The Trailer Test, (B+E test) came in January 1997 which means that anyone from this date who passes their car test and wants to tow a trailer over 750kg must do an additional trailer test.
Trailers included are:

some caravans
car transporters
horse boxes
cattle trailers
Builders trailers – builders going over 750kg will need to do more i.e.: up to C1 / C1&E taking you up to a max of 1200kg.

Three three most frequent questions asked about the trailer tests are:

1/ What age do I need to be to do the test? The answer is 17 years and upwards as long as you how category B (car) on your licence.

2/ Can you learn on R plates ? Yes, you can.

3/ Can I use my car to tow my horse box ? This will depend on the towing capacity of the vehicle and the weight of the trailer.

Five reasons why you should do your trailer test

1) If you are involved in an accident with a trailer on and you don’t have the appropriate license, insurance companies may not cover you

2) If you are caught without this license you can face heavy fines and penalty points

3) There is no theory or hazard perception tests to sit

4) If you have experience of driving with a trailer, we have found that on average, between three and five lessons (of two hours each) is enough to pass your test.

5) If you haven’t driven with a trailer before, on average it takes between five and ten lessons to pass the test.

Do you want to drive a horse box or lorry? Contact us to receive a free starter pack with everything you need to get started!

Please feel free to contact us with any questions or queries on 08702 422 245 regarding any of the information above.

The photographs here are of our latest creation. It is a new coach built 7 horse with rear lift axle, bespoke walnut living with 4 ring gas, grill, sink, hot and cold water, Tv,Dvd, microwave,large fridge, CCTV, spot lights, heating, toilet shower,hookup,leisure battery, luton, tilt cab, and cut through. The horse area is fitted with safty rubber to floor and ramp lights to horse area and over ramp. Outside under floor storage, large lockers horse shower. If you would like to make an appointment to view the lorry, please contact John McEvoy on the details below. We are also able to offer finance on this lorry.

Our boxes are designed and built by people who have horses and so we understand the requirements and needs of horse owners.

Each completed horsebox leaving our premises has had the luxury of complete on onsite fabrication by our team of fully qualified staff.
We offer a range of bodies to suit different needs and budgets from our 3.5 tonne to 26 tonne from standard specification truck to the elite truck.

All our boxes have a tilt cab making servicing and maintenance much easier and are cut through to the cab for quick and easy access in an emergency.

Whilst we understand that weight is an important issue we will not compromise on the strength and stability of the body in order to boast the lowest payloads on the market. The safety of horses in transit is of most importance to us when considering the design of our horseboxes.

All our horse area floors are aluminium maximum strength and then overlayed with safety rubber so as to be non slip even when wet.

Throughout our range of horseboxes all the partitions are telescopic for easy use.
We offer a large range of ‘extras’ to customize your horsebox such as LED light clusters, deluxe rear spoilers and awnings that you can pick and choose from to make your horsebox totally unique.

A choice of window design is available from the classic to the new frameless full length limo bonded privacy glass windows.

We offer a choice of finishes in the horse area from the classic white aluminium walls to the modern polished stainless steel.

The finishing of our boxes is second to none as the little details matter to us such as guttering and brushes round the the tack lockers to ensure they are watertight and using galvanized fixings and screws so your box will look great in the years to come.

If you would like to contact us about a luxury conversion, lorry sales or to make a viewing appointment for the lorry shown here, please contact us on the following details:

John McEvoy

McEvoy Horseboxes

Dromore

County Down

Mobile: 07850623296

Find out a bit more about the company and hear what their special offers are at the moment for a great excuse to finally book in and get that test!

When was IANS first established? 
Established over twenty years ago, Ian is both an Approved Driving Instructor & Approved Motor Cycle Instructor at grade 6

How many grades can an instructor reach? 
Grade 6 is the highest level you can get!

When did you first offer trailer lessons? 
Ians Driving school have been offering trailer lessons since the law changed in 1997. Covering Belfast and Craigavon test centres for B+E and Lorry tests.

What test centres can you provide lessons and tests at? 
We cover Belfast and Craigavon test centres for B+E and Lorry tests. We go to Newtownards for the motorbike tests and can go to nearly any test centre for car tests.

How many years have you been offering lorry lessons for? 
We have been teaching people to drive lorries for about 3yrs now as so many people complaining about the lack of good instruction for LGV/HGV/PSV ( minibuses&buses).

If someone doesn’t have their own car and trailer, do you offer use of your vehicle as a service?
Actually we recommend that you use our jeep & trailer as it is fitted with additional mirrors etc that the DVA require for the test.

I hear you offer motorcycle lessons aswell! What age do you need to be to start taking them? 
You can ride a scooter from 16yrs of ages (50cc) and then 17yrs you can ride up to 125cc , both have to do Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) to go onto the road as learners. £190 for the course & certificate at the end of it.

Do you have a facebook page? 
Yes, You can search for Ians Driving School on Facebook or click here

What’s the best thing about being on Facebook?
Hearing all the lovely thank you messages from the many people who pass each week! After teaching someone for their trailer or car test, our instructors have met with them a few times and have a friendly relationship, likewise in our lorry tests, each student has been in the company of one of our instructors for at least four days and had a bit of craic along the way so it’s great to hear nice messages!

Do you have any offers for people who might like to take their trailer or lorry lessons with you? 
Yes we do! Jeep and trailer special offer First 2x hour lesson for just £50!
We are offering £100 off to anyone who quotes ENNI (Equestrian News NI) when booking in to do their lorry test with us. The price is normally £650 +vat per person, which brings it down to £550+vat.

Do you get many horsey people in for lorry lessons and how do they rate as drivers compared to other road users?
I tend to find that there is a particular focus on perfectionism from a lot of riders when they are learning for their lorry and trailer tests. They tend to sometimes give themselves a hard time if they make a minor mistake while learning, which isn’t always a bad thing but it’s easy to see how they continue up the grades of competition if they apply the same level of self-criticism to do better each time!

We seem to see more and more Ians driving school vehicles on the roads each year! How many people work for Ians now? 
Approx 20 people work under the IANS umbrella.

What’s the funniest thing that has happened during a lesson? 
When pulling up to the Motorway bridge roundabout in Craigavon approaching the test centre, I didn’t think my learner had carried out his final check before entering the roundabout. As I reminded him, he applied the brake and on making the check narrowly missed a bright yellow Ferrari already on the roundabout. It would have been an expensive car to squash and hard colour to miss!!

When was the last time any of your vehicles had a learner induced dent? 
It doesn’t happen very often, and we never name and shame so I can’t answer your question – it’s my professional discretion!

Do you offer car lessons aswell? 
Yes, Ians Driving School cover most of Northern Ireland and also provide training for all types of licence – from 2 to 18 wheels. We have an offer for those getting behind the steering wheel of a car for the first time at the moment actually, three lessons at just £45! This offer is ongoing at present, so please pass along to anyone you think might be interested – or even anyone you are tired of driving around who has passed their 17th birthday!

Do you have any advice you would pass on to people thinking about doing their tests for trailers or lorries? 
For those who already have a lorry on the road and they need to get their test, we would urge them to make the call and stay legal, safe and insured. The many driving skills learnt with us are for safety as well as how to pass your test and keep you and your animals safe while in transit. Our courses are for three or four days, with your test on the final day, so although you might have to take a few days off work, many of our successful candidates have enjoyed the experience so much, they came back to do their articulated tests aswell!

For those who haven’t yet ventured into the cab of a truck or behind the wheel of their jeep while attached to a trailer, it’s our job to teach you the control needed to be safe on the road and gain the skills required to pass your test so pick up the phone and arrange an assessment with us. We use several off-road locations where it is safe to learn the initial control manoeuvers so there is always one close to whichever test centre you choose to use.

Our instructors have the experience and skills needed to teach you in a friendly and knowledgeable atmosphere. We cover most of Northern Ireland and can travel to meet you and make it as easy as possible to get your lessons and pass your test!

To book any lesson with us, please call 08702 422 245 and don’t forget to quote the reference above and get your discount!

We are based in Crossgar, County Down and welcome new customers to show our range of current stock at any time. For new customers who aren’t sure if they need to purchase a lorry, and perhaps want to try it out for a weekend, we suggest lorry hire to make sure it is ‘for them’ and suits their needs.

It is often the case, that people come back after a weekend show with our hire lorry and say that although they had a great time and it was perfect for their weekend show, they might only use it three to four times a year and simply don’t need it depreciating in their driveway all year round when they can make use of our hire lorry at a fraction of the yearly upkeep costs associated with buying!

There are several advantages of hiring over buying, which we have listed below, however if you do decide to either take the plunge and become a first time lorry owner, or decide to upgrade, then we have some super lorries in stock that we would be delighted to introduce to you!
Some of the advantages include:
No insurance to pay
No tax
No MOT
No repairs to pay
No new tyres
No storage charges
We have it gleaming and ready for you to collect

We take care of it so you don’t have to!

On average the cost to keep your box on the road could be an annual sum of approximately £600 to include maintenance, tyres, small repairs, PSV preparations etc. This won’t include buying the vehicle and having somewhere to store it if you don’t have a driveway big enough and it can be something that buyers don’t always consider when they are preparing to make a purchase.
Our hire vehicles are fully insured on hire and reward bases. They are also fitted with cameras inside the stalls so you can see how your horse is travelling. The cameras automatically switch to outside when the horsebox is put into reverse so you see what you need to!

We have a handy three horse lorry that is easy to drive for someone not used to driving a larger vehicle and is a popular choice with our customers so book early!

To hire one of our horseboxes on a self drive basis, you will need to have passed your driving licence before 1997 or have taken your C1 test.

To view a full list of our current stock on our websiteclick here

If you would like to contact us our details are below:

CVC Horsebox Ireland
‘RIVERSIDE’
85A  Barnamaghery Road
Crossgar
Co Down
Bt30 9nb

Mobile: +44 (0) 77 1063 1316
Tel: +44 (0) 28 448 31677