LittleGreyCat

On my current UK licence I am limited to driving up to 3.5 metric tonnes.

A previous enquiry suggested that in NZ a car licence can drive up to 6 metric tonnes.

Any idea which would apply driving in NZ on a UK licence?

[As an additional thought, what would apply in the UK driving on a NZ licence?]

jarv5116

I got my Class 1 C+E in the U.K.
done a theory test in NZ and transferred it to a class 5 and also done my BESS bridge engineering Self supervision
Got loads other shit nzqa tickets for machines lol

Justcol

Your UK car licence is the equivalent of an NZ class 1 license until you get any UK extras verified (hgv classes for example)
as you've said an NZ class 1 does allow you to drive vehicles (cars, vans, trucks etc) up to 6 tonnes. This includes any load you may be carrying. So you can drive a 3 tonne truck carrying up to 3 tonnes, or a 6 tonnes truck with no load.
I'm not sure if it's changed, but to get an NZ license is just, show them your UK license, with another form of id (passport ), take a simple eye test and bobs your uncle.
​​​​

jarv5116

it’s still the same for the normal car licence.
Hgv you need to do conversion theory test I think it’s 50 multiple choice test

LittleGreyCat

In the UK the limit is on the towing vehicle when towing.
So I can't drive any vehicle over 3.5 tonnes Gross Vehicle Weight/Maximum Authorised Mass - that is the vehicle fully loaded legal limit.
However I can also tow a trailer as long as this is inside the Gross Train Weight - that is the fully loaded weight of the vehicle and trailer together.

I am trying to find the GTW of my current vehicle.
I know it can tow up to 3.5 tonnes but haven't yet been able to find the MAM.

To give an example, you could get a pickup truck which can have a MAM of 3.5 tonnes.
It can also tow 3.5 tonnes.
So theoretically 7 tonnes GTW unless there is a lower number imposed.
So on my licence I can in theory have a setup with a GTW of 7 tonnes which is more than NZ (I think).

Oh, and the limit in the UK is the maximum loading, not the actual loading on that day.
So I couldn't drive a lorry with 7.5 tonnes MAM if on the day it was empty and only weighed 3.5 tonnes on a weighbridge.

Justcol

Not sure if this tells you any more than you know already

https://www.nzta.govt.nz/driver-lice...you-can-drive/


Also found this from TraiLite motorhomes

"Licencing
The next thing to consider and one thing that a lot of people appear to be ignorant about is licensing. You can dive a vehicle up to 6 tonnes on a car license, so if you have a motorhome with a GVM of 5 tonnes, you can tow something that takes the total to 6 tonnes. After that, you will need a call-2 (H/T) license.

Now a lot of people who tow cars do not realize that the weight of the towed car is based on the GVM of the car, not its towed on-road weight.

If we took a motorhome with a 4.5-tonne GVM, and I tow a car that is 1.45 tonne on the road, you would think it would be ok, right? This is how people make a mistake thinking 4.5 + 1.45 = 5.95.

BUT, if the car being towed has a GVM of 1.66 tonnes, the equation is then 4.5 + 1.66 = 6.16 which will now require a class 2 license. I know there are plenty of people out there doing that, but they run the risk of having no insurance cover, as well as a fine for being over should they be pulled over by the police."

So looks like 6 tonnes is the MAX combined weight of the vehicle and trailer (or small car) being towed"

https://blog.traillite.co.nz/can-a-m...railer-a-boat-

Hope that helps