Q I am an owner-driver operating an B
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licence. I am wondering whether I should buy, as a replacement for my present vehicle, a 16-ton g.v.w. rigid suitable for towing a 16-ton (or smaller) drawbar trailer. If! have a drawbar trailer behind a 16-ton four-wheeler, will I then not be included in the future freeing of 16-tonners from the present form of licensing? Or will I be subject to quantity licensing, too?
AWhen your 16-ton vehicle is operating
solo it will be covered by an operator's licence and be free to operate without restriction for hire or reward and will not be affected by quantity licensing. It will require to be covered by an A. B or C carrier's licence until operators' licensing is introduced next year If, however, this 16-ton-gross vehicle is used to tow a drawbar trailer which exceeds 1-ton unladen weight, then it will still need a carrier's licence even when operators' licensing is introduced and will still be bound by the conditions of the carrier's licence. It will also be liable to "quantity" licensing if this is introduced (for journeys over 100 miles or when carrying prescribed bulk goods).
The point here is that a vehicle classified by the Ministry as a -large goods vehicle" is still to be bound by carriers' licensing and would, as outlined above, be eligible for a quantity licence. The Ministry defines as "large" motor vehicles and drawbar trailers where the total of the gross plated weights exceeds 16 tons: or. if all or part of the combination is unplated, where the total of the unladen weights exceeds 5 tons (drawbar trailers weighing less than 1 ton unladen can be disregarded in this calculation).