EB, or not EB

The challenge facing the caravaning industry.

Perhaps you’ve suddenly decided to buy a caravan … or been fortunate enough to inherit one. Welcome to the great world of caravaning: we hope you enjoy your stay. Um, but before you release the handbrake, would you mind first checking your driving licence?

According to the AA, all licences issued prior to the year 2000 (when the change-over to the credit card system happened) were issued with a numerical coding, and 08 licences were automatically converted to EB licences, thereby allowing holders to legally tow a caravan. However, most motorists who have taken the test since then only have the basic B licence, and this means that in order to qualify for an EB licence you have to take your learner’s and driver’s tests again! This change in the regulations didn’t make much difference at first, but now, more than a decade later, it has thrown up some serious challenges for new entrants to the camping lifestyle experience, as well as for the entire caravan and trailer industry. This additional barrier to the caravaning world is going to have a severe impact on caravan sales and drastically curtail the number of people with caravan-towing experience. If the situation doesn’t change, then almost certainly caravaner numbers will start dwindling. Most drivers in their thirties and older will have automatically been granted an EB licence, but B licence drivers have to first retake their learner’s and driver’s licence test in order to be granted EB licence status and, therefore, be legally allowed to tow.

With an EB licence you’re allowed to tow a caravan or trailer that has a combined gross vehicle mass, or GVM (the combined tare weights of the tow vehicle and caravan), of up to 3500 kg. According to Alta Swanepoel of Alta Swanepoel & Associates, a road transport consultancy specialising in road traffic and transport legislation, ‘more than 80% of licensed drivers in South Africa today who are 33 and younger do not have an EB licence. They are most likely to have a B category licence and, as such, cannot tow anything, braked or unbraked, with a GVM greater than 750 kg’. If you’re one of those B category licence holders and you want to introduce your family to the camping lifestyle, then your options are either to load a tent into your car, along with all your other camping gear, to look for trailer or small caravan with a GVM of under 750 kg … or to bite the bullet and endure the lengthy process or getting your EB licence.

The options for the B licence holder

Let’s say you choose the trailer and tent combination: you could get either get an unbraked trailer or one with a braking system, but whichever you choose, the trailer can’t exceed a GVM of 750 kg. If the trailer is unbraked, then the weight of your fully laden trailer may not exceed 50% of the tare of the vehicle you are towing it with. It’s easy to calculate: if your unbraked trailer weighs the maximum allowed 750 kg fully laden, and the vehicle manufacturer’s tare specification is 1600 kg, then half of that tare is 800 kg, so with a B licence you can legally tow that trailer. However, if you choose a braked trailer, then you can load your trailer to your car’s full tare specification. This means that, taking the car in our previous example, you could tow a trailer of up to 1600 kg – except that, as you have a B licence, you still may not tow anything with a GVM that exceeds 750 kg.

Remember also that a braking system adds more weight to a trailer, so you won’t be able to pack the same amount of camping equipment as you would in the equivalent unbraked trailer. Some of that kit will have to be put into your car. It’s quite tricky to balance the 750 kg GVM towing limit against all the other factors: the vehicle’s tare, and the choice of either a braked or an unbraked trailer or light caravan.

The Legal Issues
If you have a B licence and are towing a loaded trailer with a combined weight that exceeds its 750 kg GVM limit and you’re stopped at a traffic checkpoint, the traffic officer will ask you to accompany him or her to the nearest weighbridge to check the weight of your trailer and car. Not only will you have to pay a fine for overloading, but you’ll also have to take some items from your trailer and repack them in your car in order to get the weight in your trailer down to the maximum of 750 kg. But you may not, in so doing, exceed the tare of the car. If you do, you may have to leave some items behind in order to be allowed to carry on with your journey. According to information we received from the road traffic police at a local weighbridge station, the fine is approximately R900 for every 150 kg over your legal weight limit. Fines may vary, depending on the vehicle and trailer.

If you’re towing a trailer or a caravan with a GVM greater than 750 kg and the traffic official sees that you don’t have the appropriate licence – an EB licence, in other words – then you’re liable to a fine of R700. On top of this, you’ll be forced to leave the trailer or caravan behind to be collected by someone with the right licence. Overall, this isn’t a great way to kick off your holiday, so you should rather not risk it.

What about the insurance?
Most vehicles are insured, either comprehensively, for third-party loss or possibly under some other category. However, if you’re towing a caravan or trailer, you need to insure it separately and to specify it under the caravan or trailer section of a policy. Your insurance policy will also be void against any claim if you’re involved in an accident while towing and don’t have the appropriate driving license (B or EB) that matches the GVM capacity or tare of the vehicle in relation to the type of trailer or caravan you’re towing (braked or unbraked).

That can be a truly expensive problem to confront, especially when there are third-party claims against you. Marian Russell, a short-term insurance broker, confirms that ‘a caravan or trailer does not automatically enjoy cover as an extension to the motor section’ of a policy.

So what can you do?
As a B licence holder, if you plan to stick to tar roads you should opt for a normal light luggage trailer. Into this you can pack your tent and camping gear, but remember that you’re still limited to towing a trailer with a GVM of no more than 750 kg. Some such trailers come with a tent attached.

If you fancy a bit of trekking into the bush, then a more robust trailer-tent combination should suit you, but you’re still limited to a GVM of 750 kg – and bush camping requires you to carry a lot more than that. However, if you’re heading into the bush, then you presumably have a large SUV or 4×4, in which case you can pack a large proportion of your equipment in the vehicle.

How to get your EB licence
If having a B licence is a major inconvenience for you, then you need to go for your EB licence: and then, unfortunately, you need to apply from scratch: you can’t just upgrade your current B licence. So it’s a lot of effort: you’ll have to take the learner’s test, then apply to take the driving and towing test, study for it, practise towing – ideally with an instructor, which can be expensive – book a test date and then pass the test. Many seasoned drivers and towers have told us that they struggled to pass the test, but once you have it your towing life will be a piece of cake.

1. Get a learner’s application form (LL1) from the traffic department and apply for a Code 2 light motor vehicle licence. Under this code you can then choose to be tested for either the B or the EB licence.

2. Study the K53 book or instructional DVD thoroughly. Questions and answers are in the back of the K53 book: if you’re confident that you understand everything in the book and can answer the questions competently, then you shouldn’t have a problem passing the written test.

3. Once you’ve passed the written test, you can apply for a driving test date.

4. The EB test can be done at any traffic department that is equipped with a test track.

The AA recommends that motorists use a driving instructor who is a member of SAIDI (the Southern African Institute of Driving Instructors, www.saidi.co.za).

This article appeared in the August 2013 issue.