Camper weight

blahblah06

Hi looking at a sprinter that's reg as a camper but log book weight is 4600kg does a b licence cover ya under the camper r do I need the bigger licence

peasant

You need a c1 licence minimum.

The B licence only goes as far as 3500 kg, there is no special clause for campers

(unless you're an old fart like me and your B licence goes up to 7500 kg)

blahblah06

That's odd cause the insurance insured me with seeing my licence as a b.

blahblah06

just a quick one then u know the way you see all the big race van/campers and big hymers etc are they not over 3500kg no ?

Aidan_M_M

doen't matter what the log book is classed as , as Peasant says , if it's over 3500 kg , you need a C license.

Del2005

blahblah06 wrote: »

That's odd cause the insurance insured me with seeing my licence as a b.

They'll always take your money. But at the end of the day it's always the drivers responsibly to ensure they have a valid licence for there vehicle they are driving. If something happens they won't pay out.

You need to get a C1 or better C licence. Only good thing is you won't need the Driver a Cpc licence.

blahblah06

Cheers lads I'll look into that

merc camper

My last camper van was 4600Kg rated, insurance company payed out no questions asked when my girlfriend totaled it she just had a b licence.
There are different opinions on what licence u need. I have asked a guard and was told a car licence is all that is needed, but I am sure if u were to ask another they will say u need a different licence.
I am not sure why people seem to think u need to have a C licence as this is for a goods vehicle, why not a D licence for a bus?
Alot of people driving race trucks have B licences.
Saying all that when I bought my new van I made sure it was 3500KG rated.

blahblah06

Hi merc ye ive been driving it a while now tbh i just thought it would be ok ive driven vans for a long time on the b licence. The insurance asked me to send in my licence so they knew I only had a B. Its good to see they paid out no problem.

Tbh I doubt ill go for the C licence anyway.

peasant

merc camper wrote: »

I am not sure why people seem to think u need to have a C licence as this is for a goods vehicle, why not a D licence for a bus?

A D licence is what you need when you are carrying more than 8 passengers ...actually ...no ...it's what you need when driving a vehicle capable of carrying more than 8 passengers (with seats for them and all that)


To recap:
B licence new: up to 3500 kg
B licence old (up to mid 90's): up to 7500 kg
C1 licence: 3500 - 7500 kg
C licence: over 7500 kg

blahblah06

right so how do u get a c1 get the drivers permit then go for a driving test ye just like a car

killalanerr

blahblah06 wrote: »

right so how do u get a c1 get the drivers permit then go for a driving test ye just like a car

yep all of the above but dont forget your theory test first

skippergonzo

peasant wrote: »

A D licence is what you need when you are carrying more than 8 passengers ...actually ...no ...it's what you need when driving a vehicle capable of carrying more than 8 passengers (with seats for them and all that)


To recap:
B licence new: up to 3500 kg
B licence old (up to mid 90's): up to 7500 kg
C1 licence: 3500 - 7500 kg
C licence: over 7500 kg

I got my B licence in august 1995,can I get C added without doing a test ?

CelticRambler

No. That "mid 90s" is UK information, not Ireland. I got my first licence in '91 and it was according to the "new" EU bands as described by peasant, where the bands exist (there's no "C1" or "D1" in France, for example).

I subsequently did a test for a C licence in the UK so that I could drive a camper >3500kg. At the time, I asked a local instructor for lessons just for the C1, but he convinced me to do the full C course saying that there wouldn't be any difference in cost. Am really glad I did, and even though it requires a medical every five years, I've kept it up-to-date.

As it happens, I down-rated my MH to 3500kg when I changed it to French plates, but as it's still over 3m high and 7m long, the HGV training was well worth the time and money.

crabbypaddy

CelticRambler wrote: »

As it happens, I down-rated my MH to 3500kg when I changed it to French plates, but as it's still over 3m high and 7m long

How much payload do you have left at 3500kg?

skippergonzo

I cant find exactly what I require to upgrade to a C licence
somebody said I need a certain amount of lessons
looks like its going to get expensive

CelticRambler

crabbypaddy wrote: »

How much payload do you have left at 3500kg?

Not a lot ...

skippergonzo wrote: »

I cant find exactly what I require to upgrade to a C licence
somebody said I need a certain amount of lessons
looks like its going to get expensive

Lessons + Theory test + Driving test.

Budget about €1000 all-in (which is only 7500km's worth of diesel at French prices, less if you're buying it in Ireland or the UK!)

crabbypaddy

CelticRambler wrote: »

Not a lot ...

Do you throw the wife and bags out when you see a checkpoint?