1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140 
Licence warning
Page 7
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
ONLY six per cent of the drivers eligible to claim hgv licences under the 1976 Act without taking the test have claimed them according to Department of Transport statistics issued this week.
The figures show that only 2,342 drivers out of a possible 40,000 had applied for the licences — and now the DoT is to mount a publicity campaign to encourage the drivers to apply before the closing date, December 31. For the transition period after Road Traffic (Driver's Ages and Hours) Act 1976 came into effect in April the DoT is allowing drivers of vehicles of under three tons unladen permission to claim class three hgv licences. This would allow them to drive vehicles up to ten tonnes laden weight.
Following the change in April a heavy goods vehicle became one that exceeded 7.5 tonnes laden weight — and that included many of the vehicles with an unladen weight of three tons. A spokesman warned that drivers who do not get their applications in early may find themselves without a licence when the December 31 deadline comes into effect — and no licences will be issued after then even if the application was made earlier.