C licence

juneg

Do most motorhome owners have a C Licence and how do we go about applying for one. I know its for motorhomes over 3500kg and as I'm looking for a 6 berth there aren't many under that weight.
Does it have much affect on resale then if you can only sell to people with a C licence?
Any advice appreciated

*Kol*

I have a six berth and it's under 3,500 kgs (3,200 kgs as far as I remember). There should be a lot of choice under 3,500 kgs. I would say you are limiting your resale audience if you go over 3,500 kgs. There are not many people who have gone to the trouble of getting a C1 or C license unless they got their license before 1990ish when C1 was given out with the B license. A lot of those people anyway would have lost the C1 if they didn't get the medical certain to renew it since then.

Falcon L

*Kol* wrote: »

I have a six berth and it's under 3,500 kgs (3,200 kgs as far as I remember). There should be a lot of choice under 3,500 kgs. I would say you are limiting your resale audience if you go over 3,500 kgs. There are not many people who have gone to the trouble of getting a C1 or C license unless they got their license before 1990ish when C1 was given out with the B license. A lot of those people anyway would have lost the C1 if they didn't get the medical certain to renew it since then.

Worth remembering that the 3500kg is a maximum weight. That includes passengers,fuel, water, food etc. At 3200kg it wouldn't take too much to get you over the maximum permissible weight. If you run into one of those multi-agency checkpoints you might be in trouble.

*Kol*

Sorry should have mentioned 3,200 kgs is the max weight of my MH. The 3,500 kgs limit is for the B license, but the MH doesn't necessarily have to be to that weight. I have never come across a checkpoint in the last 10 years.

niloc1951

It's worth remembering that if the motorhome has a GVW not exceeding 3,500kg it is still permitted to add a trailer not exceeding 750kg GVW giving a total train weight GVW of 4,250kg without the need for a B+E licence.
If short of payload capacity and a person only has a B licence this is an often forgotten option.

*Kol*

niloc1951 wrote: »

It's worth remembering that if the motorhome has a GVW not exceeding 3,500kg it is still permitted to add a trailer not exceeding 750kg GVW giving a total train weight GVW of 4,250kg without the need for a B+E licence.
If short of payload capacity and a person only has a B licence this is an often forgotten option.

That's a considerable amount of gear.

niloc1951

CLICK HERE
to see an option which doesn't require the skill to reverse a trailer.

moonship

niloc1951 wrote: »

It's worth remembering that if the motorhome has a GVW not exceeding 3,500kg it is still permitted to add a trailer not exceeding 750kg GVW giving a total train weight GVW of 4,250kg without the need for a B+E licence.
If short of payload capacity and a person only has a B licence this is an often forgotten option.

Wrong
If you go over 3500 kg gross train weight you need b+e

Alkers

moonship wrote:

Wrong If you go over 3500 kg gross train weight you need b+e

Trailers under 750kg do not count in the gross train weight

niloc1951

moonship wrote: »

Wrong
If you go over 3500 kg gross train weight you need b+e

Not so moonship.

That rule only applies if the trailer gross weight is rated as over 750kg

CelticRambler

I've got a C-license. Got it specifically to be able to drive any size of MH (we were looking at full-size 6-berth MHs at the time as a genuine "family home"). In the first instance, I enquired about doing just a C1, but my instructor convinced me to "go large" seeing as the theory test was the same, as was the cost. It worked out well in the end, because there is no C1 in France.

As for the MH, we chose a relatively small one (Benimar Europe Top) in the end - 3750kg upgraded to 4100kg - but it's big in size (3.2m high, 7m long). That's when the C training proves it's worth: as long as I've got the clearance, I can take it anywhere - forwards or backwards - and not get stuck, but more importantly, know when not to take it into places where I might get stuck.

When it comes to the resale value, hmmm ... I bought mine new 13 years ago and don't plan on selling it any time soon! It's been on the road for all but a total of 10 weeks so far this year. It was also a very good buy. We had the interior slightly modified during construction, and when I look at today's models - of all brands - that are sold as "family" vans, they're nowhere near as spacious or truly family-friendly as ours, especially when it comes to having fixed beds, lots of personal storage space and soon-to-be-installed 12 USB sockets. If I had to sell it, I'm sure there wouldn't be a shortage of families prepared to pay a decent price for a van that's stood the test of every stage of family life.

niloc1951

CelticRambler wrote: »

..........................I enquired about doing just a C1, but my instructor convinced me to "go large" seeing as the theory test was the same, as was the cost. It worked out well in the end, because there is no C1 in France......................

The info you got re 'no C1 in France' is wrong, in France and elsewhere in the EU a C1 category licence is available.

Regarding the advice to go for a C licence, this may be appropriate for some but not all as it requires a whole set of skills around such thing as using a 4 over 4 gearbox and the ability to operate a large HGV which the average motorhome driver will never need. Doing the test for a C1 licence involves a relatively small HGV which only needs to be at least 4,000kg GVW and 5 metres long, such vehicles are easy to drive and have car like controls and gearboxes.

In France and elsewhere EU Directive 2012/36/ has been fully adopted which provides for a special restricted C1 licence which does not require knowledge of any of the stuff required for driving vehicles up to 7,500KG GVW for professional reasons, so no need to know about tachograph rules, driving time regulations or other rules and regulations applying to people who drive for a living. Importantly the cost of preparing for the test is significantly less that that for the unrestricted licence.
This category was brought in in response to lobbying by The FICC to simplify the test for people who only needed a C1 to drive larger vehicles for leisure purposes. Ireland, unlike other EU countries, chose not to implement that portion of the above Directive so we are still stuck with having to do the full and expensive commercial test.

*Kol*

niloc1951 wrote: »

This category was brought in in response to lobbying by The FICC to simplify the test for people who only needed a C1 to drive larger vehicles for leisure purposes. Ireland, unlike other EU countries, chose not to implement that portion of the above Directive so we are still stuck with having to do the full and expensive commercial test.

That would be enough of a deterrent for most people to not buy a MH over 3,500kgs. It would be interesting to see how many people on here have a C1/C license and a MH over 3,500 kgs.

CelticRambler

niloc1951 wrote: »

The info you got re 'no C1 in France' is wrong, in France and elsewhere in the EU a C1 category licence is available.

It wasn't wrong when I came to France nor when I renewed my C licence. C1 was only brought in here in 2013, and the training is not widely available. However, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of 3.5>t>7.5 MHs on the road (and dealers' forecourts).

I haven't seen the syllabus for the C1, but I stand by my assertion that doing the full C training gave me skills and confidence beyond the bare minimum needed, which is hardly a bad thing.

*Kol*

C1 has been here long before 2013 as a license category. Are you saying the test was only brought in here in 2013?

CelticRambler

There was no C1 licence in France until 2013, nor D1. These categories were only brought in around the middle of 2013. AFAIK, if you were exchanging a non-French EU C1 licence prior to that, it was only ever noted as a restriction on the C line " C < ou = 7500kg" along with the original issuing country's age limit (74 in my case). I haven't seen the new licence format in real life (will be getting one next year when I renew mine, I suppose) so don't know what the current situation is.

Going back to the OP: if you're doing much continental touring, remember that you might run into access restrictions in a vehicle of >3.5t and will certainly meet many more speed restrictions in smaller towns and villages, and on certain (e.g. hilly) stretches of motorways and other main roads. Depending on who you've got in the six berths :pac: this may or may not be significant - but can mean the difference between being able to park right in a town centre or being obliged to use an aire/campsite 2km out of town.

niloc1951

The Category C1 licence was introduced in 1989 when the tri-fold pink EU licence was introduced. The category was automatically given to existing holders of full 'car' licences at the changeover. Those who passed their test after the changeover date only got a B licence and the CI became subject to passing an additional test in a vehicle over 4,000kg GVW and 5 meters long.
The UK followed in 1998, I can't speak for other countries.

One of the difference is that the age limit for C1 is 18 while for a C it's 21 but it can be got at 18 if the applicant has a CPC.

killalanerr

I would imagine that there are lot of over 3.5kg 6 births been driven on a B license . We recently changed vans and decided to go for something we could both drive. Almost all the vans we looked at were over the the B lic limits we did find a 4 birth with a decent payload but they are the exception . In all the time I was driving the 4.5kg ton I was never asked for my license but I never had any incidents so you take your chances !

Pat Dunne

I would be interesting to know if not having the correct license invalidates your camper insurance cover in the event of claim?

Nomis21

C1 licence is not just about the weight of the vehicle. If the vehicle is over 3.5 kgs gross weight you need a tachograph that has to be regularly calibrated and also know about driving within the driving hours limits which are quite complex and involve daily, weekly and bi-weekly limits as well as breaks in driving during the day and keep records up to a year for all driving in the vehicle.

*Kol*

Nomis21 wrote: »

C1 licence is not just about the weight of the vehicle. If the vehicle is over 3.5 kgs gross weight you need a tachograph that has to be regularly calibrated and also know about driving within the driving hours limits which are quite complex and involve daily, weekly and bi-weekly limits as well as breaks in driving during the day and keep records up to a year for all driving in the vehicle.

That's not correct. All vehicles over 3,500 kgs do not need a tachograph fitted. I don't see anywhere that campers are specifically exempted but they don't have them.

Nomis21

Correct Kol. From RSA website...

For camper vans and motor homes over 3,500kgs
• Tachographs - if the owner of the vehicle completes a Tachograph Declaration Form, the vehicle should not
be failed for not having a tachograph fitted, but if there is one fitted it must be calibrated if the speed limiter
works through it.

niloc1951

Nomis21 wrote: »

C1 licence is not just about the weight of the vehicle. If the vehicle is over 3.5 kgs gross weight you need a tachograph that has to be regularly calibrated and also know about driving within the driving hours limits which are quite complex and involve daily, weekly and bi-weekly limits as well as breaks in driving during the day and keep records up to a year for all driving in the vehicle.

Wrong.

Tachographs and Driving Time Directive regulations do not apply to motorcaravans of any size weight
such regulations only apply to commercial vehicles where the driving of the vehicle is the principal occupation of the driver.

Motorcaravans of any size/weight are not required to be fitted with tachographs

Del2005

niloc1951 wrote: »

Regarding the advice to go for a C licence, this may be appropriate for some but not all as it requires a whole set of skills around such thing as using a 4 over 4 gearbox and the ability to operate a large HGV which the average motorhome driver will never need. Doing the test for a C1 licence involves a relatively small HGV which only needs to be at least 4,000kg GVW and 5 metres long, such vehicles are easy to drive and have car like controls and gearboxes.

Finding a school with a vehicle suitable for the C1 test in this country is the problem.