I am not saying its a bad thing that they are making it so that you have to take another test, but i think it should be more vocational, as in you do a course through the dvla which shows you how to "tow safely" and have a small test at the end to see if you are capable or not rather than just a hours test.
Eh? what do you think the current +E test is about if not to see if you can tow safely? If you can't couple & uncouple the trailer, perform basic maneuvers and drive safely on the highway, you fail.
What you desire is almost exactly the current situation, except instead of DVLA running the course, suitably qualified individuals do (driving instructors). This is a good thing, if DVLA/DSA ran the courses they would take 32 years to complete, require a medical that would eliminate many astronauts, and cost the same as the national budget of a small african nation. Look at the current situation with LGV/PCV, where there is an element of vocational classroom learning now, that is handled by the instructors, in much the same way as CBT for motorcyclists. The less DVLA and DSA have to do with training, the better.
As a few of you have said, towing takes practice and no matter how many hours driving you have on with a instructor (with a nice light unloaded trailer) i dont think it qualifys you to be safe, the same as a ordinary car test doesnt.
But you seem to state earlier, that a simple course run by DVLA/DSA would be sufficient.
but the fact that there are so many hoops to jump through and at such great expence is what really annoys me, it is just another way for them to earn more money!
There are no hoops really, as with your first car test there is nothing to stop you booking a test with no prior instruction of any type and just rolling up in a suitable vehicle/combination, no medical, no extra theory test, just the one test. You dont have to pay for instruction, much as it was not essential to pay for lessons to learn to drive. You want hoops, try for the bigger combos such as C1+E or C+E where there are medicals, classroom sessions and stricter theory tests.
Quickest, probably cheapest option, get a suitable freind/relative added to your insurance, sit back and enjoy the ride while they drive. Other options may include, buy a cheap mondeo or similar from ebay with a tow hitch, use it (subject to weights still, so not really likely as most car trailers will have a MAM that takes you well above 3500kg GTW), flog it again, perhaps even at a small profit! Buy and resell a beavertail transit in much the same way. At least its only a mini, that means it will ride on a transit unlike another disco
