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Trailer Test
I had always thought there might be a few
people on our roads who would have more than just a passing interest in the new
licensing laws and who might have found my first article of interest. Judging by
the response we have had so far, it seems this is a topic of great concern to
many people, both personally and professionally and one that needs looking into
a little further.
It had originally been my intention for this article to be a rough outline of
the basic structure of the car and trailer test (ie B+E test), for you to read
as a matter of interest, thinking, of course, that you would never actually have
to do it yourself. Well, for many of you, it would appear this may have changed
from:
“Oh, that’s interesting”, to:
“Oh no, have I really got to do that?”
So, if you find yourself in the position of having to take this test, this is
what is in store: sit back and enjoy (or, as somebody famous probably once said:
“Read it and weep!”).
You will be asked questions regarding basic vehicle maintenance, safety and
trailer loading. You will not be tested on your knowledge of vehicle and trailer
weights, but it is useful information to know. Neither will you have to take
another theory test, not yet anyway. There are three manoeuvres you will have to
do. These are done at the test centre, away from other people. You will be
pleased to know that, for obvious reasons, you will not have to do a turn in the
road, reverse round a corner or parallel park! However, you will have to
un-hitch and hitch the trailer; reverse into a parking bay; and do a brake test
(similar to emergency stop), all of which I have outlined below:
Disconnect and re-connect trailer
You may think that this is so easy, that it hardly needs mentioning. After all,
you do this every time you go out with the trailer. Maybe, but on the test,
accuracy is important and not, as most of us do, that we just get reasonably
close and then manhandle the trailer into place. This is not really the right
way to do things anyway – those trailers can get heavy and we risk doing
ourselves permanent injury. A slight manual adjustment side to side is
acceptable and much easier than forward and backward.
Reversing
There will be a series of cones laid out at the test centre with the distances depending on the size of the vehicle
and trailer you are using. You will drive forward from cones ‘A’ to cones ‘C’;
reverse passing cone ‘B’ on your right-hand side; into parking area as indicated
with cones ‘D’ and ‘D1’. The rear of the trailer must stop within a marked area
which is 3 feet from the end of the bay. The examiner will not be in the car
with you (unless it’s raining, then he may change his mind) but will be watching
from various points outside. He will be making sure you do not turn the steering
wheel the wrong way at any point and that your general control and observations
all round the vehicle are good. He will also be checking that you do not
dry-steer.
The manoeuvre is actually easier to do than it looks but does need plenty of
practice. You need to be sufficiently familiar with it so that you do not have
to think about which way to turn the wheel. If you have your own car/trailer you
can spend many happy hours practicing this by yourself – providing you can find
a space big enough. A word of warning – Tescos will not be too impressed if you
try practicing it in their car park on a Saturday afternoon!
Brake Test
Similar to the emergency stop as performed during the car test. There will be a
pair of cones positioned about 60 feet from a marked starting point and you will
accelerate up to 20 mph (no more) until you get to the cones. You then perform a
controlled emergency stop keeping the vehicle in control. Easy.
Driving
First things first. We have to get rid of any bad habits that you may have
picked up since passing you car test. Like sticking to speed limits. Yes, that’s
right, 30mph means 30, not 32 or 33. Or 40! Or 20, for that matter. To help, you
can at least take solace in the fact that you will have ‘L’ plates on so other
drivers will expect you to be driving within the limits. They may not like it
but will at least expect it.
In addition to driving to existing car test standards, you will be expected to
display a high level of vehicle control and observations, as well as tolerance
of other people’s stupidity. This, you will soon come to realise, takes on even
greater significance than normal. Other drivers dislike being stuck behind
learners, or caravans or horseboxes, so putting the two together does not a
marriage in heaven make! They can tend to get very impatient and try overtaking
in some of the most breathtakingly stupid places, including, as happened to me
recently, trying to overtake on the inside when you are turning left! Use of
mirrors; forward observations; planning and early reactions to developing
hazards are essential. This will give you a smooth and fluent drive and,
strangely, by slowing a little sooner and giving yourself a bit more time to
assess the situation, you will find you actual make quicker progress: and be
less stressed too.
The old routine of MSM should already be very familiar to you. Yes? Now it
becomes more like Mirror, Signal, Mirror, Mirror, Mirror, Mirror, almost
Manoeuvre, Mirror, Mirror, Manoeuvre! (pray). Actually, and officially, this
routine is expanded out to Mirror, Signal, Position, Speed, Look and you will
find that you will need to adopt this technique so that it becomes second
nature.
Whilst out on test, you will be asked to:
Move away in a busy road; uphill; downhill; from behind a parked car
Drive in busy town roads, including roundabouts (essential to keep the wheels of
both the vehicle and trailer within the white lines)
Use country roads
Turn from main roads into side roads (watch those trailer wheels, you must not
touch the kerb – you must not swing out into the road any more than is necessary
either)
Emerge from side roads into main roads – you must not make other drivers take
avoiding action, so take your time (but not too long, or you may loose marks for
hesitation)
Drive along dual carriageways, if any are available within a reasonable distance
of the test centre. You will also be asked to pull off into a parking area and
re-enter the flow of traffic.
So, there we have it. There are a number of books which give more information.
The DSA Official Driving Test has a section for trailers which is useful (after
all, the DSA set the test, so their guidance should be accurate). A word of
warning – do not under-estimate the difficulty of the test. The same holds true
of this test as for the modern car test – very few people are able to pass the
test with just a couple of hours tuition and no practice. Those stories we all
hear of “I went through a red light; did 60mph in a 30 zone and I hit the kerb
three times and still passed!” should be taken with a rather large pinch of
salt. Sorry, but you have to be more than just good – the roads these days are
very congested; everyone seems to need to be somewhere else and, with a trailer
attached, you are going to be getting in everyone’s way. Having said all that,
driving a large outfit properly can be very rewarding (more so than normal) and
you get a great sense of achievement when you arrive at your destination knowing
you are better than anyone else. When you are then able to reverse your outfit
into a tight spot, getting it right first time, despite all the advice from
bystanders, you feel even more superior. Or maybe that’s just me – a sad old
chap who really ought to get out more!
If you need information regarding training, give us a call on 01926 707745. We
have a number of companies throughout the country that can provide the
specialised training for you – many are keen horse riders too.
Have fun, practise lots and good luck.
Richard Martin
Just Richard
Driver Training
TOWING: ARE YOU LEGAL?
The law changed but did you know?
1. The requirement for taking the test does not apply if the Maximum Authorised
Mass (or MAM) of the trailer is under 750Kgs. The MAM is the maximum potential
weight of the trailer and it’s contents as shown on the weight plate or
manufacturer’s handbook and not the actual weight. Similarly, if you passed your
car test prior to 1st January 1997, you do not need to take the additional test.
For example, most horse trailers have a MAM of between 2 tonne and 2.5 tonne;
most caravans are between 1.2 and 1.5 tonne.
2. If the MAM of the trailer is over 750Kgs you need to take the test if the
following weight combinations apply:
Either The combined MAM of the car and trailer exceeds 3500kgs (3.5 tonnes)
or The MAM of the trailer is greater than the unladen weight of the towing
vehicle.
3. If you passed your car test on or after 1 January 1997 and either of the
above weight combinations applies, you will need to take the test. This will
give you B+E entitlement (see our license definitions table further down.)
4. If the combined MAM is less than 3500Kgs, and the MAM of the trailer is less
than the unladen weight of the vehicle, you will not need to take the test.
5. If you passed your car test before 1 January 1997 you will have category B+E
entitlement on your license already and will not need to take the test.
Check your license NOW– If you do not have category
B+E entitlement, you may need to take an additional test
Licensed OK but not sure what to do?
We are happy to help you get started with an introduction to towing, covering
safety, reversing, legal requirements, loading, etc.
For more information call 01206 305950
or visit our website:
www.trailertraining.org.uk
For more information on the CET/ACET
qualifications visit
www.haddontraining.co.uk.
To find out about the LEZ, register your
vehicle or check whether it meets emission standards visit
www.tfl.gov.uk
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