Coach with a trailer over 750 kg: assess the category DE vehicle combination under section 2(1) no. 14 FSG and distinguish it from D and D1E.
BRANDAUER Rechtsanwälte
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A person who wants to tow a heavy luggage trailer with a category D coach must assess the vehicle combination separately. Under section 2(1) no. 14 FSG, category DE covers a category D towing vehicle with a trailer whose highest permissible maximum mass exceeds 750 kg, unless the vehicle approval provides otherwise.
Category DE therefore concerns the combination of the bus and the trailer. This article explains the 750 kg threshold, distinguishes DE from D and D1E and shows which entries in the driving licence, registration documents and approval records must be read together. The access requirements for category D and the 12,000 kg limit for C1E are separate questions.
Section 2(1) no. 14 FSG defines category DE as a category D towing vehicle with a trailer whose highest permissible maximum mass exceeds 750 kg. For a category D coach, the trailer is therefore the additional point that must be checked.
The statutory definition refers to the trailer’s highest permissible maximum mass. The figure in the vehicle documents or approval records is therefore decisive. The current load of the luggage trailer does not answer which driving entitlement is required.
The bus, trailer and highest permissible maximum mass must be classified together.
| Check | Category D | Category DE | Category D1E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Towing vehicle | Motor vehicle in category D | Motor vehicle in category D | Motor vehicle in category D1 |
| Trailer | No DE combination under section 2(1) no. 14 FSG | Trailer above 750 kg highest permissible maximum mass | Trailer above 750 kg highest permissible maximum mass |
| Bus category | More than eight passenger seats apart from the driver seat | The same category D vehicle as towing vehicle | D1 with no more than 16 passenger seats and a maximum length of eight metres |
| Legal basis | Section 2(1) no. 13 FSG | Section 2(1) no. 14 FSG | Section 2(1) nos. 11 and 12 FSG |
D1E is not an extension for a full category D coach. A category D coach with a trailer above 750 kg requires a category DE assessment.
The first distinction from DE is the trailer figure. If the trailer’s highest permissible maximum mass does not exceed 750 kg, section 2(1) no. 14 FSG does not describe that combination as a DE case. The category D entitlement then covers the bus side of the assessment.
This does not remove the need to check the vehicle approval. The statutory definition of DE is subject to the qualification that the vehicle approval does not provide otherwise. The coach and trailer registration documents must therefore be read together.
A luggage trailer can be much lighter when empty than its highest permissible maximum mass. The approved document figure remains decisive for the driving entitlement. A trailer with a highest permissible maximum mass of 900 kg therefore triggers the category DE assessment even if it is only partly loaded on a particular journey.
Technical questions remain separate. Approval, coupling equipment, braking system, load securing and the actual load must also be reviewed. Category DE answers only whether the entitlement covers the statutory vehicle combination.
Read the driving licence and vehicle documents in the same order.
Is the coach classified as a category D vehicle?
Use the vehicle approval and registration records to classify the coach as category D. Passenger seats and vehicle type belong to this first check.
Review points: section 2(1) no. 13 FSG
What highest permissible maximum mass is recorded for the luggage trailer?
Take the approved figure from the trailer registration document or technical records.
Review points: section 2(1) no. 14 FSG
Does the trailer’s highest permissible maximum mass exceed 750 kg?
Compare the document figure with the statutory threshold. The current load cannot replace the approved figure.
Review points: section 2(1) no. 14 FSG
Do the approval records, vehicle documents and licence entry fit the combination?
Review the vehicle approval and driving licence entry together. Only then is the scope of the planned journey organised.
Review points: section 2(1) no. 14 FSG
Organise the bus category, trailer mass and approval records.
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Classify the coach using the approval and vehicle records. The trailer combination can be reviewed only after this first step.
Read the trailer’s highest permissible maximum mass from the registration document. A value up to 750 kg is outside the DE combination described here.
Keep the driving licence, registration documents and approval records together. Review the licence entry against the actual combination.
Compare the complete records with the actual coach and luggage trailer before driving.
Arrange the records by towing vehicle, trailer, approved mass and licence entry. This keeps clear whether the planned combination must be assessed as category DE.
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