Reluctantly decided to sell my lorry - Very Sad

[Toby_Zaphod]

My current lorry, a MAN, 7.5 ton, 180hp, unladen weight of 5.2 tons I've reluctantly decided to sell. I, like many other horsebox drivers, drive on Grandfather rites, but when you approach 70 years of age it gets more difficult. You can retain the rites but the form D4 you have to fill in is like The Encyclopaedia Britannica, (A very thick book?). There is a medical examination, vision assessment, medical assessment & applicants declaration. You have the forms filled in by Doctors, Specialists & Opticians, assuming you can find someone who will give up their time to complete the forms. I expect the forms will cost a fortune to get them completed. I can understand that you must be medically sound to drive a lorry but I feel sure that with the medication I take to maintain my ailments under control will class me as a drug addict (16 tablets per day). Diabetes & high blood pressure all under control, wearing varifocal spectacles & I must confess that I'm at the age when I give out a sigh when I sit down. To be honest recently the box has mainly been used to go to vets occasionally & transport furniture as daughter doesn't compete anymore as horses are now seniors. It's been maintained well by a professional lorry mechanic & I love driving it, loads of power, cruise control & can actually carry 3 large horses & stay within weight. I know it's only pieces of metal welded together but I'm going to be very sad to see it go. I'm planning some days out this spring & summer, taking the horses to various parks etc for off road hacking & something I've always wanted to do is take them to a beach.

I'm in the Midlands, North Warwickshire, can anyone give me details of beaches that allow horses on them please. Thanks very much.

It's a bit of a nothing post really, it's horrible getting old, and my life is changing when I don't want it to.

 

[Annagain]

Sorry you're having to face this. You're probably slap bang in the middle of the country so could go east, west, south west or north west to a beach and it would be about the same amount of travelling time. Could you manage a few days at a time? If so I'd highly recommend Gower. There are several horsey B&B places and the riding is superb - a mixture of beaches and hills with very little road work.

 

[Orangehorse]

Yes, I have a friend in a similar situation. Very reliable lorry, she went all over the county taking her horse and daughters and they rode miles and miles, but she got to the age when all the above kicked in. She sold the lorry OK, and is looking for a small 3.5 ton to replace.

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

That sort of box is highly sought so you'll get a good price and it will get a good home.

Is Holkham too far? I have friends who live in a similar area and are planning a day out to Holkham, North Norfolk, hence why I'm suggesting it but it may be a bit of a long drive.

 

[Smogul]

My current lorry, a MAN, 7.5 ton, 180hp, unladen weight of 5.2 tons I've reluctantly decided to sell. I, like many other horsebox drivers, drive on Grandfather rites, but when you approach 70 years of age it gets more difficult. You can retain the rites but the form D4 you have to fill in is like The Encyclopaedia Britannica, (A very thick book?). There is a medical examination, vision assessment, medical assessment & applicants declaration. You have the forms filled in by Doctors, Specialists & Opticians, assuming you can find someone who will give up their time to complete the forms. I expect the forms will cost a fortune to get them completed. I can understand that you must be medically sound to drive a lorry but I feel sure that with the medication I take to maintain my ailments under control will class me as a drug addict (16 tablets per day). Diabetes & high blood pressure all under control, wearing varifocal spectacles & I must confess that I'm at the age when I give out a sigh when I sit down. To be honest recently the box has mainly been used to go to vets occasionally & transport furniture as daughter doesn't compete anymore as horses are now seniors. It's been maintained well by a professional lorry mechanic & I love driving it, loads of power, cruise control & can actually carry 3 large horses & stay within weight. I know it's only pieces of metal welded together but I'm going to be very sad to see it go. I'm planning some days out this spring & summer, taking the horses to various parks etc for off road hacking & something I've always wanted to do is take them to a beach.

I'm in the Midlands, North Warwickshire, can anyone give me details of beaches that allow horses on them please. Thanks very much.

It's a bit of a nothing post really, it's horrible getting old, and my life is changing when I don't want it to.

OH has just been through this. GP was great and very helpful, appointment took about 20 minutes, optician ditto. If everything is under control, no problem. GP practice charged £50 (very reasonable), optician didn't charge anything. Licence was returned from DVLA very promptly. If you don't need the lorry any longer, sell it by all means but don't let age stop you doing what you enjoy.

 

[Meredith]

For beach riding there is Ynyslas near Borth. I don’t know the up to date rules and times but either the local Council or the Visitor Centre will tell you.
I only have a smallish pony so it was not a problem to give up the grandmother’s rights and have a 3.5 ton box

 

[Tiddlypom]

OH has just been through this. GP was great and very helpful, appointment took about 20 minutes, optician ditto. If everything is under control, no problem. GP practice charged £50 (very reasonable), optician didn't charge anything. Licence was returned from DVLA very promptly. If you don't need the lorry any longer, sell it by all means but don't let age stop you doing what you enjoy.

This.

Motorhomers often regretfully give up their over 3.5t larger vehicles when they approach 70 because of fearing the medical, but often there's no need to.

OP, why not get yourself checked out by GP and optician as above, and see where you are up to after that .

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

For beach riding there is Ynyslas near Borth. I don’t know the up to date rules and times but either the local Council or the Visitor Centre will tell you.
I only have a smallish pony so it was not a problem to give up the grandmother’s rights and have a 3.5 ton box

That's about 126 miles for me, I'll have to see the type of roads I'd be using as the the distance may be shorter but depending on the roads it may take longer.

 

[Melody Grey]

I just did my C1 at an HGV driving school in Leicester who organised all of the medical and DVLA paperwork etc and it was really easy. Might be worth a call to see if they can help? PM and I’ll forward the name of the company if interested?

ETA: what about Field farm in mumby, lincs for the beach? You can park there apparently and the beach is a short hack away I'm told.

 

[TTK]

I’m wth you Toby, I’m approaching 70 and I am going to give up my hgv entitlement as I cba to do all that paperwork & tests every single year. I’ll swap the big box for a 3.5 tonne box. Not giving up, just adapting

 

[mavandkaz]

Another who says don't be put off by the D4 form. I have just done mine as part of getting my Cat C license. I used a company that organised it all - booked over the phone, appointment took 20mins, all they did was check eye sight and blood pressure, then talk through all the questions. Sent off the forms to DVLA and had it back within 10 days.

 

[phizz4]

The medical is a D4. It costs £55 annually, no need for a doctor or optician, they cover eye test, blood pressure and ask a few health questions. Have a look for HGV tests, that's where to find them.