What Vehicles Can I Drive Using My cat B Licence?

Most of us are used to driving a car or perhaps a standard van, so the thought of driving a larger vehicle can be a little daunting, although slightly intriguing. However, it is no easy feat trying to understand the vast and complicated rules around licensing. So, we have done our best to explain some of the rules when it comes to driving larger goods vehicles (LGVs).

Driving an LGV usually requires at minimum a category C or C1 license, however there are lots of larger vehicles that are an exception to this rule where you can use your category B (car) license.  

Starting with an unlikely occurrence but a legitimate one nonetheless, you are allowed to drive a vehicle that is powered by steam rather than petrol or diesel on your cat B licence.

Work trucks are also fine to drive if it fits within the definition, plainly meaning that the vehicle should be used in or near private premises such as a building site.

Road construction vehicles as well, this specifically is a vehicle used for transporting a built-in piece of road construction machinery.

Vehicles that are associated with agriculture like tractors or combine harvesters can also be driven with a cat B license with the caveat that they must mostly be used for non-public roads. As well as this, the entire weight of the vehicle combined with the maximum permissible load weight must not exceed 7,370kg and you must not exceed 20pmh. Again, you can drive a digging vehicle with the intention of driving it to and from its intended site.

Similarly, to the above for agricultural vehicles you would not normally be allowed to drive, you can only travel 1.5km or less. For non-agricultural LGVs you could not normally drive, the limit is 9.7km per calendar year.

Another slightly odd one is that you can drive goods vehicles that were manufactured before 1960, you can also drive any articulated goods vehicle that does not weigh more than 3.5 tonnes.

You may be allowed (depending on your occupation) to drive goods vehicles that are intended to remove obstruction to other road users or ones that can raise a disabled vehicle from the ground, and also goods vehicles used for carrying lifeboats.

Even when there are exceptions to the rules, they still come attached to further restrictions which can make navigating your way through licensing Do’s and Don’ts a little tricky. Having said that we hope that the above info helped to clear things up a little bit!