BE /Trailer licence, have you it to pull a trailer behind a jeep/van/car???

Everything is a money racket now (and probably always was) and in general people don't kick up enough of a stink about new quangos etc multiplying like bacteria snd becoming a self perpetuating drain on their finances

I bring a van for a test and "inspector" a snot nosed surly git looking like he barely got out of his pre teen patchy beard phase and about as communicative as a disgruntled teenager says it fails on a crack in tail light (plastic) and lights not focussed

Grand I think, I'll replace the tail light, which is working fine btw and needs the entire unit replaced (another racket and wasteful too....they should be a small bit of plastic that doesn't cost the earth ....I meant that both ways btw seeing as we are so environmrntally conscious) in fairness maybe water leaks in and shorts the light etc

But I had the temerity to enquire after reading the report where it mentioned dip beam....was it too low or too high...no response..I tried another tack, what standard or criteria do you use so I can raise or lower the beams? Ie: should it be 20 metres back from a wall and lights should illuminate 0.5 m upwards or something along those lines etc etc

I could fix it if you could provide some sort of guidance on what you want, why make me go looking for the standard? The van btw has been on the road for a year, I can't see an issue with the dips, they work perfectly and not a single oncoming vehicle has flashed that they are too high so I can only assume they are too low...I looked for guidance in an old rules of the road and a YouTube video and according to both they are fine .....yer man was having a bad day and hand over the money **** was my conclusion

So that's about 160 ish for test incl a retest fee which is a total lark for something that can be "inspected" in 2 minutes....

Around 170 for the light unit and time and labour (which I'll supply) and diesel/wear and tear to fit and drive the thing back to the thick aggressive knobjockeys...

And thats replicated across all areas of life....

People in general are way too likely to take the easy option and sing dumb when a lot of these things are in the pipeline.....and they get what they deserve as a collective

You can complain too much or not enough ... its hard to get it right but maje no mistake as a consumer/citizen you are a cash cow to be milked at every opportunity and they want you on lean pasture as much as possible to boot

Life is a subscription model unless you are lying up on the state.

Most people are sheep and will pay up. Its a money racket, just like everything nowadays. I had to get rid of the jeep a few years back, no trailer license, the jeep cost a fortune to run then another fortune to get through the doe every year. I just use the tractor now, no requirement for a trailer license, can use green diesel,and i don't give a fook anymore if theirs a mile long tailback behind me on the road

Yes. Thats the one!! A beauty. They had another one a long time ago.. but LIDL have it now. Still, better that the days when there was no marts, and the dealing was done on the side of the street. I remember them days too. The next door Neighbours were cattle dealers, and as a kid I went along with them. Buy the time I was 11 or 12 I had travelled most of Munster. I remember minding cattle for them on a mart day. The wheeling and dealing, spitting on the palms, the "make the deal" middleman. The drinking, and occasional fighting that ensued. And of course, the monumental clean up afterwards.

Is the towing capacity of the car/jeep an issue in relation to insurance regardless if you have a BE licence or not? Is your insurance void if you're pulling a load in excess of the vehicle's capacity?

I passed my BE before the summer. I don’t pull livestock but would occasionally be in a scenario where BE is, or potentially is, required. I figured it’s easier to just show a BE than having to go through the weights with a guard at the side of the road. Now, all I have to check is that what I’m towing is within the towing capacity of the vehicle and I’m good to go.

Similar experience to @Van Doozy although I’m pretty sure you don’t have to wait 6 months as it is not your first learner permit. I got a LP for D (bus) and BE at the same time. Did the bus first and don’t remember having to wait 6 months but maybe I’m wrong on that. I think I only had to wait about 10 -12 weeks for the BE test to come up.

The test itself is easy. As others said, like a car test then one reverse around the corner back at the test centre. Mind you, there was a BE test before mine. Company branded jeep and trailer and I’d say the guy is pulling trailers all day long. He reversed around the corner pretty lively, but he didn’t look all that happy when he came out. My instructor (I had 3 lessons as I didn’t have a rig that would meet the requirements) told me afterwards that he didn’t pass. Now that could be just instructor bluff. As in, ‘hey the guy that (likely) didn’t get any lessons failed’, or it could be true. Who knows, but while it’s easy to pass, it's also easy to fail.

Was there much bother getting the D licence? There seems to be great demand for bus drivers around here.

If you've actually got the learner permit, you don't need a theory test. The theory test has to be passed before getting the permit. I assume you must have passed a theory test previously, which is still valid....

The bother was in the time and cost. Needless to say I don’t have a bus out the back so I had to go to a school. They of course are in the business of selling lessons and they won’t give you the bus for the test unless you have a certain number of lessons. Thus, time and cost. I was already pretty competent with large vehicle (I have a C licence for years - though I am not a professional driver) so I was trying to do the minimum. I can’t fully remember but I wanted to do it in 6 hours and they were trying to sell me 10 or 12. I think we ended up at 8 (4x2hours). Now I do have to say that my instructor was great. Obviously they know the test routes and he had me well prepared. The bus will be automatic so there is literally no work to the driving. It’s all about negotiating it around town.

Time wise. I had to do the theory test so from application for that, to actually passing my test was about 6 months. You do get your test date pretty quickly but what surprised me was getting slots for the lessons. I think I had to wait 4-5 weeks before they could take me for the first one.

Cost wise it all adds up. Theory test, Learner Permit, Lessons, Test, Bus for the test (that was expensive), taco card, new licence etc. I think my total came out just shy of 1,300. Lucky for me I wasn’t paying. I volunteer for an organisation and they had asked me to do it so they paid. That said, I was trying to keep the cost down - not very successfully mind.

Small bit off topic but question is am I legal to pull a trailer with a maximum load capacity of 2900kg with a jeep which is rated at 2830kg, even if the load is less than the 2900kg, say I've only a few small cattle in the trailer?

If you have BE you would be legal in that scenario . ie trailer and load less than 2830kg.

This comes up every so often. He would be legal.

Go down to tge note at the endvof the BE licience

Yes I've seen that but it's not the opinion ive seen applied from traffic corp.

The argument being that the trailer was likely going to have a loaded return journey and was capable of carrying a load exceeding the capability of the car.

It is great if they are now applying this more common sense approach.

Ah here.

The Traffic Corp aren't in the habit of prosecuting somebody for something that hasn't yet happened....and may never happen !!!

Are you seriously suggesting that somebody was summonsed/fined for something that they might possibly do sometime in the future ? That would make for a great day out in Court.

I have never heard of trailer being replated to fulfill such a scenario even if it was possible. I have never heard or read about some one being fined or even prosecuted for having an empty plated trailer above MAM guidelines.

This is a hoary chestnut that is raised every now and again. For the Gardai to prosecute you they need to weight you. They have the technology to do that.

If you have BE you can tow trailer with higher plated weight than vehicle towing rating but trailer and load must be under towing rating.

A B licence holder can tow up to 750kg trailer but not a trailer plated above 750kg, regardless of unladen weight.

Also I believe a B holder can tow a gross train weight of 3500kg provided towing rating and trailer rating are adhered to. e.g vehicle weight 1900kg , towing rating 1500kg, trailer plate 1500kg.

Test coming up now, have to do a few lessons and sharpen up.

Is it a hard test?

Passed the test after, wasn't too hard and the tester was good, wasn't out to fail me and actually talked to me during the test.

Bit ropey using the mirrors for reversing, had to do that first and wasn't my greatest effort but he said I didn't fail on it so continued on.