and also the huge delay in test backlogs due to the pandemic. Which means that the likelihood of towing this season is slim.

After researching I have found I am legally allowed to tow above 3500kg, as long I am supervised by someone who has qualified pre 1997 and display L plates on the car and trailer. Luckily my wife qualified pre 1997, so in theory she can "supervise".

Is anyone aware of this? Does anyone tow their boats like this? Is it ethically right to exploit this loophole to tow regularly without any intention of taking the B+E test?

Be interesting to hear thoughts on this topic.

Peter

[Graham W]

How much does your car and its occupants weigh?  An unballasted BC23, according to the yard, only weighs 850kg, and then there's the weight of the trailer plus gear.  Again according to the yard, the all-in weight is 1,420kg and Rob's extended inventory added another 160kg, so usually less than a maximum of 1,600kg.  See https://www.swallowyachtsassociation.org/smf/index.php/topic,1567.msg11385.html#msg11385.

[PYoung]

My current car only has a towing weight of 1300kg, so I need to get a beefier vehicle. I was looking at a large SUV like an XC90 (gross weight 2,790 to 2,980 kg) as we have 3 kids and their stuff to tow as well.

I would imagine that the combined weight of the XC90 & trailer would push me way over my legal limit.

Also if I am towing I would like a vehicle that is easily capable of towing much more than I need, to give me peace of mind when towing and avoiding the 'Tail wagging the dog' scenario.

I would like to stay well within the 85% that is recommended for novices like myself.

[PYoung]

Am I also correct in thinking that the towing weight is based on what is plated on the trailer (GVW), not how much is on the trailer.

So the BC23 trailer I will be towing is plated at 1800kg, does that mean that I use that as my towing figure for calculations even if the the boat and trailer combination is less?

[Graham W]

I think that the GVW is the maximum weight that the trailer (including itself) is designed for, while actual weight as measured on a weighbridge (easy to do) is the real life amount to take into account as to whether you're in the clear or not.  So if your trailer GVW is 1,800kg, unless you have even more extras on board than Rob, you should be OK as far as the trailer is concerned.

A while back, several GRP BR20 and BRe owners (including me) found out on weighbridges that their boats and associated gear were very close to the 750kg GVW limit for their unbraked trailers.  They opted to have their trailers upgraded to braked, which helps the tow car (eg when going down steep hills) and also puts less stress on parts of the trailer like the bearings.  The downside is that the brakes need servicing at regular intervals.

Assuming that your real life trailer weight is 1,600 kg, if you get a car with an all-in weight of more than 1,900 kg, then you'll be over the 3,500kg limit.  It sounds like the XC90 with occupants would be well over.

[PYoung]

Yes. I thought as much.

So I suppose that takes me back to the original question of towing supervised with L plates. I think this way I can tow using a wider choice of vehicles.

I wonder what the highway police would say when you drive past with L plates on towing a 23ft boat. Even though it is legal!

[Graham W]

I can imagine that you'll be pulled over regularly.  And given that L plated drivers are not usually allowed on motorways, how would that work?

My wife shared the driving when we trailered our BR20 down to Greece.  Both of us passed our driving tests aeons ago.  We had a fairly elderly AWD Honda CR-V, which with a BC23 would probably squeak in under your 3,500kg all-up limit.  Until we upgraded the trailer to braked, it didn't like going down the side of the Alps very much.

[PYoung]

You are allowed on motorways, See this from DSA:-

SUPERVISING A B+E LEARNER

In April 2010 new rules were introduced for those supervising certain learner drivers but they only affected those supervising VOCATIONAL categories such as C1 C1+E D1 & D1+E where the supervising driver had those categories given to them for free when they passed a pre 1997 car test.

They do not affect those with a pre 1997 B+E licence who wish to supervise a B+E learner.



All B licence holders have B+E provisional on the paper part of their licence and can tow an empty or loaded trailer on all roads including motorways.



The usual rules apply when a learner is driving -

The supervising driver must be aged over 21

The supervising driver must have held a B+E licence for at least 3 years

L plates must be fitted to the front of the vehicle and the rear of the trailer

Correct insurance for a B+E learner

The supervising driver does not need to be insured unless they are driving

[Graham W]

I should take an impressive-looking print-out of the regs with you to show the police!

[Nicky R]

Hi

I missed the 1997 deadline by 6 months, so was in the same situation when we bought our BRE a few years ago. I decided to take the test. It was expensive, particularly as I failed it the first time. (I took it at a new test centre the day after it opened, and in that first week everyone failed on the manoeuvres before they left the test centre.) Despite the cost, I don't regret doing it as I think it improved my  normal driving, and was really useful for hints about towing.

If you decide not to go down the test route, it is perfectly ok to tow on all UK roads including motorways as long as you have L plates on the car and boat. You will need to make sure that the maximum authorised mass (MAM) of the trailer and tow vehicle, not the actual weight, are within the 3500kg limit. (We came unstuck as our BRE trailer, which isn't a CLH one, has a ridiculous MAM.) Many cars' maximum towing weights are set so that they stay within the 3500 kg MAM, but not big four wheel drives like the XC90.

[Graham W]

So this MAM thing is calculated by adding together the car and trailer MAM's as etched on their respective plates, to see if they together exceed 3,500kg?  Nothing to do with real world weighbridge weights, unless for example your trailer with boat weighs more than the trailer MAM?  I think this is what GRP BR owners with unbraked CLH trailers were at risk of breaching.  And back in the real world, their axles and bearings (and sometimes their 10" tyres) were also right on the manufacturer's recommended limits.

So to take an example, I think that my braked trailer's MAM is 1,300kg, while my old Honda's MAM was 2,160kg. This gives a combined MAM of a whisker under the 3,500kg limit for you young things?

And then if you were driving a more capable and altogether safer Volvo XC90 with a higher MAM and the same braked trailer but with nothing on it, you'd be breaking the law unless you were an old fart like me.  Or were being "supervised" and showing L plates.  How confusing!  Do I detect a whiff of Brussels?

[PYoung]

Yes its all very bizarre.

I think I will take the B+E test as soon as I can to avoid any headaches. Annoying I passed my test in 1997, just after the change in licenses! Doh!

Like Nicky R says, maybe I will learn something useful from the test.

[Nicky R]

It's certainly a bizarre piece of legislation, encouraging you to buy a lighter car to pull a heavier trailer.

I just wish I'd known about it when I was learning to drive. If I'd been slightly quicker learning I could have avoided taking the extra test. All I knew then was that I'd have to pass a theory test, which didn't seem like a big issue.