DVLA nearly over 70 renewing licence

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bigjim
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Re: DVLA nearly over 70 renewing licence

Post by bigjim »

I lost my HGV and other large vehicles entitlements on reaching 70. But it does say that to get these back you will have to undergo an expensive medical and a CPC for the HGV. I can't be bothered but I do see it as discrimination as I'm fitter and healthier than many much younger than me.
Jdsk
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Re: DVLA nearly over 70 renewing licence

Post by Jdsk »

bigjim wrote: 22 Aug 2021, 10:41am I lost my HGV and other large vehicles entitlements on reaching 70. But it does say that to get these back you will have to undergo an expensive medical and a CPC for the HGV. I can't be bothered but I do see it as discrimination as I'm fitter and healthier than many much younger than me.
Discrimination is essential. Unfair discrimination would be a problem.

All sorts of laws and regulations have crude cut-offs: ages of consent, speed limits, tax thresholds. They can't be perfect. What they can be is clear, based on evidence, and generated and then reviewed and changed with as much transparency as possible.

Jonathan
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Mick F
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Re: DVLA nearly over 70 renewing licence

Post by Mick F »

Back in the old days when I was in the RN, just because you had a full DL didn't mean you could drive a military vehicle - landrover, car, van etc. You had to take an Admiralty Driving Test.

I did mine round the back streets of Devonport and Plymouth in a long wheelbase Landrover. The test was basically the same as a normal driving test and you got a paper licence in honour of passing.

In the 1990s, they cut lots of "red tape" and one of those cuts was the Admiralty Driving Test. Friend of ours (ex Lieutenant Commander) was one of the staff who was in charge of the red tape cutting and it was he who made the Admiralty Test bite the dust.
Mick F. Cornwall
thirdcrank
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Re: DVLA nearly over 70 renewing licence

Post by thirdcrank »

It used to be the case and may well still be, that the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and its predecessors were not the only ones able to do driving tests. The police was one, and the armed forces must be others. This is probably less of an issue these days when a lot more people have a driving licence than in the "olden days." I could see there still being a need with eg a large, specialist vehicle where the instructors and testers would be employed by the organisation using it.

I've probably posted before that Leeds City Transport - which dates this - did their own training and testing of bus drivers, generally promoting existing conductors. LCT buses in those days had semi-automatic gears so the drivers obtained a restricted licence and some were caught out when they dashed out and bought their first car with a standard gear box.
Ben@Forest
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Re: DVLA nearly over 70 renewing licence

Post by Ben@Forest »

I knew a motorcycle rider who was ex-Army. He had no licence at all and to take a test rode from one barracks in Cyprus to another. When he got there the examiner just said 'You've ridden from X have you? - In that case I don't need to test you, you've passed'. That would have been the 1980s, it's amusing, but in a slightly scary way - because he got a civilian licence out of it too.
rjb
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Re: DVLA nearly over 70 renewing licence

Post by rjb »

M in law a trainee nurse was taught to drive an ambulance in the blitz. They gave her a licence, no test required. She was pretty good at double declutching right up to when her eyesight deteriorated and she handed her licence back.
At the last count:- Peugeot 531 pro, Dawes Discovery Tandem, Dawes Kingpin X3, Raleigh 20 stowaway, 1965 Moulton deluxe, Falcon K2 MTB dropped bar tourer, Rudge Bi frame folder, Longstaff trike conversion on a Giant XTC 840 :D
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: DVLA nearly over 70 renewing licence

Post by [XAP]Bob »

thirdcrank wrote: 22 Aug 2021, 9:25am The DVLA seems to be struggling to keep up with the current situation, without introducing more. Resources might be better directed at people who don't bother with things like insurance and MOTs.

Do they need to charge more for tests, or do they just need to be allowed to grow to accommodate the correct way of doing things?

Frankly, I'd be in favour of the Australian insurance system where, as I understand it, basic third party insurance is effectively part of the MOT/VED system and you can "top up" to comprehensive insurance.

Then at least it's trivial to ANPR identify vehicles that are on the roads and shouldn't be.
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
thirdcrank
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Re: DVLA nearly over 70 renewing licence

Post by thirdcrank »

Essex driving theory test centre closures 'devastating'

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-58306486
Oldjohnw
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Re: DVLA nearly over 70 renewing licence

Post by Oldjohnw »

Paulatic wrote: 19 Aug 2021, 6:29pm I’m sure it was on the News earlier today there’s a 5 month delay with paperwork at DVLA. A friend did his online easily but he also had a passport.
I’m like you TC with no passport and not looking forward to the hassle.
Following a house move, I cut up my old licence and put it in an envelope and posted it off having completed the online form. That was last Friday.

My new licence arrived this morning. I can’t think how that could be bettered.
John
thirdcrank
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Re: DVLA nearly over 70 renewing licence

Post by thirdcrank »

Oldjohnw wrote: 27 Aug 2021, 3:31pm
Paulatic wrote: 19 Aug 2021, 6:29pm I’m sure it was on the News earlier today there’s a 5 month delay with paperwork at DVLA. A friend did his online easily but he also had a passport.
I’m like you TC with no passport and not looking forward to the hassle.
Following a house move, I cut up my old licence and put it in an envelope and posted it off having completed the online form. That was last Friday.

My new licence arrived this morning. I can’t think how that could be bettered.
That's really good news and I hope it's the norm.

I recently found this which may be useful for anybody who has to prove the existence of their licence - eg for car hire - while it's "in the post."

View or share your driving licence information

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

(Posted with the usual apologies.)
rjb
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Re: DVLA nearly over 70 renewing licence

Post by rjb »

My licence is coming up for renewal soon when i reach that 3 score and ten threshold. I havent had a reminder which i should have received by post. Ive a photocard licence. Tried to renew online but found that i would loose entitlement to drive small minibuses and restrictions on towing which i wish to retain. How did others retain these entitlements at renewal. If you cant do it online the web suggests you can do it for free at a post office. The post office suggest a fee of £21.50 is required. Whats going on ? how have others fared.
Did Malc manage to renew his, or is he still ferreting around. :?
At the last count:- Peugeot 531 pro, Dawes Discovery Tandem, Dawes Kingpin X3, Raleigh 20 stowaway, 1965 Moulton deluxe, Falcon K2 MTB dropped bar tourer, Rudge Bi frame folder, Longstaff trike conversion on a Giant XTC 840 :D
thirdcrank
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Re: DVLA nearly over 70 renewing licence

Post by thirdcrank »

Is that what they said in a post office? You may know already that all sorts of disguised websites offer services for a fee which are free if you go direct to the govt. If you did know, sorry.

Incidentally, as I've posted earlier, I'm now approaching the point where I must renew my over 70 licence which was extended by eleven months last year but I've not had a reminder either. It looks as though I'll be trying to do it online.
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bigjim
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Re: DVLA nearly over 70 renewing licence

Post by bigjim »

I was told I could keep my entitlements as long as I took a HGV medical. It was on the application form. Didn't see anything on there about any other fee. I didn't see the point so let the entitlements go. Evidently you can get them back by taking the medical and submitting it in the future.
drossall
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Re: DVLA nearly over 70 renewing licence

Post by drossall »

thirdcrank wrote: 9 Sep 2021, 11:43am Is that what they said in a post office? You may know already that all sorts of disguised websites offer services for a fee which are free if you go direct to the govt. If you did know, sorry.
Didn't post offices themselves offer a chargeable service to check your passport application, over and above the application fee? No views on whether that's necessary, but it's one of the earliest instances I can think of where firms were charging you to help you to fill in other people's forms, and could therefore be argued to have been a factor in the emergence of others doing it for free forms? Some people are prepared to pay for things that make life easier of course. Indeed, we all are, for the right things.
rjb
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Re: DVLA nearly over 70 renewing licence

Post by rjb »

Just been up to village PO. They can't do the renewal there, suggested I try the main one in town. Link here to the Post Office service and there is a fee but unsure if this applies to over70s. The local postmistress didn't know either. https://www.postoffice.co.uk/identity/r ... ng-licence
At the last count:- Peugeot 531 pro, Dawes Discovery Tandem, Dawes Kingpin X3, Raleigh 20 stowaway, 1965 Moulton deluxe, Falcon K2 MTB dropped bar tourer, Rudge Bi frame folder, Longstaff trike conversion on a Giant XTC 840 :D
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