This booking page is currently a rough work in progress:
The Dyson Centre possesses a Toyota Land Cruiser (TLC) which can be borrowed by students and staff for use for projects and departmental work (though is not available for personal use), though there are some restrictions on who can use the vehicle.
(The Purchasing Office also have a Toyota Hilux which can be borrowed from them on a similar basis. There are also many hire companies around Cambridge, you have free choice with your own money, though if using a job number you should consult the Purchasing Office for the current list of approved and recommended hire companies and the process for booking with them.)
In order to hire a vehicle, you will need to be able to produce your license using the following government page:
View or share your driving license
...noting that to do this you need the number from your driving license card, the postcode from your driving license card and perhaps unexpectedly your National Insurance number!!! (Some may be able to retrieve this from CAMCORS if they have entered it there.)
For those using department vehicles, we need to view your driving license at least once per year.
Those From Overseas Driving in the UK
The rules on whether you can drive in the UK if you are from overseas are detailed here.
A typical example for a non-EU student is shown here.
Note that these are rules on whether you can drive in the UK. For all (whether from UK or non-UK) the department reserves the right to refuse to allow those to drive its vehicles where it has concerns relating to amount of driving experience in the UK.
Rental of Toyota Land Cruiser (TLC)
Payment for rental normally needs to be in the form of a job number, not cash, and is currently billed at 45 pence per mile (minimum £10 per day), with fuel provided. A further £10 is billed per booking, non-refundable if the vehicle is cancelled within 24 hours of the start of the day of hire..
Is is important to note that the mass of the TLC is around 2.5 tonnes empty, and is plated weight is even higher still.
Note 1: The department reserves the right to refuse to allow those to drive its vehicles where it has concerns relating to amount of driving experience in the UK.
Note 2: The department reserves the right to bill the cost of any repairs or damage to the vehicle which occur whilst under your care (i.e. from when you sign the vehicle out to when you return it) to you and/or your job number. You should consider this point carefully - the cost of a new TLC is a significant sum of money.
Towing with the TLC
It is recommended that anyone considering towing with the TLC should first discuss the matter with the Dyson Centre Manager.
There are strict UK laws on what can be towed with such vehicles, which are detailed here, and undergraduates from the UK should expect to only be able to tow lightweight trailers with a maximum plated mass for trailer and its load of 750kg (the Cambridge University Eco Racing Team own a long version of such a trailer, but these are very hard to come by - this one was specially built.)
Also note the speed limits in the UK for towing a trailer are lower than for a car by itself.
Note that the TLC is NOT fitted with a tachograph, and so can not be used for towing a trailer for hire or reward (i.e. commercial deliveries by the workshops for example) which might take the total weight (or possibly plated weight) over 3.5 tonnes. This is a new and frustrating EU rule, and it is suggested that anyone considering towing the with TLC for anything which the police/VOSA could construe as departmental or business related is advised to discuss with the Dyson Centre Manager first.
If you have read the above, please proceed to the booking pages below: note that bookings have not been accepted till they are confirmed and need to be accompanied with:
- a proof of license (as above) emailed to dyson-manager@eng.cam.ac.uk
- a job number
- your contact mobile number
- your email address
- your age
- your status in the University (ie employee, undergraduate student, etc - note that TES staff are not covered by the University's insurance policy and so aren't allowed to drive University vehicles - please see Jade Tran if you need to be named on the University's insurance policy for this reason).
In particular you should ensure you are happy with the vehicle's condition before booking and driving it. If the vehicle fails, you will likely have to make your own alternative arrangements - please do not assume returning it to working order will be our most urgent task...
RLR, 7 December 2015