Another EU Directive!

In just two years time hauliers, bus, coach and minibus drivers will have to hold both a driving licence and a Certificate of Professional Competence before going out on the open road. John Loughran reports.

The EU Driver Training Directive, which is scheduled to come into force across the EU in September 2008, will makes it compulsory for the drivers of lorries, buses, coaches and minibuses to hold both a driving licence and a Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) for drivers.

However, the impact of the directive won't be felt immediately as existing drivers will be given a period of grace of fives years to complete the periodic training necessary to qualify for the driver's CPC.
It is generally thought in European circles that there will be a choice of two methods of obtaining the driver's CPC. Each Member State must decide on one option.
The first option will take the format of course attendance followed by an oral / written test. The training / course attendance will be further broken down into two options:
An accelerated version (140 hours) or full initial training of 280 hours. It has yet to be decided, who will qualify for the accelerated test. The test which will be of six hours duration must cover all subjects set out in the Directive.
How will it work?

This option splits into:
Four hours of assessment comprising of multiple choice and case studies. This assessment will be broken down into smaller components of assessment which can be taken in stages, for example, two assessments of two hours each, plus a two hour practical test of which 90 minutes will be driving and 30 minutes will involve vehicle safety checks and documentation. Ireland will have to decide which option to take and this should be done in consultation with the relevant stakeholders such as the Irish Road Haulage Association.

As things stand, this issue is only now surfacing with the power-brokers in Brussels and Strasbourg, so it is too soon, to predict how it will eventually pan out in Ireland. However, what can be said is that it will have major implications for the road haulage industry here.
The Directive allows a driver to begin revenue earning driving within the EU before obtaining a CPC, if they are undergoing a national vocational training course of at least 6 months and lasting not longer than 3 years. Within this course the tests mentioned above could be taken in stages.

Existing Drivers - Periodic Training
Any driver acquiring a full licence before 10 September 2008 will have acquired rights and will not have to take the initial qualification.
However, existing drivers will have to undertake 35 hours periodic training over the 5 years from 10 September 2008 in periods of not less than 7 hours. That works out at 7 hours training every year.
At the end of the five years and subject to them undergoing the required amount of training, the driver can apply for and receive a Driver's CPC.

Returning Drivers
A driver who has been out of the industry and wishes to return after 10 September 2008 must go through the periodic training before 2013. Drivers rejoining the industry after 2013 must complete the periodic training and acquire a Driver's CPC before they can start to drive.
New drivers who obtained their CPC through the initial qualification will have to do periodic training throughout their career to maintain their status as professionally competent drivers.

Background
The Directive on the initial qualification and periodic training of drivers of certain road vehicles for the carriage of goods or passengers entered into force on 10 September 2003.
The EU says "this important milestone in the harmonisation of social aspects in road transport policy should lead to enhanced safety on European roads."

"Almost no EU drivers have followed professional competence training so far. Only very few drivers were obliged by EU legislation to follow any training and in most of the Member States only 5 to 10 per cent of professional drivers underwent such training, which was based upon requirements specified in a Directive that dates back to 1976. The vast majority of professional drivers therefore work solely on the basis of their driving licence."

The EU says the demands on professional drivers today obviously call for solid basic and periodic training. Whereas the legislation on driver licensing concentrates on basic driving skills, the Directive has a much broader perspective and aims at:
* improving road safety in general, as well as safety during stops;
* reducing environmental damage, with a special focus on reduction of fuel consumption;
* giving knowledge of how to act in an emergency situation;
* ensuring ability to load a vehicle, with due regard for safety rules and proper vehicle use;
* ensuring ability to guarantee passenger comfort and safety;
* giving knowledge of the social environment and the rules governing it;
* preventing trafficking in illegal immigrants and criminality;
* ensuring ability to prevent physical risks;
* ensuring ability to assess emergency situations.

These skills and knowledge will be kept up to date through periodic training. This will allow drivers to keep up with ever changing regulations and benefit from the state of the art in training throughout their whole career.

A Commission spokesman explained: "For both young people interested in becoming professional drivers and drivers who are already working, the introduction of harmonised compulsory training for all will underline that the opening up of the transport market and growth in competition go hand in hand with the harmonisation of social matters and conditions of employment. At the same time, the introduction of compulsory training should help recruit new professional drivers by changing the image of the profession." As with all European directives, this latest offering probably won't be transposed into Irish law by the September 2008 deadline, but when it is finally enacted, it will have a dramatic effect on the haulage industry across the European Union. Without question it will make it harder for truck drivers to enter and stay in the sector. It could also help to raise industry standards and could very well make a significant impact on road safety.

For the moment, the directive is still a long way off in the distance, but these things have a habit of creeping up on us. Watch this space for updates!