The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations 1999

Exempted goods vehicles and military vehicles E+W+S

51.—(1) For the purposes of this Part of these Regulations, an exempted goods vehicle is a vehicle falling within any of the following classes—

(a) a goods vehicle propelled by steam;

(b) any road construction vehicle used or kept on the road solely for the conveyance of built-in road construction machinery (with or without articles or materials used for the purpose of that machinery);

(c) any engineering plant other than a mobile crane;

(d) a works truck;

(e) an industrial tractor;

(f) an agricultural motor vehicle which is not an agricultural or forestry tractor;

(g) a digging machine;

(h) a goods vehicle which, in so far as it is used on [F1 public roads]—

(i) is used only in passing from land in the occupation of a person keeping the vehicle to other land in the occupation of that person, and

(ii) is not used on [F2 public roads] for distances exceeding an aggregate of 9.7 kilometres in any calendar week;

(j) a goods vehicle, other than an agricultural motor vehicle, which—

(i) is used only for purposes relating to agriculture, horticulture or forestry,

(ii) is used on [F3 public roads] only in passing between different areas of land occupied by the same person, and

(iii) in passing between any two such areas does not travel a distance exceeding 1.5 kilometres on [F3 public roads];

(k) a goods vehicle used for no other purpose than the haulage of lifeboats and the conveyance of the necessary gear of the lifeboats which are being hauled;

(l) a goods vehicle manufacturered before 1st January 1960, used unladen and not drawing a laden trailer;

(m) an articulated goods vehicle the unladen weight of which does not exceed 3.05 tonnes;

(n) a goods vehicle in the service of a visiting force or headquarters as defined in the Visiting Forces and International Headquarters (Application of Law) Order 1965 F4 ;

(o) a goods vehicle driven by a constable for the purpose of removing or avoiding obstruction to other road users or other members of the public, for the purpose of protecting life or property (including the vehicle and its load) or for other similar purposes;

(p) a goods vehicle fitted with apparatus designed for raising a disabled vehicle partly from the ground and for drawing a disabled vehicle when so raised (whether by partial superimposition or otherwise) being a vehicle which—

(i) is used solely for dealing with disabled vehicles;

(ii) is not used for the conveyance of any goods other than a disabled vehicle when so raised and water, fuel, accumulators and articles required for the operation of, or in connection with, such apparatus or otherwise for dealing with disabled vehicles; and

(iii) has an unladen weight not exceeding 3.05 tonnes;

(q) a passenger-carrying vehicle recovery vehicle; and

(r) a mobile project vehicle.

(2) For the purposes of this Part of these Regulations, an exempted military vehicle is a large goods or passenger-carrying vehicle falling withing any of the following classes—

(a) a vehicle designed for fire fighting or fire salvage purposes which is the property of, or for the time being under the control of, the Secretary of State for Defence, when being driven by a member of the armed forces of the Crown;

(b) a vehicle being driven by a member of the armed forces of the Crown in the course of urgent work of national importance in accordance with an order of the Defence Council in pursuance of the Defence (Armed Forces) Regulations 1939 F5 which were continued permanently in force, in the form set out in Part C of Schedule 2 to the Emergency Laws (Repeal) Act, 1959 F6 , by section 2 of the Emergency Powers Act 1964 F7 ; or

(c) an armoured vehicle other than a track-laying vehicle which is the property of, or for the time being under the control of, the Secretary of State for Defence.

(3) In this Regulation—

• “digging machine" has the same meaning as in paragraph 4(4) of Schedule 1 to the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994;

• “agricultural motor vehicle", “engineering plant", “industrial tractor" and “works truck" have the same meaning as in regulation 3(2) of the Construction and Use Regulations;

• “public road" has the same meaning as in section 62(1) of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994;

• “road construction machinery" means a machine or device suitable for use for the construction and repair of roads and used for no purpose other than the construction and repair of roads; and

• “road construction vehicle" means a vehicle which—

  (a)

  is constructed or adapted for use for the conveyance of road construction machinery which is built in as part of, or permanently attached to, that vehicle, and

  (b)

  is not constructed or adapted for the conveyance of any other load except articles and materials used for the purposes of such machinery.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in reg. 51(1)(h) substituted (21.2.2003) by The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/166), regs. 1(1), 4(a)(i)

F2 Words in reg. 51(1)(h) substituted (21.2.2003) by The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/166), regs. 1(1), 4(a)(ii)

F3 Words in reg. 51(1)(j) substituted (21.2.2003) by The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) Regulations 2003 (S.I. 2003/166), regs. 1(1), 4(b)

F4 S.I. 1965/1536.

F5 S.R. & O. 1939/1304.

F6 1959 c. 19.

F7 1964 c. 38.