Four Jobs, Ten Months of Experience and Three Penalty Points
Mei is 19 and has held a 準中型 licence for ten months; she displays the 初心運転者標識. Her supervisor lists four jobs for Monday: (1) a box truck of 車両総重量 7.2 t and 最大積載量 4.3 t; (2) a self-propelled road sweeper classed as a 大型特殊自動車, to be driven 300 m on a public road between two gates; (3) a crew van with a 乗車定員 of 11, carrying six fitters and their toolboxes; (4) the 7.2 t truck towing the firm's 800 kg braked trailer. Separately, on Friday she was caught at 25 km/h over the limit, paid the fine, and received 3 penalty points; her record had been clean until then. Her licence carries no conditions and she has never had an accident.
1. Assess each of the four jobs against her licence class and state what she may and may not drive.
Read the worked answer
- 7.2 t box truck - permitted. 準中型 covers 車両総重量 under 7.5 t and 最大積載量 under 4.5 t; 7.2 t and 4.3 t both sit inside those ceilings.
- 大型特殊 road sweeper - not permitted. The 準中型 licence does not extend to 大型特殊自動車, however short the distance and however empty the road. A 小型特殊自動車 would be different; this vehicle is not one.
- 11-seat crew van - not permitted. The limit is a 乗車定員 of 10 or fewer. What matters is the vehicle's registered capacity, not how many people actually travel; the fact that only six fitters would be aboard is irrelevant.
- Truck plus 800 kg trailer - not permitted. Over 750 kg requires a けん引 licence, which she does not hold.
So only job (1) is lawful for her; the other three need a different driver or a different vehicle.
2. Explain what the 3 points mean for a driver still inside her first year, and how that differs from what would happen at 6 points.
Read the worked answer
Three points does not trigger a suspension. What it does trigger is the 初心運転者講習 route: during the one-year 初心運転者期間, reaching 3 points brings a notice from the public safety commission requiring attendance at the novice driver course. Ignoring it, or committing further offences afterwards, can lead toward a re-examination.
The important distinction is between the two systems running in parallel: the 初心者 measures operate on top of the ordinary 点数制度, they do not replace it. Ordinary administrative action begins at 6 points with no prior history - a 30-day suspension, reducible by a short course - and 15 points brings revocation.
So her sensible reading is that she is now one more mid-level violation away from losing the licence, not from a fine.
3. Her employer argues that because the points are only 3 and the delivery is urgent, she can take the van job. How should she respond, and what administrative steps matter?
Read the worked answer
She should refuse the van, and the reason is not the points - it is the licence class. 乗車定員 11 exceeds the 準中型 limit of 10, so driving it is 無免許運転 in respect of that vehicle type, which carries far heavier consequences than a points argument: criminal liability, loss of licence, and insurance falling away.
The same applies to the sweeper and the trailer. Urgency and a clean accident record are not defences, and a supervisor's instruction is not a licence.
Practical steps: carry the licence whenever driving; keep the 初心運転者標識 displayed until the full year is up; check the licence's 有効期限 and class entries before accepting any new vehicle; and report the points to the employer so the roster is set correctly. If she is unsure about a vehicle's class or 乗車定員, she should check the 車検証 rather than the cab.