The Newly Licensed Driver and the Company Van
A driver has held a Category B licence for four months. His employer asks him to drive a company van with a permissible maximum mass of 3,500 kg and nine seats, carrying six workmates and a load of tools, on a route that includes a section of motorway. He has never driven a vehicle of this size, has never driven on a motorway, and the van's documents in the glovebox show that its periodic inspection is two months overdue. The tyres look worn on the outer edge. He is unsure whether his licence permits him to drive it.
1. Work out whether the licence and the vehicle permit this journey.
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Licence: a Category B licence covers vehicles up to 3,500 kg permissible maximum mass with up to eight passenger seats in addition to the driver. The van is exactly at the 3,500 kg limit and has nine seats - that is eight passengers plus the driver, so it sits at the boundary. Carrying six workmates is within the seat count, but the driver must confirm the permissible maximum mass on the vehicle's documentation rather than the unladen weight, and must confirm that the load of tools plus six people does not push the actual mass over 3,500 kg. Overloading a van at its limit is both unsafe and an offence.
Vehicle: the overdue periodic inspection means the van is not lawfully roadworthy for use; the driver should not take it. The worn outer tyre edges suggest misalignment or under-inflation and reduce grip, especially on a wet motorway.
Conclusion: the licence may permit the category, but the vehicle does not permit the journey as it stands.
2. What should the driver do about the employer's instruction, and what does the law and defensive practice say about a newly qualified driver taking this route?
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The instruction: an employer's request does not override the driver's own legal duty. The driver is responsible for the vehicle he drives and for refusing to take out a vehicle that is not roadworthy or a load that exceeds the limit. He should say clearly that the inspection is overdue and the tyres are worn, and that he will not drive it until those are resolved. If pressed, he should put the refusal in writing.
Newly qualified on a motorway: motorway driving involves higher speeds, longer stopping distances and different lane discipline. A driver with four months' experience should not make his first motorway trip in an unfamiliar, heavily loaded van with passengers. Defensive practice: gain experience in the vehicle on ordinary roads first, ideally with an experienced driver alongside, and check the tyre pressures and load distribution before any long trip.
Environmental note: a correctly inflated, correctly loaded van burns less fuel and the worn, misaligned tyres increase rolling resistance - fixing them is both a safety and a consumption measure.