renew driving licence

As I'm rapidly approaching 70 I've received a form to renew my driving licence. I'm currently on an old green paper licence, and can drive group A, D & E, which seems to cover anything with wheels apart from HGV and PSV.

Anyone know if this will this just roll over into my new licence? I suspect it won't cover more than 9 seats, and no longer let me drive 7te trucks, but I'll live with that, I don't want to lose the motorbikes even tho' I haven't ridden one for a while.

There doesn't seem to be anywhere to tick what you're applying for. I did take a separate test for the bike, an awfully long time ago.

Hi Duncan

I renewed my paper licence 18 mo ago, when I turned 70, I didn't have to do anything new on the form, it transferred every thing I had on my paper licence to my photo card ... i.e.. in my case

A - AM - B1 - B- BE, followed by ... f/k/l/n/p/q. I never did have PSV / HGV, so I wouldn't worry.

George.

Hi Duncan,

Mine lists AM, A, B1, B, BE, and right at the bottom fkinpq. They are printed on the reverse of the plastic licence.

They all appear to indicate they apply to my 73rd birthday and have 01 in the next issue (?) column.

The fkinpq ones have a 118 code in addition to the 01. I’m not sure what this lot means

These codes are all listed on the front of the licence on a single line with / between each one.

I used to drive my 7 1/2 tonner up until my ticker problems but not since. I expect I would have been OK until my 70th birthday, but I had no intention of trying that one.

Not a clue as to the origin date(?) for AM (dated as 15.08.17, so I am guessing it was a new spec on the licence. All the rest indicate before tJuly 7 1975 - long after I got my A,D,E licence.

I guess I was 16 or 17 when I passed my m/cycle test and not long after to drive a car. I never took an agricultural tractor test, but my brother did.

Hope that helps.

Hi Duncan, just had to renew mine for the 3rd time and the first time around at 70 it did hack me off a little regarding the 7 1/2 ton restriction ! You can retain it if you wish but have to jump through a few hoops, at first i was going to but then thought when did I last drive a vehicle in that class and when am i likely to do so agin ? Hm!!! so many years back i don't really recall when and probably never again so decided not to bother.

However a word of warning DO keep you old license or make a copy of it BEFOR you send in your application, if your new plastic/electronic license comes back with something missing - say motorcycle -- then you would have a to take a new test unless YOU can prove you have already passed and without your old license its impossible !!

Do the same when renewing you 70+ license in three years time -- do not trust them !

John

Also the part to tow a trailer VIP 

Edited By JohnF on 01/02/2020 16:31:53

Duncan

Take a copy of your licence. They have been known to make a mess of transferring the data. A lady in Somerset, some years ago, ended up with a motorcycle only licence. She had never ridden one.

I had to replace my licence three years ago, when I was 70, and everything was rolled over including full motorcycle licence.

JA

Posted before I saw John's reply.

I don't know how to tidy these posts by deleting one!

Edited By JA on 01/02/2020 16:39:32

Edited By JA on 01/02/2020 16:41:35

[This posting has been removed]

Regarding the weight restriction - it is not just 7.5 Tonne vehicles it is everything over 3500kg and some twin wheel vans come into that class so if that might be ever an option think carefully before you sign it away.

Duncan,

There have been some cases where the old driving test records have been lost, particularly for motorcycles. A friend of mine who exchanged his green licence for the photo card after moving house found some months later that full motorcycle was not included on his new licence. He chased this up with DVLA, who were adamant that he could not have it reinstated and would have to retake a driving test. Unfortunately he couldn't challenge this because he had surrendered his green licence ( without making a copy) so had no evidence of his entitlement. At this point I was rather concerned as I also had the green licence and was riding around on a BMW R1200RT. I spoke to DVLA who checked my record and confirmed that I was okay. The lady I spoke to was very helpful, sympathetic and open about the problems some riders were facing. She pointed out that you can log in to the DVLA service, register then check the record of your entitlement on line. I guess the moral of the story is to check you record on line and hang on tightly to your old licence as evidence in any dispute.

I gave up riding a couple of years ago after some clot ran into the back of me while I was just pulling away entering a roundabout. Next thing I know, flat on my back in the middle of the roundabout looking left to see the bike wobbling off on a journey of it's own, shedding bits of panniers, lights etc in its wake. Suddenly realise where I am, look right straight to the fronts of three cars that have managed to stop (one of them within arms reach). Fortunately, apart from bruised dignity, all was well health wise, but after 40+ years of riding I felt that the standards of driving and traffic awareness shown by many nowadays it was time to call it a day. Yes I miss motorcycling and will probably not bother to take it up again, but would be brassed off if the entitlement were to suddenly disappear from any licence renewal. Who knows, I might get a sudden rush of blood to the head and go out and buy another one day. Wont be a Norton though....

Edit - started this post over an hour ago, but got side tracked. Having completed it an posted, others have responded with the same advice before me

Edited By Mike Woods 1 on 01/02/2020 17:23:20

Len Vale-Onslow was riding until the age of 102 although he did switch to a smaller bike with electric start in his nineties as kicking a larger one became difficult due to arthritis. A Birmingham legend! (local to me)

Nick, just looked him up. Yes, a legend indeed.

I did mine at 70 around 18 months ago, ticked the box to retain towing a trailer and 7.5t vehicles. It involved a simple medical to attain the entitlement as "Grandfather Rights"

Anyone with a motorhome may need to retain the 7.5t licence, otherwise you are only allowed to drive vehicles up to 3.5t, the weight used is that stated in the Registration Document as MGW which in many cases is above 3.5t.

Emgee

Since I've been a diabetic since the age of 7, almost 55 years ago, I've always had to renew by license every 3 years. The buggers took anything over 3 1/2 tonnes off me in 1999 with the nice explanation that I could retain them if I could prove that I was driving such for 20 hours per week or more and submit more medical forms.

I renewed mine for the 3rd time 6 months ago.

I did actually take a tractor test back when I was 17 and retained that right up to age 70 when it magically disappeared, however as by then I also had a car/van licence complete with grandfather rights to class BE which, as I understand it, gives me rights to tow a trailer of any weight (source: https://www.gov.uk/towing-rules/y/car-or-light-vehicle/no/licence-issued-before-19-Jan-2013, and a motorcycle licence, I wasn't all that bothered.

Peter G. Shaw

Take a photocopy of your licence before you send it off to be renewed. As others have said, there are rare occasions of renewals being messed up. I'm not as old as many of you, but this happened to my dad. Suddenly, he was no longer licensed to tow - a big issue for him as he and my mum used to go away in their caravan regularly.

I was able to fix this, as I run my own company and pay a crazy amount of money to solicitors for all our legal requirements. As a perk they cover personal legal stuff for free - it took a single letter from 'scary lawyers inc' for the DVLA to figure out that given my dad's age he would have been licenced to tow. Others have not been so lucky, so make sure you have evidence.

Hi Guys,

Just my 2pw here ! My motorcycle licence got left of mine when I renewed at 70. When I queried it, I got told that if I wanted to ride MC again I would have to retake the test !

Duncan, you likely know this - you can use a passport pic, if you have one. It saves getting photos for all sorts of things that need them.

Duncan, I'm not sure exactly which classes exactly are legitimately able to roll over, but that aside, several folks have suggested taking a copy of your licence.
I would add to that; get a certified copy of your licence.
This should be available via a solicitor, or your bank amongst others, at minimal expense, and is likely to hold more weight in court.
The DVLA seem to have "interesting" interpretations of some legislation, allegedly frequently to the detriment of the licence holder.

One of those stories twice removed, so to speak.
Mt friend's wife's ex-teacher sent her licence off for renewal, I think due to an address change, but I'm not sure.
The DVLA claimed they had no record of her having passed a test and refused to send replacement licence.
They said she had to re-take her test.
I'm 63, my mate is a year or so younger, so I guess his wife's ex teacher must be in the order of 80. She couldn't face a new test and thus had to sell her car.

Now I appreciate the argument that older drivers should need to prove their competence, but that really isn't the method which should be used.

Bill

Rather than return the licence just claim it is missing, when the new one turns up return the old one as requested as it has been found.

Mike