750 kg food truck trailer: no BE licence needed
Licence, size, registration and roadworthiness tests for a trailer of up to 750 kg, using our AIR 220 as the example.
Romain BarreauFounder of Food Truck Store · 4 min readYou can tow a 750 kg food truck trailer on an ordinary category B licence, with no BE licence, as long as your car is rated to tow it. Our AIR 220 is one: unbraked, with a maximum authorised mass of 750 kg. This guide gives its dimensions and explains the licence, registration and roadworthiness rules in several EU countries.
What 750 kg unbraked means.
Under EU rules, a category B licence covers a car of up to 3,500 kg towing a trailer with a maximum authorised mass of up to 750 kg (Directive 2006/126/EC, art. 4(4)(b)). These limits are based on the maximum authorised masses shown on the papers, not on what the vehicles actually weigh. Your car must also be allowed to tow the trailer: its unbraked towing capacity is shown on its registration certificate.
A Food Truck Store trailer at work.
No BE licence needed at 750 kg.
The BE licence is for heavier trailers, up to 3,500 kg (Directive 2006/126/EC, art. 4(4)(c)). Our braked BOLD 270 at 1,000 kg stays within category B as long as car and trailer together come to no more than 3,500 kg, which is true of most cars. At 1,500 kg, you need the B96 code or a BE licence, depending on your car.
- Category BA trailer of up to 750 kg, or a car and trailer of up to 3,500 kg combined.
- B96 codeA car and trailer of up to 4,250 kg combined, after training, a test or both, depending on your country.
- BE licenceA trailer of up to 3,500 kg behind a category B car.
The size of the AIR 220.
The AIR 220 is 361 cm long including the drawbar, 203 cm wide and 262 cm high, with 211 cm of headroom inside. The body itself is 220 cm long, with room for one or two people to work. The BOLD 270 is longer, at 419 cm including the drawbar, with the same width and height.
- 361 cmlong, including the drawbar
- 203 cmwide
- 262 cmhigh
- 211 cmof headroom inside
Manoeuvring and parking: mind the height.
At underpasses and car park entrances, it is the trailer’s height that counts, not your car’s. When turning and parking, allow for the length of the car and the trailer together.
Registered or not: it depends.
Some countries do not give a trailer of up to 750 kg its own registration; others register every trailer, whatever its weight (Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, Luxembourg, Italy). Either way, no EU country may refuse to register a conforming trailer that comes with its European Certificate of Conformity (Regulation (EU) 2018/858).
- BelgiumNo registration up to 750 kg: the trailer carries a copy of the towing car’s number plate.
- NetherlandsNo registration of its own: it carries the towing car’s number on a white plate.
- SpainNo registration of its own, but it has its own ITV card, shown together with the towing car’s.
- Germany, Luxembourg, ItalyRegistered with its own plate, whatever its weight.
Roadworthiness tests, country by country.
A trailer of up to 750 kg needs no periodic test in Wallonia and Flanders (Wallonia, GOCA Vlaanderen), the Netherlands (RDW) or Spain (Royal Decree 920/2017); in Luxembourg, it needs a valid conformity vignette (Guichet.lu). In Germany, the first main inspection is due after 36 months, then every 24 months (StVZO, annex VIII); in Italy, after 4 years, then every 2 years (Ministry of Transport).
For registration, tests, food business rules and gas in each country, with the official sources, see Buying from outside France.
The small trailer for a B licence.
Up to 750 kg, a category B licence is all you need, as long as your car is rated to tow the trailer. The AIR 220 comes in all four layouts; if you need more space inside, the braked BOLD 270 comes in 1,000 kg and 1,500 kg versions. Browse our food truck trailers, find your layout with the Academy quiz or read what a food truck costs.
Set up and ready for service.
Your questions answered.
Got another question? Just ask us ›No. Under EU rules, a category B licence covers a trailer with a maximum authorised mass of up to 750 kg, towed by a car of up to 3,500 kg (Directive 2006/126/EC).
It depends on the model. Our AIR 220 is 361 cm long including the drawbar, 203 cm wide and 262 cm high, with 211 cm of headroom inside.
It depends on your country: not in Belgium, the Netherlands or Spain, where it carries the towing car’s number; yes in Germany, Luxembourg and Italy.
Not in Belgium (Wallonia and Flanders), the Netherlands or Spain. In Germany, the first test is due after 36 months, then every 24 months; in Italy, after 4 years, then every 2 years. In Luxembourg, it needs a valid conformity vignette.
Look up the unbraked towing capacity on its registration certificate: it must be at least 750 kg. Small city cars rarely manage that, so check before you buy, or plan to change your car.
By Romain, founder 
