Am I Allowed to Tow a Trailer?

By jasinnottadmin, Tuesday, 17th April 2018 | 0 comments
Filed under: Road Traffic Legislation .

Do you need to use a trailer for your work or farm?  The laws regarding what you can tow depend on the towing capacity of your vehicle, the load-carrying capacity of the trailer and the type of licence you hold.

 

Most people who hold a driving licence for a car or jeep have a category B driving licence, which allows you to tow a small trailer.  Under this you can drive a vehicle towing a trailer, firstly, where the maximum authorised mass (MAM) of the trailer is not greater than 750kg.  Secondly, in instances where the MAM of the trailer exceeds 750kg, but the combined MAM of the towing vehicle and the trailer is not greater than 3,500kg.

 

If you hold a category B learner permit, you may not tow any trailer, whatever the size. 

 

If you hold a category B driving licence and wish to pull a larger trailer, whose combined weight of vehicle, trailer and trailer contents exceeds 3,500kg, you will need to apply for a category BE driving licence. 

 

If you don’t have the correct licence, you may not be insured in the event of an accident.  You should also bear in mind that if prosecuted, the implications on conviction are very serious.

 

The maximum speed limit for a vehicle towing a trailer is 80 kilometres per hour.  This limit applies even on roads where the general speed limit is posted as higher. 

 

For further advice, contact us.

Required Fields are displayed as shown

HTML is disabled and your e–mail address won't be published. Comments will be deleted if commenters leave a keyword instead of a name in the name field, if sites linked in the URL field are commercial in nature and not related to the blog, or if the comment simply doesn't add substance to the discussion.