If you pass the trailer driving test for a BE driving licence category, you will be allowed to drive a car and 4x4 with a typical livestock trailer or horsebox on Irish roads. This is because, since 1989, drivers towing trailers that weigh over 750kg have been required to sit an additional test in addition to their standard B car drivering licence test.

The BE driving licence allows drivers to tow a fully loaded trailer weighing up to 3,500kg provided the laden weight of the trailer being towed does not exceed the manufacturer’s specified towing capacity for your towing vehicle. Some of the larger 4x4s are the only vehicles that are suitably rated for this maximum 3,500kg towing figure. The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has confirmed that these light trailers, that is those with a maximum allowable mass (MAM) not exceeding 3,500kg, are not required to undergo a compulsory roadworthiness test.

What does the BE test involve?

We know that more and more farmers are taking the BE driving licence test, which is a must to allow you to tow a livestock type trailer behind a car or 4x4. The numbers taking the test almost doubled between 2012 and 2014, according to recent RSA statistics.

The success rate in the test, which is often taken by more mature drivers, is now 85%. This is an indication that those being tested have a significant level of driving experience as, up until recently, many drivers were towing trailers and were blissfully unaware of the need for this test.

To apply for the BE driving licence test you must first hold a B licence and complete a driver theory test at a local National Driver Licence Service (NDLS) centre, if you have never passed a theory test. With the theory test completed, you must apply for a learner driver permit in category BE in an NDSL centre.

The RSA advises that you get some lessons in driving with a trailer with one of its approved driving instructors (ADI). This is useful advice, but not essential.

You can then apply for the practical test and waiting times are not very long. If successful, the category BE will be added to your driving licence.

It is good advice to practise with both an empty trailer and a loaded one. This is to give you an appreciation of the effects the loaded trailer will have on the handling of the car or 4x4.

To prepare for the test, make sure the towing vehicle is 4.25m long (typically a car of the size of a Volkswagen Passat or equivalent) or alternatively a 4x4 vehicle of any length. Some driving schools use a 4x4 car, such as a Volkswagen Golf 4Motion, for the test, while other smaller SUVs will be adequate.

The trailer used in the test must be rated for at least 1,400kg and be a closed box type, such as a horsebox or livestock trailer. It must be at least 2.4m long and may be slightly narrower than the towing vehicle, provided the view to the rear is possible by extended side mirrors.

You need to have an L plate on the front of the towing vehicle and on the rear of the trailer. The trailer and towing vehicle number plates must match; even if you borrow the trailer from a neighbour, get a matched registration plate for the trailer test.

The trailer lights must be working properly and the trailer must be in good shape, with tyres in good condition and the hitch working correctly.

The trailer must have a real total mass or a load of at least 800kg. The RSA recommends meeting this load requirement with a load of 30 solid concrete 100 x 220 x 450mm (four-inch) building blocks (each weighing approximately 19-20kg), laid evenly on the floor of the trailer. The blocks should be positioned in such a way as to keep the nose weight within the recommended limits. This is in addition to the weight of the trailer itself.

no concessions for older drivers

Prior to 1989, a person who held a C category driving licence was entitled by default to tow a trailer. When the new regulations were introduced in 1989, B and EB licence categories were established, with B being the licence to drive a car and EB to tow a trailer.

At that time a car driver with a C licence category could retain the entitlement to tow trailers by having the EB category added to their licence at the next renewal date by simply ticking a box.

Some farmers unwittingly did not tick the appropriate boxes at that renewal time and lost their trailer-towing entitlement. The RSA has recently informed us about the concession whereby a person held a C licence before November 1989 could get a BE (car and trailer) added, which now no longer applies. The closing date for that concession was 18 October 2013.

The RSA has confirmed that, where a driver has not had a category on their driving licence in the past 10 years, they are applying the current legislation on this and therefore they cannot apply to have the category added back on.