I plan to convert a Saxon armoured personnel carrier to
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a camper van. It weighs about eight tonnes unladen. I intend to remove six of its 10 seats and replace them with two beds. What licence will the driver need and how old must a person be to drive it ?
A There is no driving licence
category to cover this vehicle. At present the Saxon comes within driving licence Category D1 which is described, in Schedule 3 of the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations 1987, as follows; "Motor vehicle used for the carriage of passengers (but not for hire or reward) with more than eight seats, but not more than 16 seats, in addition to the driver's seat, and including such a vehicle drawing a trailer with a maximum authorised mass not exceeding 750kg".
The schedule states that the holder of a Category 13 licence can drive vehicles in Category Dl. If you remove six seats from the Saxon, the vehicle will not come within Category D1 because it will have less than eight seats.
Category B normally covers passenger vehicles with not more than eight seats but a weight restriction in the description of the category would exclude the Saxon. A Category B vehicle is described as follows: "Motor vehicle with a maximum authorised mass not exceeding 3.5 tonnes AND not more than eight seats in addition to the driver's seat, not included in any other category and including such a vehicle drawing a trailer with a maximum authorised mass not exceeding 750kg''.
Because the maximum authorised mass of your Saxon is well over 3.5 tonnes it cannot come within Category B. There is no other driving licence category into which the vehicle will fit.
However, a person who has an old Group A driving licence can drive the vehicle (before or after the conversion) because Regulation 33(1), of the above regulations, provides that a person who, before 1 June, 1990, held a Group A licence is authorised to drive vehicles in category B "in addition to motor vehicles of a class included in that group". This provision is subject to restriction that it does not authorise the driving of passenger vehicles with more than 16 seats after 1 October 1992.
When you have reduced the vehicle's seating capacity to four, it will be a small passenger vehicle (regardless 1 of its weight) and can be driven by a person at least 17 years of age.
A small passenger vehicle is defined, in Section 108 as "a motor vehicle ... which is constructed solely to carry passengers and their effects and is adapted to carry not more than nine persons inclusive of the driver".
The minimum age for driving the vehicle while it has 10 seats is 21 years.
Licence confusion