I've just received my licence back after renewing it (10 year) and see that extra categories have been added. I passed my test in Jan 2000 and I'm 37.

 

AM has been added which I can see from the internet is correct, this allows me to ride mopeds without a CBT or additional testing but I have also gained category A back dated to 2013 which appears to allow me to ride any motorbike. However, I have never taken a CBT or any bike related test or indeed ridden one in my life. I cannot see anything online that tells me why this has been added and if indeed I did want to ride a motorbike if additional tests are required. Is anyone able to clarify the situation? Obviously I'm not daft and know I couldn't just jump on a bike with no experience but some clarity would be good to have.

All a mystery to me. 

I have so many classes available and so many exclusions, all contradict what is on the licence. 

So i am Disabled, Full car licence, restricted bike licence, have available Quad, Trike, Bike, Moped licence, and need adaptions apparently, but passed test without adaptions.

 

So, 

Is it not Provisional Motor Cycle you have, in the certain classes of bike?

52 minutes ago, STREE said:

I've just received my licence back after renewing it (10 year) and see that extra categories have been added. I passed my test in Jan 2000 and I'm 37.

 

AM has been added which I can see from the internet is correct, this allows me to ride mopeds without a CBT or additional testing but I have also gained category A back dated to 2013 which appears to allow me to ride any motorbike. However, I have never taken a CBT or any bike related test or indeed ridden one in my life. I cannot see anything online that tells me why this has been added and if indeed I did want to ride a motorbike if additional tests are required. Is anyone able to clarify the situation? Obviously I'm not daft and know I couldn't just jump on a bike with no experience but some clarity would be good to have.

 

Weird.  Perhaps contacting DVLA would be better, as they may have messed up your license with someone elses when printing...

News to me but found I can view my drivers licence details online which has all the info.

 

AM: 

You can drive 2-wheel vehicles or 3-wheel vehicles with a maximum design speed of over 25km/h and not more than 45km/h. Light quadricycles with an unladen mass of not more than 350kg, not including the mass of the batteries in the case of electric vehicles, whose maximum speed is over 25km/h and not more than 45km/h

 

A

You can drive a motorcycle of a power exceeding 35kW or with a power to weight ratio exceeding 0.2kW per kg, or A motorcycle of a power not exceeding 35kW with a power to weight ratio not exceeding 0.2kW per kg and derived from a vehicle of more than double its power. A motor tricycle with a power exceeding 15kW

 

1. 79(3) Restricted to tricycles

So I can't ride a full on motorbike just a moped or a 3 wheeler.

Edited 16 March, 20188 yr by STREE

Link to website. Just enter your drivers licence number, national insurance number and postcode.

 

https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence

The DVLA has had a mare recently. Sent mine off through work to get Cat C provisional, came back exactly the same. Turns out they have sent out over 150,000 wrong licenses over the last few months

Shades of when 'they' removed entitlements without so much as a by your leave!

Yeah they done this a while back, loads of people were adamant they could ride bikes until they looked a bit more carefully lol

It was Driving Licence renewal time for me.

I will be interested in what classes still have on the new licence, my entitlement to Mopeds, full licence for Trikes, Bike & Sidecar but not Solo Bikes as i have a disabled class.

Various other vehicles, provisional or full, but basically Automatics.

 

I could not apply on-line for Renewal.   This is £14.

Apply by Post is £17.

 

I thought i had to do at the post office & supply the new photo. £21.50

My local Post Office only has the extra staff on a Monday.  Never had that for a past month of Mondays.

 

So today the girl can not do it.  As on her own.

 But she had no customers so said lets see.   I was sending my Licence in so did not need a picture & she is not DVLA trained but ticked the correct boxes i have missed, the ones probably on eyesight i could only see with glasses and a magnifying glass so had missed.

She put in the envelope and addressed it i had to get a Postal Order to pay for the licence.

I asked for recorded mail as a couple of documents in with the application,

so total £27.45

But better than fingers crossed and a stamp. 

 

As to total muppetary. 

I had got a Photo taken at ASDA £6.   

Thought i would accept the offer of 2 sets, thinking that meant a discount.  No i am am Idiot, i press approve payment, & i got 8 pictures for £12.

That was from not having on reading glasses while in the photo booth.

 

 

Edited 4 November, 20241 yr by Ootohere

I was starting to think new licence lost in the post, but a am a bit premature.

These things take there time.

Blue badges take 8 weeks so be prepared for that one if you have one.

@Stonekeeper  Thanks, but Not in Scotland.

Or maybe just Angus where they £20 cost for renewal. 

(It does say you can apply 18 weeks before renewal is due.)

Edited 15 November, 20241 yr by Ootohere

It didn't used to take that long in England but now we have to apply on-line at gov.uk the application is then sent to your Council who once accepted then have to send the details to a third party to produce the Badge.

I just read that some in receipt of some benefits may be exempt from the fee, and now i know who. (Whom.)

What you did is madness at these latitudes! Trust the postal service with your driving license! 😲

Did you get it back already?

 

The rules and categories have changed for all of us in Europe, what was "M" for the up to 49cc class "mopeds" became AM.

And the A in "full", which is also the A3 in some places, is the unlimited motorcycle license.

There are two intermediate steps, A1 and A2, with limitations based on age and type of motorcycle.

There is also a version of the "A" limited to automatic vehicles, if the test was made with such, like a scooter. Nonsense!

I do not know there, but also there is a version of the "B" category with the same silly limitation, this is for automatic if the course and test was made with auto. Again, more nonsense.

If you ask me, the first hours of any driving course should be a 101 on Physics, just to understand what means a human body hurled at several meters a second...

On 16/03/2018 at 15:35, Ootohere said:

All a mystery to me. 

I have so many classes available and so many exclusions, all contradict what is on the licence. 

 

I see what you mean!

 

On 16/03/2018 at 17:44, STREE said:

You can drive a motorcycle of a power exceeding 35kW or with a power to weight ratio exceeding 0.2kW per kg, or A motorcycle of a power not exceeding 35kW with a power to weight ratio not exceeding 0.2kW per kg and derived from a vehicle of more than double its power. A motor tricycle with a power exceeding 15kW

 

😕

 

What the hell does the above mean?

 

You can drive a powerful motorbike (above 35kw and 0.2kw/kg) and you can drive a less powerful one if its engine came from a vehicle of more than double the power 🙄

 

So you can drive a Hayabushyfanni but not a little scooter unless it has a Hayabushifanni engine with 2 cylinders removed?

On 16/03/2018 at 17:44, STREE said:

News to me but found I can view my drivers licence details online which has all the info.

 

AM: 

You can drive 2-wheel vehicles or 3-wheel vehicles with a maximum design speed of over 25km/h and not more than 45km/h. Light quadricycles with an unladen mass of not more than 350kg, not including the mass of the batteries in the case of electric vehicles, whose maximum speed is over 25km/h and not more than 45km/h

 

A

You can drive a motorcycle of a power exceeding 35kW or with a power to weight ratio exceeding 0.2kW per kg, or A motorcycle of a power not exceeding 35kW with a power to weight ratio not exceeding 0.2kW per kg and derived from a vehicle of more than double its power. A motor tricycle with a power exceeding 15kW

 

1. 79(3) Restricted to tricycles

So I can't ride a full on motorbike just a moped or a 3 wheeler.

 

lol that just shows how messed up the UK system of using Mertic and Imperial is.
Most folk go by Mph and HP, the road signs are in Mph and distances in miles yet the DVLA work in Kph and kW.

Just use the far simpler metric system and be done.

Anyone fancy a pint  

Edited 3 December, 20241 yr by Lee01

My New Driving Licence arrived a couple of days ago.  Expires day before my 70th birthday.

Automatics only.  Cars and various vehicle types. (I have 1 leg)

Kept my Motorbike of any power but restriction 79(3) applied, so 3 wheels only / trike can have a power output of more than 15 kW

Also 'AM' 2 or 3 wheel vehicles max speed 28 mph. Also light quad bikes same max speed, unladen mass of 350 kg, excluding batteries for electric vehicles.

Edited 4 December, 20241 yr by Ootohere

@Stonekeeper

Took me a while to find the letter required about PIP award and points and expiry date for Blue Badge application.   Expiry is 2030 and now with the Scottish Department rather than UK.

Applied online 2 days ago and accepted for renewal today.     What a palaver the Online Application was. 

Paid for the Badge online tonight.   Again they did not make it straight forward.

 

 

Edited 21 February, 20251 yr by Ootohere

1 hour ago, Ootohere said:

@Stonekeeper

Took me a while to find the letter required about PIP award and points and expiry date for Blue Badge application.   Expiry is 2030 and now with the Scottish Department rather than UK.

Applied online 2 days ago and accepted for renewal today.     What a palaver the Online Application was. 

Paid for the Badge online tonight.   Again they did not make it straight forward.

 

 

 

It is a bit off a faff you would think the PIP data would  be known from your NI number.

 

Blue badge last time we renewed was for three years. Must be part of the devolved parliament responsibilities?