How long is a pcv licence valid for

Your driving licence or entitlement to drive in the UK was automatically extended for 11 months. You will not get a new licence as part of the automatic extension. You must renew your licence before you can drive abroad if your licence or entitlement to drive in the UK has been automatically extended. You need to complete form D4 if you have not completed the form in the last year and either:. Read the guidance for more information on driving while your application is with DVLA.

Send your old licence to DVLA , if you have not already sent it. Check what you need to do. To help us improve GOV. This is a free service. You must tell DVLA and your employer about a notifiable medical condition. Most drivers who tell DVLA about a medical condition still keep their entitlement. Find out more about notifiable conditions or ask your GP whether an existing or new condition could affect your ability to drive safely.

PCV drivers should carry out daily checks to maintain safety standards for their vehicles, called the walkaround check. To help us improve GOV. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Cookies on GOV. UK We use some essential cookies to make this website work. Accept additional cookies Reject additional cookies View cookies. Hide this message. Remember to renew your licence before it expires. If your application is refused, you can appeal. You must submit your appeal no later than three weeks after you received the police's decision.

You must send your appeal to the police district that processed your application. If your appeal is rejected, the police district will send your case to the National Police Directorate for further consideration. An error occurred. Try again. You must pass a background check by the police.

It does not matter what vehicle they were driving at the time of the offence. However, if the disqualification applies only to the vocational entitlement, this will not necessarily debar a driver from retaining their category B entitlement.

Application for the reinstatement of a licence can be made after a certain period of time depending on the length of the disqualification. The reinstatement of vocational entitlement will be considered at the end of the period of disqualification. The Secretary of State can refuse to reinstate that part of the licence until the driver has passed the appropriate driving test.

If the disqualification is until the vocational licence holder passes the appropriate test, then passing an extended or ordinary driving test on a vehicle included in categories B, C, C1, D or D1 will suffice to remove it. Traffic Commissioners retain disciplinary powers over the vocational entitlement.

On their advice the Secretary of State may disqualify a person from holding another entitlement indefinitely or for a set period where, because of their conduct, the Traffic Commissioner determines that they should be required to drive as a provisional licence holder until they pass a Group 2 driving test.

The driver may also be asked to state their date of birth. With effect from December , a PCV can only be driven by the holder of a Category D licence, whatever the circumstances. Certain larger vehicles, known as exempted goods or passenger carrying vehicles, may be driven by the holder of a category B licence.

To drive this type of vehicle, the driver must be at least 21 years of age and must have held a full category B entitlement for at least two years; the vehicle must be being driven on behalf of a non-commercial organisation, and must be going to, or returning from, a place where the equipment is, or has been, used. The arrangements for driving in Britain on a non-GB licence vary according to the country in which it was issued.

The rules are different for vocational and non-vocational licences. This section covers only vocational licences, for non-vocational licences, see the Small Vehicle Driving Licences topic. Under the system of mutual recognition introduced by the second Driver Licensing Directive in , holders of licences issued by an EU or EEA Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway country and resident in GB may continue to drive on their existing Group 2 vocational licence for a period that depends on their age and the length of time resident in GB, after which the licence must be exchanged for a GB one:.

NI vocational licences issued on or after 1 April can be exchanged for a GB licence. Britain has driving licence exchange agreements with certain countries, called designated countries. These are:. Vocational licence holders from these countries may only drive Group 2 vehicles that are registered outside GB and which they have driven in. Otherwise, the Group 2 driving test must be passed.

Holders of vocational licences issued in these jurisdictions may drive any vehicle for a period of 12 months, after which the licence must be exchanged for a GB one. Vocational licence holders from these countries may only drive vehicles that are registered outside GB and which they have driven in.

Otherwise, they must pass the GB car driving test and then apply for a provisional entitlement to drive Group 2 vehicles as a learner. The DVSA carries out driving tests, approves people to be driving instructors and MOT testers, carries out tests to make sure lorries and buses are safe to drive, carries out roadside checks on drivers and vehicles, and monitors vehicle recalls.

It also maintains the registration and licensing of vehicles, together with the collection and enforcement of VED, in the UK. Last reviewed 11 November Skip to main content. Printable version. Updated: 11 november Vocational Driving Licences Staged Testing Since 15 November the requirement to pass the category C test on a rigid vehicle alone before taking the separate category E test to tow a trailer or drive an articulated vehicle has been removed, partially returning to the situation that existed in the UK before Application for Provisional Licence Only provisional licences processed by DVLA from 15 November will allow the learner to tow a trailer as a provisional licence holder.

Summary This topic covers the vocational Group 2 licence, which is needed to drive a goods vehicle with a maximum authorised mass in excess of 3. In Practice General Requirements A vocational licence is one that entitles the holder to drive vehicles in categories C, D, or subcategories C1, or D1 collectively known as Group 2.

Changes to the System The UK driver licensing system was replaced after by a harmonised system of driver licensing across the EU. Driving Licence Codes In certain cases, particularly with respect to acquired rights, certain codes may appear on the licence indicating some kind of restriction on the entitlement. Incomplete Vehicles The type of entitlement required to drive an incomplete vehicle, eg chassis cab, depends on its working weight.

Articulated Vehicle Entitlements A category CE without code restriction entitlement is normally required to be able to drive an articulated vehicle.

Module 1 Module 1 is the driver theory test, which like the category B test consists of two parts: Module 1a consisting of multiple choice questions to be answered in 1 hour and 55 minutes with a pass mark 85 out of Module 1b with 19 hazard perception clips and a total of 20 hazards to spot — pass mark 67 out of If the practical test is failed, 10 clear working days must elapse before it can be retaken.

Documentation Before the commencement of either the theory test or practical test, the candidate must produce the appropriate provisional licence for the category of vehicle for which the test is required, provide evidence of identity, and sign the register of attendance.

Professional Drivers and the Driver CPC Passing the theory and driving ability tests will give entitlement to drive the vehicle for a restricted number of purposes but before a driver can work as a professional goods vehicle driver, they must also obtain the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence Driver CPC.

In both cases, after the age of 65, renewal, with a medical report, is required every year. Licence Renewals To renew the entitlement, application must be made on Form D47P an application for renewal of lorry and bus entitlement , which should arrive automatically by post from the DVLA 56 days before the licence expires, or Form D2 a slightly more detailed application for a vocational driving licence which has to be applied for from the DVLA; either will be acceptable.