Sometimes novice motorists believe that, having received a driver’s license, you can control any equipment, including tractors. In fact, this is completely wrong. Let's see what a tractor driver license is, how to get it, and why you should not neglect this document.
Difference from car license
The rights of a motorist is a unified plastic card. It must necessarily indicate brief information about the driver (on the one hand) and the category of vehicles that he has the right to drive (on the other hand). Also on the card should be the name of the state authority that issued it to the motorist.
The tractor is considered construction equipment, therefore, it is not a priori a vehicle. Therefore, to manage it and not violate the law, it is not enough to have a driver’s license. To control the construction equipment, in particular the tractor, you need a special document. Before getting a tractor driver license , the driver is supposed to take training courses and pass an exam. In general, this procedure is reminiscent of obtaining automobile rights.
Here it is worth paying attention to one moment, which is especially relevant in the modern conditions of developed labor migration. Having obtained the rights of a driver of a vehicle, a person can drive a car of the corresponding category both in his country and abroad. The certificate, which opens up the possibility for the driver to control special equipment, is valid only in the state in which it was issued. Abroad, it has no power.
What is a tractor driver license?
The form of rights is established by the State Technical Supervision. Therefore, wherever a person receives this document, the latter will have a unified appearance. The rights of the tractor driver, as well as the rights of the driver, are a plastic card that is filled on both sides. On one side is general information about the driver, his photo and signature. And on the second, the categories of equipment are indicated, to the management of which the owner of the certificate is allowed, and his discharge. Thus, the rights of a tractor driver and a motorist are similar in content, only the categories are different, and the color of the cards may vary. A sample tractor driver’s certificate is shown below.
The basis for obtaining the rights of a tractor driver is a certificate of passage by the driver of a special training course. It is issued upon completion of classes (theoretical and practical). This certificate alone does not give the driver the right to control special equipment. It only serves as an admission to the exam in the relevant state bodies. However, there is an exception: it is possible to control equipment whose power does not exceed 4 kW without the rights of a tractor driver, with only one certificate received at the training center.
It is important to note that if the training center issuing such certificates does not have accreditation in the Technical Supervision, then this document has absolutely no power. In modern realities, not only he, but also his employer, is interested in having a driver with full rights. And the point here is not only that expensive equipment is trusted to tractor drivers. In case of violation, responsibility and penalties rest with the employer.
Tractor driver license categories
Before you get the right to control the equipment, you need to decide which category you are going to work on. The course to which the institution will direct you will depend on this. It is important that the school can provide for practice exactly the technique that falls into the right category.
So, consider the categories of tractor-driver:
- "A (I-III)." Allows you to manage those off-road vehicles that are not intended for use on public roads. These include: ATVs, snowmobiles, storage equipment and other equipment, the power of which does not exceed 4 kW.
- "IN". Gives the right to control tracked and wheeled vehicles with engine power from 4 to 24.7 kW. In other words, up to 34 horsepower.
- "FROM". It allows you to work on wheeled vehicles with a power unit from 25.7 to 110.3 kW (34-150 hp).
- "D". Gives the right to control wheeled vehicles with a capacity of 110.3 kW.
- "E". Allows you to control tracked vehicles with power over 24.7 kW.
- "F". Allows you to control self-propelled agricultural machinery.
Discharges
The certificate indicates not only the categories of the tractor driver, but also the category. It is assigned by an inspector taking an exam in a government agency. On all subsequent documents in which the tractor specialist will appear, the rank will be indicated next to the specialty. For example, “3rd-Class Loader Operator." Consider what each of the digits means:
2nd category . Confirms the driver’s right to control the equipment, however, provided that he is under the supervision of a more experienced employee. A specialist of this category may also be allowed to repair load-gripping or loading mechanisms and apparatuses.
3rd category. It implies that the driver has the right to operate battery-powered loaders and other gripping mechanisms. He is allowed to load loads, stack them in stacks, as well as repair and maintain tractor mechanisms.
4th category. Allows the driver to work on tractors whose power exceeds 100 liters. with., and also on other mechanisms intended for moving or stacking cargo. The owner of this category should be able to independently repair and maintain the equipment on which he works.
5th category . Allows the driver to work on tractors with a capacity of over 100 liters. with., as well as on less powerful machines, if they are used as bulldozers, scrapers or excavators.
6th category. This category is needed for those who want to have the right to drive tractors with a capacity of more than 200 horsepower and use them as bulldozers or excavators.
What you need to get rights
The certificate of a tractor driver can be obtained by any citizen whose age exceeds 18 years. To sign up for training, you need to present a passport, as well as provide 6 photos 3 x 4 cm in size and a medical certificate.
How is the training
Training for a tractor driver usually lasts no more than one and a half months. It all depends on the selected category. The training program is approved by Gostekhnadzor. The course is conditionally divided into theoretical and practical parts. The first includes familiarization with the design of special equipment and the rules for working with goods. For those who do not yet have a driver’s license, traffic rules will also be included in the theoretical course. At the end of the training, theoretical knowledge is checked at the local exam, the result of which is needed, but, in fact, has no legal weight. However, it may be recorded on the certificate issued by the school. In theoretical classes, preparation for the exam in Gostekhnadzor can also take place.
Practice takes place at the training ground. Here, future drivers are taught how to manage machinery, maneuver and handle cargo. An aspiring tractor driver must definitely try his hand at real work on asphalt and soil. Anyone who enters a school in which they neglect practice (it is short or monotonous) risks not passing an exam and not getting a right. Therefore, training for a tractor driver is better to take place in a good training center, the employees of which conscientiously approach their work.
Exam
Certification is divided into the same parts as training: theoretical and practical. Theory is surrendered by computer or verbally. Only if it is passed successfully, the tractor driver is allowed to a practical exam. Practical certification allows you to evaluate how well the driver manages special equipment. The test is conditionally divided into two parts. The first is work in ideal conditions, at the training ground. Usually this happens at the same training ground where the tractor driver trained. The second part is work on a real object with all the ensuing consequences.
The exam is overseen by a representative of Gostekhnadzor. He is responsible for the final verdict. If the tractor driver was unable to pass this or that part of the exam the first time, then he is prescribed a retake no less than a week later. Anyone who does not cope with the exam three times, goes to re-training, of course, with re-payment. Well, those who managed to pass the test safely get their rights. The issuance of the certificate of a tractor driver can occur immediately after the exam or in a few days.
School choice
As mentioned above, the first thing you need to check the accreditation of the institution. There is another important point - the training center should be located in the area where you are registered. Only in some prestigious schools can non-resident people and even foreigners study. Before submitting documents for training, make sure that you are really sensibly taught and will be given these documents.
What's wrong with buying rights?
There is no point in hiding that buying the rights of a tractor driver is as simple as the documents of a motorist. Moreover, in most cases, you don’t even have to worry about accrediting the body that allegedly issued them. Therefore, many prefer not to spend one and a half to two months on training, but simply pay about the same amount and get the right document. The question is what will happen next with such a tractor driver? If his incompetence leads to the breakdown of expensive equipment or damage to any property, the costs can be very impressive, not to mention the reputation. But what if he harms his health or the health of other people?
A competent person who feels responsible for his work and wants to build a successful career will never bypass the law in order to receive a document imposing a wide range of obligations on him.
Substitution of rights
Replacement of the license of the tractor driver is necessary if its validity has expired. It also happens that the Gostekhnadzor requires this in connection with a change in the rules. To get a new certificate of a tractor driver in exchange for the old one, you need to come to Gostekhnadzor and write a statement. In this case, it is necessary to provide the same documents as when applying for an educational institution. They should be supplemented with a certificate of completion of the training course (therefore, it should be kept), an old tractor driver’s certificate, a certificate from the traffic police about the absence of deprivation of the right to drive vehicles and a receipt for paying the state duty.