Motoring – Check Your Employees’ Driving Licences

Motorcycle/Moped Licences

The minimum age for applying for a provisional driving licence is 16, although at this age, entitlement is restricted to riding a moped.

Since January 1997, all moped riders must complete Compulsory Basic Training (CBT), unless:

• they have taken a moped test since 1st December 1990
• since 1st February 2001, passing a car test does not provide automatic entitlement to a moped, and a Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) course must be completed through the DSA Current CBT certificates (DL196) are valid for two years.

To ride a motorcycle, the minimum age is 17, and all motorcycle riders must complete CBT. There are two classes of motorcycle licence:

• sub-category A1 (light motorcycles) which restricts the holder to motorcycles up to 125cc, with a power output not exceeding 11 kW (14.6 bhp)
• category A which includes all motorcycles, and entitles the holder to ride motorcycles over 125cc engine capacity.

To gain a full sub-category A1 licence, a practical test must be taken on a motorcycle with an engine capacity between 75cc and125cc. This type of licence also provides entitlement to ride a moped.

The route to a full category A licence is dependent on age. Riders under 21 years old must take a category A test on a motorcycle with an engine capacity between 120cc and 125cc, and the motorcycle must be capable of 100 kph. The full licence awarded will have a two-year restriction placed on it, permitting the holder to ride motorcycles with a power output of up to 25 kW (33 bhp) only. After two years, the holder can legally ride any size of motorcycle.

Riders over 21 may take the category A on a larger motorcycle, with a power output of up to 35 kW (46.6 bhp), under the Direct Access Scheme (DAS). This scheme allows learners to ride a larger motorcycle when accompanied by a certified DAS instructor. In these cases, the full licence awarded will be unrestricted.

Whichever test is taken, a full Category A licence provides the holder with the entitlement to ride all category A1 motorcycles and mopeds.

Where mopeds or motorcycles are being driven in a fleet or corporate environment, best practice would be to ensure that all riders take a CBT test or receive suitable alternative training, whether or not they are required to by law.