You must:
You must bring one of the following forms of identity with you to your driver theory test:
Your truck must:
Your trailer must:
Before you can become a category CE (truck with trailer) driver, you must already hold a full, valid category C (truck) driving licence.
You must have previously passed a category C (truck) or category C and D (bus and truck) theory test before you can apply for a category CE learner permit. If you got your first category C learner permit before the introduction of the theory test on 25 April 2001, you must complete a theory test before applying for a category CE learner permit
To apply for a category CE (truck with trailer) learner permit you will need the following:
You must be normally resident in Ireland to apply for a learner permit or driving licence.
If you want to apply for a learner permit or driving licence, you must be able to prove that you were born in or have nationality of the European Union, European Economic Area or Switzerland or were granted residency status in Ireland.
You must:
Read more about truck safety and maintenance standards.
You must supply a trailer for the driving test, which must:
Read more about trailer safety and maintenance standards.
Read more about heavy trailers.
This depends on both the weight of trailer and load you want to tow and the weight of your towing vehicle.
On a category C (truck) driving licence you can tow:
If you want to tow a trailer and load that exceeds these specifications, you will need a category CE (truck with trailer) driving licence.
More information and road safety advice and driver licensing rules for drawing light trailers.
On a category C (truck) driving licence you can tow:
More information and road safety advice and driver licensing rules for drawing light trailers.
On a category CE (truck with trailer) licence you can tow:
More information about trailers and semi-trailers or articulated trailers.
No. You cannot tow any trailer on a category C (truck) learner permit.
Holding a category C learner permit means that you're still learning to drive a truck. Your focus should be on learning the basics of driving a truck before progressing to towing a trailer.
On a category CE (truck with trailer) learner permit and only when accompanied by an Approved Driving Instructor or someone who has held a full, valid category CE driving licence for more than two years, you can tow:
Until you're a category CE (truck with trailer) driving licence holder, you must always be accompanied by someone who has held a full valid category CE driving licence for more than two years. This is for your safety, and the safety of other road users.
Trailers come in different shapes and sizes. So, to be safe, it’s important you know what a light trailer is before towing one.
Maximum authorised mass (MAM) refers to the combined weight of both the trailer and its load. In other words, the trailer and its load when fully laden must not weigh more than 3,500kg.
Light trailers include:
Read more about light trailers.
Trailers come in different shapes and sizes. So, to be safe, it’s important you know what a heavy trailer is before towing one.
Maximum authorised mass (MAM) refers to the combined weight of both the trailer and its load. In other words, the trailer and its load when fully laden would weigh more than 3,500kg.
Heavy trailers include:
Read more about heavy trailers.
Towing capacity or towable mass is the maximum weight a vehicle can tow in accordance with the manufacturer's design specifications.
You should always check your vehicle's towing capacity before towing any trailer. It's vitally important that you don't tow a load heavier than you should, risking the safety of you and other road users.
Make sure you do not exceed these weights and capacities. It's not safe and it's illegal to tow a trailer that exceeds the manufacturer's specified towing capacity for your vehicle. You should take time to understand what size trailer you can safely tow with your vehicle.
You can check your trailer's maximum load capacity by looking at the manufacturer's statutory plate fitted on your trailer. The plate displays both the weight of your trailer and the maximum load it can carry. You can find more details about the manufacturer's statutory plate on Page 9 of this booklet.