Driving tractor on provisional car licence

[multi power]

I was able to drive at 16 with provisional license. Was ment to have L plates but I never bothered nor did anybody else I know of. That was 22 years ago in northern Ireland
Edit. Was only supposed to drive tractors up to 2440 kg but nobody bothered about that either

 

[Simon Chiles]

You can drive a tractor on the road at 16, but only if you’ve passed the DSA Tractor Driving Test. You can drive a tractor to and from the driving test appointment ,but you can’t practice on the road. At 17, however, you can drive any tractor unaccompanied on the road as long as you display L-plates.

This is correct as far as I understand it except that you have to have an instructor present if it is fitted with an additional seat.
However nowhere does it mention that you can tow a trailer or agricultural appliance so I personally think that it may be prohibited. Also if you want to take it to fine points I would suggest that driving on L pates was for the purpose of learning to drive and not actually working, although that hasn't been defined and probably won't ever be resolved until someone goes to court!
For any 16/17 year olds contemplating taking a tractor test my advice would be to do it as soon as possible.

 

[Exfarmer]

The law of England and Wales is quite clear that you can do anything provided it is not illegal, this means you can certainly do anything with a tractor and trailer on L plates you can do having passed your test.
However any employer has a duty of care to the public and staff etc. so allowing an employee to drive without a test would be irresponsible. I would encourage anyone to get a pass ASAP

 

[Baker9]

Hi there, can a 17 yr old with a provisional car licence drive a tractor on the road. Nothing behind it, obviously he doesn't have a tractor licence. Many thanks.

If you are a member of UFU contact them, they published a booklet recently on vehicle licences, weight limits etc. If not try CAFRE Geenmount, they do a tractor driving course for young people, they should know the ins and outs for driving tractors on the road.

 

[arcobob]

Over the years the government has been strangled by EU legislation which they enhance. They then cut the number of staff to process and administer and end up with a situation where nothing works. That is why, by their own admission, the DVLA took five months to process my new goods vehicle driving licence when I became 70. When I questioned VOSA about CPC exclusions a few years ago they told me to read the information and make up my own mind. The fact is that if some jumped up official decides to make a name for himself they close ranks and land you with a hefty fine or worse . You will never get a written reply to a straight question.

 

[PostHarvest]

Can I advise caution. Its all OK until something goes wrong. And when something goes wrong the whole job tends to go to pot because when investigating accidents, the police look into every detail. If the driver isn't fully qualified, they start bringing up other offences like driving without insurance. And without insurance, costs can quickly become astronomic. As others have advised, I'd get the test taken and passed as soon as possible,

 

[humblefarmer]

Can I advise caution. Its all OK until something goes wrong. And when something goes wrong the whole job tends to go to pot because when investigating accidents, the police look into every detail. If the driver isn't fully qualified, they start bringing up other offences like driving without insurance. And without insurance, costs can quickly become astronomic. As others have advised, I'd get the test taken and passed as soon as possible,

Quite agree, driving a tractor is all well and good when young but towing stuff adds complications, number of axle and total train weights to consider too.

Local small contractor had one of his 17 yr old lads roll tractor and trailer with a whole load of bales on, think it was last load so over loaded a bit. Lost control on bumpy hill and it all went very wrong. Highways and police came out, when he said how bad the road was highways came back with "well no one else has had an accident here "

Not sure on outcome but as kid was 17 I think insurance is invalid meaning the 15 plate JD and trailer which were written off will probably put him out of business.

Had someone been KSI then how would that have worked? Contractor would have been sued and with no insurance and limited company it would have been life changing. It's ok till it goes wrong and questions get asked.

 

[blakemored96]

hi there,
I have a 1950 grey Fergy and I have a provisional licence and currently am waiting for my practical test in September im not insured with anyone but I cannot find anyone who will insure me due to only having a provisional licence can anyone help and do I need insurance or can I just drive on l plates I am 17 years old... thanks

 

[Exfarmer]

You absolutely must have insurance to travel on any public road, no excuse, full stop!

 

[arcobob]

If the vehicle is taxed and insured for road use and there are no driver exclusion, ie covering any driver with permission of the insured. that is fulfilling requirements. If you get an adult to insure the vehicle in the manner described there should be no exclusion for learner drivers. In the case of a tractor there is no requirement for on board supervision by a qualified driver. The problem arises when a learner tries to insure a vehicle.

 

[arcobob]

Most farm tractors in my youth were insured for any driver and I drove one on L plates at the age of 16. It was not apparentl;y a perfect introduction to driving on the road as my driving instructor pointed out. When asked to signal a turn with both hand signal and indicator, changing down at the same time , I took my hand off the wheel and replaced it with my knee. He said " I can see you have been driving a tractor" to which I replied "tractors don`t have indicators or syncromesh gearboxes". Clearly I had mastered a skill which he had not.

 

[uztrac]

Best advice in all this discussion is to consult ones insurance company. God forbid any event with young tractor drivers/operators.