Last week we brought you news about the rules governing trailer towing being relaxed in an attempt to tackle the current HGV driver shortage. Today, we’re back again to tell you about two major changes to the HGV licence rules and what they mean for trainee drivers.

As you’ll find out by reading on, the rule changes relate to the removal of staging requirements for licence acquisition and the reversing element of the HGV test.

Change #1 – Removal of Current Licence Staging Requirements

According to the official government website, Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations 1999 have been amended to allow car licence holders to make an application for both the Cat C and C+E entitlement at the same time, rather than having to apply for both separately.

This allows drivers to choose which test they want to take first, meaning that if the articulated lorry element (C+E) is passed first, they would automatically be granted C+E, C, C1 and C1+E entitlements (this applies to buses, minibuses, minibus + trailer and bus + trailer licence acquisition).

20,000 Extra Tests Per Year Is the Goal

This move is aimed at simplifying the process required for drivers to obtain their licence at the same time as speeding up the national HGV licence acquisition system. The hope is this will free up space for 20,000 extra HGV tests to be taken each year and in turn, lightening the workload of DVSA examiners.

Before this change was made, drivers needed to pass their Cat C test and wait until they had their licence in their possession before booking their C+E test. By granting provisional C, as well as C+E entitlement at the same time, the C+E test can now be applied for immediately.

Change #2 – Alternative Arrangements For HGV Reversing Manoeuvres

The second major change that’s been introduced relates to the removal of the reversing exercise from both the Cat C and C+E tests. Both forms of the HGV practical test require candidates to carry out an off-road reversing exercise in addition to demonstrating an ability to safely couple and decouple a trailer to the towing vehicle.

This will shorten the test from 2 hours to 1 hour 15 minutes, with the reversing element instead be tested via an instructor, rather than a DVSA examiner – further freeing up their valuable time.

The Aspect of Safety Continues to Be a Concern

At HGVC, we welcome changes like these, as they will allow more tests to be carried out. We’re also keen to share the responsibility with the rest of the training industry, but we do have some concerns relating to the safety of these amendments. At the very least, road safety standards should be maintained rather than eroded as part of the overall effort to combat the ongoing HGV driver shortage.

This is a belief echoed by Andrew Malcom – Chief Executive of the Malcolm Group, who had this to say on the matter “In principle, I can understand what they’ve done, to try to unlock test dates. However, I am seriously concerned about the safety aspect. I think they’ve cut far too much out of the process of the test – that’s my biggest worry.”

It’s also a feeling shared by Brian Kenny – RHA’s head of training and sales who said “According to HSE, there’s about seven people knocked down and killed in yards each year by reversing vehicles.

Removing the reversing manoeuvre from the test is a step back. As far as we’re concerned, one person killed is one too many. Going forward on the roads should be assessed and should be tested. It’s equally important to test properly how an individual reverses and manoeuvres off the road.”

Tackling the HGV Driver Shortage in Unison

There’s no getting around the fact that the driver crisis is an urgent issue that needs to be dealt with and we’ll continue to contribute to the effort by providing the very best large-scale HGV driver acquisition programs in the UK right now. However, we’re also keen to ensure that the roads remain safe – something that should always be priority number one.

If you would like to know more about us and how we do things, take a look around our website where you’ll find everything you need to know and more. Alternatively, if you’d like to speak with us about your training needs, simply call us on 0330 818 8888 or click on ‘contact us’ and drop us a line to discuss your requirements.