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 The Berkshire Driving School 

"The Thinking Persons Driving School"

Berkshire Driving School, 63 Wheatley, Great Hollands, Bracknell RG12 8UG
01344 303132

http://www.berkshire-driving-school.co.uk
Trailer Tuition Enquiries : john@berkshire-driving-school.co.uk

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Berkshire Driving School - Trailer Towing


Like all select occupations, trailer towing has its own jargon. This section attempts to explain these and add some practical knowledge on the subject. Please let us know if you think of something we have left out or if any errors have sneaked in. We have a minimum test vehicle to help you get through the driving test but we will provide training on your own outfit if required.

Trailer towing incurs a 25% surcharge over our standard rate - please check the home page for our current rates.


Frequently Asked Trailer Questions

  1. What is the MAM?
  2. What is a Tonne?
  3. What are ‘grandfather rights'?
  4. Give an example of ‘grandfather rights'
  5. What is the vehicle weight when pulling a trailer?
  6. Does ‘fully comprehensive insurance' cover all damage done by a driver?
  7. What are the current restrictions to car provisional license holders?
  8. What are the restrictions applying to trailer drivers?
  9. How does the car + trailer test differ from the car test?
  10. How do I uncouple the trailer?
  11. How do I recouple the trailer?
  12. What is meant by ‘vehicle security' when recoupling?
  13. What is an ‘anti-sway' device?
  14. How is snaking avoided?
  15. What compatibility issues are important?
  16. Is the weight on the tow bar important?
  17. What is a jack knife and how do I correct it?
  18. What is ‘brake fade' and how do I avoid it?
  19. When driving off, what is the most important safety concern?
  20. What restrictions apply to trailer drivers?
  21. How much is Car Tax?
  22. Do I need a Trailer Licence?

1. What is the MAM?

The MAM is the maximum authorised mass (weight) also known as the gross vehicle weight. It is the weight of the trailer plus the weight of the maximum permitted payload.

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2. What is a Tonne?

A tonne is a metric ton or 1000kg.

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3. What are ‘grandfather rights'?

Grandfather's rights are the continued rights to drive vehicles although the law has changed. New drivers with the same license will not be permitted to drive certain vehicles which had hitherto been allowed if that person had passed the test at an earlier date.

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4. Give an example of ‘grandfather rights'

Drivers who passed the test before 1 January 1997 are permitted to drive vehicle and trailer combinations up to 8.25 tonnes. They are also permitted to drive medium goods vehicles which have a MAM of 7.5 tonnes. Drivers who passed their test after this date are restricted to vehicle and trailer combinations of 3.5 tonnes MAM. They are also restricted to small trailers with a MAM of 750 kg, 3/4 metric ton.

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5. What is the maximum weight a car or 4X4 may pull?

The DVLA states -
"Category B vehicles 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."

Reference is made to the maximum authorised mass (MAM) of vehicles and trailers. This should be taken to mean the permissible maximum weight, also known as the gross vehicle weight.

As for towing caravans, existing general guidance recommends that the laden weight of the caravan does not exceed 85% of the unladen weight of the car. In the majority of cases, caravans and small trailers towed by cars should be within the new category B threshold.

For example: Say that the unladen weight of a typical 4X4 may be 2 tonnes. The manufacturer may authorise a MAM of 2.75 tonnes. ie it may be permitted to carry a payload of 750kg max.
This leaves just 750kg for the trailer (ie a small camping trailer, usually unbraked.) Clearly the 4x4 is capable of drawing a far larger trailer than this but the driver must have a trailer licence entitlement to do so.

So, two requirements are needed. There are that the vehicle has a towing limit and also legal restrictions apply.

The vehicle weight is the maximum mass of the car plus trailer. Be aware of this so that you may comply with weight limit signs.
You should find that your trailer is marked with the unladen weight and payload. (Our present trailer has a payload of 1,000kg and an unladen weight of 276kg bringing the maximum authorized mass to 1276kg. This is just over the minimum driving test vehicle requirements.) Our BMW 120d has a maximum permitted towing mass of 1,200kg (as printed in the manufacturer's handbook) so is a good match for this trailer. When fully laden the trailer will weigh less than 80% of the car and therefore complies with the Code of Practice recommended by the Caravan Club.

If the trailer has no brakes it may have a maximum authorized mass of 750kg and may be driven by car drivers. 'L' plates and a supervising driver are not required. However the trailer must weigh less than half the weight of the towing vehicle's kerb weight.

Trailers with overrun brakes may have a maximum authorized mass of 3.5 tonnes if permitted by the manufacturer (as denoted by the plate). They usually have a maximum authorized mass exceeding 750kg and restrictions apply if the driver does not have grandfather rights to draw such a trailer - namely the front and rear of the vehicle must display 'L' plates and the driver must be supervised by a qualified driver. The trailer when loaded must not exceed the car manufacturer's design limit (see handbook). Note that although the vehicle may easily pull the trailer, legal considerations should be observed. Failure to do so would invalidate the insurance. For example a car plus trailer license will not allow the driver to draw a combination greater than 4.25 tonnes (3.5 tonne vehicle drawing a 750kg trailer). Above this mass a medium or large driving license is required to be held by the driver.

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6. Does ‘fully comprehensive insurance' cover all damage done by a driver?

No, for example, if a driver overloads a bridge, this is not likely to be covered by the vehicle insurance.

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7. What are the current restrictions to car provisional license holders?

These include not pulling a trailer and not driving on the motorway. They should also display ‘L' plates and be accompanied by a suitably qualified driver.

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8. What are the restrictions applying to trailer drivers?

These include not using the third lane of motorways and lower speed limits on many roads:

Weight restrictions may also apply.
Note that some vehicles (eg Ford Ka) are not permitted to tow trailers of any description.

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9. How does the car + trailer test differ from the car test?

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10. How do I uncouple the trailer?

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11. How do I recouple the trailer?

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12. What is meant by ‘vehicle security' when recoupling?

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13. What is an ‘anti-sway' device?

These are sometimes used on higher trailers to stop them swaying or snaking in the wind. They dampen the movement between trailer and towing vehicle.

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14. How is snaking avoided?

Increasing the nose weight, fitting an anti-sway device, increasing the trailers tyre pressures and travelling slower will reduce this effect. Should this occur, braking will exacerbate this. Drive sympathetically and lift off the accelerator should this should occur. Consider accelerating if a transitory gust is the cause of the problem.

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15. What compatibility issues are important?

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16. Is the weight on the tow bar important?

The weight should be such so that it can be coupled up to the car without too much effort. Excessive weight on the tow bar will set the car head lights too high and make the steering dangerously light.

Too little weight will make the combination snake the coupling may bang when going over bumps and the rear of the car will be excessively bouncy.

A nose weight of between 50 to 100kg should be considered. The load on the trailer may be re-distributed to achieve this.

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17. What is a jack knife and how do I correct it?

Jack knifes come in two forms. Firstly, when reversing, the angle of the trailer can become so acute that the driver will not be able to recover when on full lock. Driving forward and straightening will sort this out.

A second type is a dangerous condition caused by the driver slowing down too sharply when cornering. The trailer goes straight on and pushes the back of the car round. If the driver had braked on the straight and accelerated gently when cornering, this could have been avoided. If the driver is lucky and catches the situation in time then accelerating might restore stability.

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18. What is ‘brake fade' and how do I avoid it?

Hot friction material may lose its efficiency when hot or metal parts distort slightly. Old hydraulic fluid may produce bubbles if subjected to heat, air is squashy.

Cars have disk brakes which do not suffer brake fade since they offer superior cooling and brake disks expand towards the pads. Trailers have drum brakes which can overheat causing the drums to expand away from the brake shoes.

When approaching long descents trailer drivers should keep their brakes cool by –

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19. When driving off, what is the most important safety concern?

Visibility is restricted so be vigilant with your observation by checking ALL mirrors and looking round effectively, covering all sides of the vehicle. Watch out for pedestrians stepping over the tow hitch!

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20. What restrictions apply to trailer drivers?

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21. How much is Car Tax?

For current rates of car tax (Vehicle Excise Duty) click here

http://www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk/ved/ then please come back

For additional useful information on vehicle taxation click here

http://www.dvla.gov.uk/faq/faqindex.htm

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22. Do I need a Trailer Licence?

If you wish to tow a larger trailer, the kind that have brakes fitted, and you do not have 'grandfather rights' (see questions 3 and 4 for explanation) then you will probably need to get your entitlement by passing the trailer test.

For additional useful information on trailer regulations click here

http://www.dvla.gov.uk/media/pdf/leaflets/inf30.pdf

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Please note all information on this site is as correct as best endeavours can make it (Errors and Omissions excepted). Please report website problems to webmaster Neil Manuel

Website created on Sunday 30th November 2003 and last edited on Sunday 13th September 2009.

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BMW 120D - Our training vehicle - click on the above picture to visit the BMW site to see it's specifications.

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