Member alert: Van driving licence changes now in effect

Battery weight means that many large electric vans are heavier than the 3.5 tonne limit for the standard Category B driving licence. The legislation change applies to any vehicle that can be driven up to 3.5 tonnes if they were petrol and diesel, including vehicle transporters, vans, minibuses, trucks and SUVs.  

This enables standard category B licence holders to drive zero-emission vehicles up to 4.25 tonnes, broadening the flexibility to cover all vehicle types, beyond goods vans.  

Delivery firms using heavy electric vans can also now tow a trailer as long as the maximum authorised mass (MAM) of the vehicle and trailer combination does not exceed 7,000kg.  

Drivers who passed a category B driving test before January 1, 1997, are permitted to drive vehicle and trailer combinations up to 8.25 tonnes. In 2018 the weight limit for category B driving licence holders driving zero-emission vans was temporarily increased from 3.5 tonnes to 4.25 tonnes, but this latest development confirms that. 

The government also recently removed mandatory training for large electric vans, as previously reported in Logistics magazine.