On 20 July, the government announced a package of measures to help address the current shortage of lorry drivers. This included a consultation on proposed changes to the current requirements to obtain a vocational driving licence, for category C and D tests and all derivatives.

DVSA needs the support of operators to help get new drivers get up and running as quickly as possible. This is a matter of national importance, and the driver training and testing industry has a crucial role to play in helping our nation build back better. This consultation, which has opened today is one step on this journey.

What is being consulted on

The measures being consulted on are proposed changes to the current requirements to obtain a vocational driving licence, including:

•            allowing drivers to take one test to drive both a rigid and articulated lorry, rather than      having to pass a test in a rigid lorry first, and then another in an articulated lorry

•            allowing drivers who want to use a bus or coach to tow a trailer to take one test with a        trailer, rather than having to pass a test without a trailer first

•            allowing the off-road manoeuvres part of the test to be assessed by the driver training           industry

•            allowing car drivers to tow a trailer without having to take another test

We are interested to hear your views on the proposals and if you would welcome the suggested changes.

The consultation will last for 4 weeks and end at 11:59pm on 7 September 2021. You can read the consultation document and have your say on the GOV.UK consultation pages.

Increasing vocational testing capacity

We are continuing to explore other measures to support increasing the availability of vocational tests such as recruiting additional vocational examiners and making changes to the online booking service. We will update you on these measures as soon as we can.