Q I am aged 22. My current driving
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licence expires on April 15 1973, and is therefore of the old type. However, as I was under 21 when this licence was taken out, the licence states: "Motor vehicles of groups 2, 3, and 7 and 12, motor tricycles and motor cars of groups la, lb and 13, other than those to which a trailer is attached by partial super-imposition and which have an unladen weight in excess of 2 tons."
If I now take out an exchange licence, will I be entitled to drive heavy goods vehicles for the currency of my licence, as it will not in fact have been renewed? If not, what is the heaviest vehicle I can drive?
Could you tell me if there is a publication available which gives guidance, questions and answers and other notes, etc. on the hgv driving test?
AIf you exchange your present ordinary
driving licence you will be granted a new licence which will enable you to drive heavy goods vehicles. But in order to drive such heavy vehicles you will also need to hold the appropriate class of hgv driving licence.
As your existing licence was issued after the introduction of the hgv driving licence scheme on February 2 1970, and in any event, as you were under 21 years of age at the time, you cannot obtain an hgv driving licence without taking the hgv driving test on the class of vehicle for which you require a licence.
Even with your new licence therefore you will be restricted to driving rigid vehicles weighing not more than 3 tons unladen and articulated vehicles, the tractive units of which do not exceed two tons unladen.
Two free publications are issued by the DoE in connection with hgv driving licences and hgv driving tests. Copies of these may be obtained direct from the DoE at 2 Marsham Street, London SW1, or from your local traffic area office.