/ am involved in the operation and
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maintenance of preserved commercial vehicles and buses which are taxed privately. Could you explain how their drivers will be affected by the new h.g.v. driving licence regulations? Could you also say whether they will need their lighting altered from a dipping system which extinguishes the offside headlamp, in view of the new headlamp regulations?
ASo far as the new heavy goods vehicle
driving licences are concerned, drivers of goods vehicles registered before January 1, 1940 used unladen and not drawing a laden trailer are exempt from the need to have an h.g.v. driving licence. Drivers of post-1939 vehicles will need an h.g.v, driving licence which they can obtain by undergoing a test on the appropriate class of vehicle or by claiming exemption on the basis of having been regularly driving a vehicle of the appropriate class for periods totalling six months between February 2, 1969 and February 1, 1970. (Bus driving is not affected in any way by these new regulations). The Road Vehicle (Headlamps) Regulations 1967, which refer to the dipping of headlamps do not apply to vehicles registered before January 1, 1931 but any vehicle which you are operating which was manufactured after this date must be re-wired to ensure that both headlights are illuminated together in the dipped position.