# EUR-Lex - 52012DC0385 - EN

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# 52012DC0385

**REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the implementation of Directive 2003/59/EC relating to the initial qualification and periodic training of drivers of certain road vehicles for the carriage of goods or passengers /* COM/2012/0385 final */**

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE
EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the
implementation of Directive 2003/59/EC relating to the initial qualification
and periodic training of drivers of certain road vehicles for the carriage of
goods or passengers .............................. 3

1................ General
information................................................................................................................................................. 3

1.1............. Introduction............................................................................................................................................................. 3

1.2............. Directive
2003/59/EC — basic elements............................................................................................................... 3

1.3............. Transposition
of Directive 2003/59/EC................................................................................................................ 3

2................ Implementation
of Directive 2003/59/EC.............................................................................................................. 4

2.1............. Scope
of the Directive — Article 1....................................................................................................................... 4

2.2............. Exemptions
— Article 2.......................................................................................................................................... 4

2.3............. Qualification
and training — Article 3................................................................................................................. 5

2.3.1.......... Compulsory
initial qualification............................................................................................................................ 5

2.3.1.1....... Option
combining both course attendance and a test...................................................................................... 5

2.3.1.2....... Option
involving tests............................................................................................................................................ 5

2.3.1.3....... Accelerated
initial qualification............................................................................................................................. 6

2.3.2.......... Compulsory
periodic training................................................................................................................................ 7

2.3.3.......... Organisation
of the training................................................................................................................................... 7

2.3.4.......... Approval
of the training centres........................................................................................................................... 7

2.4............. Acquired
rights — Article 4.................................................................................................................................. 7

2.5............. Initial
qualification — Article 5............................................................................................................................. 8

2.6............. CPC
certifying initial qualification — Article 6................................................................................................. 10

2.7............. Periodic
training — Article 7............................................................................................................................... 10

2.8............. CPC
certifying periodic training — Article 8..................................................................................................... 11

2.9............. Place
of training — Article 9................................................................................................................................ 11

2.10........... Community
code — Article 10............................................................................................................................ 12

2.11........... Minimum
qualification and training requirements — Annex I....................................................................... 13

3................ Conclusions
and recommendations................................................................................................................... 13

3.1............. General
evaluation of the application of Directive 2003/59/EC...................................................................... 13

3.2............. Main
aspects to be improved and recommendations...................................................................................... 14

Annex......................................................................................................................................................................................... 15

REPORT FROM
THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC
AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

on the implementation of Directive 2003/59/EC relating to the initial
qualification and periodic training of drivers of certain road vehicles for the
carriage of goods or passengers

1.           General
information

1.1.        Introduction

Under Article 13 of Directive 2003/59/EC[1], the Commission is to submit a
report to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and
Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions making an initial evaluation
of the implementation of the Directive, in particular with regard to the
equivalence of the various initial qualification systems provided for in
Article 3 and their efficiency.

This report is based on the answers
provided by the Member States and by Norway to a questionnaire distributed to
the national authorities in February 2011.

Most of the Member States gave complete
answers to the questions addressed. However, some did not possess all the
necessary data to provide all the information.

1.2.        Directive
2003/59/EC — basic elements

Directive 2003/59/EC on the initial
qualification and periodic training of drivers of trucks or buses was adopted
to ensure a common level of training for such drivers with a view to enhancing
road safety in Europe.

It establishes the mandatory initial
qualification and periodic training for professional drivers who are nationals
of Member States or who are working for an undertaking based in the European
Union. They aim to ensure that professional drivers have the necessary
qualifications to drive vehicles. The initial qualification and periodic
training are attested by a certificate issued to drivers, called the Certificate
of Professional Competence (CPC).

The training is organised by training
centres approved by the Member States.

1.3.        Transposition
of Directive 2003/59/EC

Under Article 14, the deadline for
transposition of the Directive expired on 10 September 2006.

The deadline for implementation of the
initial qualification expired on 10 September 2008 for drivers holding a
category D1, D1+E, D or D+E (buses) driving licence and on 10 September 2009
for drivers holding a category C1, C1+E, C or C+E (truck) driving licence.

All Member States have transposed and
implemented the Directive.

2.           Implementation
of Directive 2003/59/EC

2.1.        Scope
of the Directive — Article 1

The Directive applies to the ‘activity of
driving’ carried out by drivers who are nationals of a Member State or
nationals of third countries employed by an undertaking established in a Member
State, and use vehicles for which a category C or D driving licence is
required.

It is estimated that the Directive covers the
drivers of approximately six million vehicles in Europe[2].

Data coverage concerning the number of
drivers from third countries is incomplete or insufficient. Where available, the
numbers are in most cases very low compared to the total population of drivers[3].

In the majority of Member States,
Certificates of Professional Competence certifying the initial qualification
issued for C driver licences are more common than those issued for D driver
licences.

2.2.        Exemptions
— Article 2

The Directive excludes several categories
of drivers from its scope[4].

The majority of Member States fully apply
the exemptions under Article 2. However, Romania does not apply the exemptions referred
to in Article 2(e), (f) and (g). Norway applies all the exemptions except 2(f):
‘vehicles used for non-commercial carriage or passengers of goods, for personal
use’.

According to Article 2(g), ‘This Directive
shall not apply to the drivers of vehicles carrying material or equipment to be
used by the driver in the course of his or her work, provided that driving the
vehicle is not the driver’s principal activity’. The implementation of this exemption
has led, for some categories of drivers[5]
(e.g. crane drivers, mechanics driving vehicles that transport broken-down agricultural
machinery, etc.), to divergent interpretations: the drivers concerned apply to
be exempted but the public administrations still want to include them within
the scope of the Directive. Some guidelines to clarify the issue may be useful.

2.3.        Qualification
and training — Article 3

Under Article 3, the activity of driving is
subject to a compulsory initial qualification and periodic training.

Section 1 of Annex 1 describes the subjects
to be covered by the training.

The subjects are organised around three
main themes: ‘Advanced training in rational driving based on safety regulations’,
‘Application of regulations’, and ‘Health, road and environmental safety,
service, logistics’.

These themes are organised into objectives
on the basis of the driving licence they refer to.

2.3.1.     Compulsory
initial qualification

Member States are expected to establish a
system of initial qualification consisting either in course attendance with a
test or in a theoretical and a practical test.

2.3.1.1.  Option
combining both course attendance and a test

Under the first option, the initial
qualification must include a course covering all the subjects listed in Section
1 of Annex 1. Each trainee driver must also drive for at least 20 hours
individually in a vehicle which meets the requirements for test vehicles as
defined in Directive 91/439/EEC[6].
The duration of the training is 280 hours. It should be underlined that this
training is not to be combined with training for other types of qualifications
(e.g. hazardous goods transport).

At the end of the training, the competent
authorities set the driver a written or oral test. The test must include at
least one question on each of the objectives for the subjects listed in section
1 of Annex 1.

2.3.1.2.  Option
involving tests

Under the second option, the competent
authorities organise theoretical and practical tests to check whether the
trainee driver has the necessary level of knowledge required in Section 1 of
Annex 1 for the subjects and objectives listed there.

As mentioned in point 2.2 of Annex I, the
theoretical test consists of at least two parts: multiple-choice questions,
questions requiring a direct answer, or a combination of both, and case
studies. The minimum duration of the theoretical test is 4 hours.

The practical test consists of two parts: a
90-minute driving test to assess the training in rational driving, based on
safety regulations, and a practical test covering at least the ability to load
the vehicle (driving licences C and D), the ability to ensure the comfort and
safety of passengers (D), the ability to prevent criminality (C, D), the
ability to prevent physical risk (C, D) and the ability to assess emergency
situations (C, D).

The minimum duration of this test is 30
minutes.

Fifteen Member States and Norway have opted
for the combination of course and test while 11 Member States employ the theoretical
and practical tests. Germany has implemented both options in national law and
the driver can choose (Table 1).

Table 1 — The system of initial qualification in the Member States and in Norway

Tests only || Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, United Kingdom

Course and test || Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden

Both || Germany

Member
States cooperate with various organisations that keep the data for the initial
qualification and the periodic training, such as national and regional
authorities[7], administrations[8], agencies[9], directorates[10], ministries concerned with transport and road safety[11], state enterprises[12], and special centres established for this purpose[13].

2.3.1.3.  Accelerated
initial qualification

The initial qualification can be
accelerated, based on a compulsory 140-hour course and a test and certified by
a CPC.

Each trainee must drive for at least ten
hours individually.

At the end of the training, the competent
authorities set the driver a written or oral test. The test must include at
least one question on each of the objectives for the subjects listed in Section
1 of Annex 1.

The accelerated initial qualification,
which remains optional, is offered by 19 Member States and by Norway (see Table
2).

Table
2 — The accelerated initial qualification in the Member States and Norway

Member States that offer the accelerated initial qualification || Bulgaria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Norway

Member States that do not offer the accelerated initial qualification || Austria, Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands United Kingdom

Under the Directive, a Member State may
also authorise a driver to drive on its territory before obtaining a CPC.

2.3.2.     Compulsory
periodic training

Members States are expected to establish a
system of periodic training based on compulsory course attendance, certified by
a CPC.

2.3.3.     Organisation
of the training

The training is generally provided by
driving schools, but it can also be provided by non- profit bodies, vocational
schools, vocational colleges, high schools[14], or secondary schools[15].

In
some Member States[16]
the training is partially funded by the public sector.

2.3.4.     Approval
of the training centres

Under Section 5 of Annex 1, the training
centres providing the initial qualification and periodic training must be
approved by the Member States’ competent authorities. Approval may be given
only in response to a written application. The application must be accompanied
by documents on the training programme and teaching methods; the instructors’
qualifications; the premises where the courses are given, the vehicle fleet
used; and the number of participants.

The competent authority will give approval
in writing provided that the training is given in accordance with the documents
accompanying the application.

It is entitled to send authorised persons
to be present at the training courses.

2.4.        Acquired
rights — Article 4

The Directive exempts from the requirement
to obtain the initial qualification any drivers who hold a category D driving
licence issued before September 2008 and drivers who hold a category C driving
licence issued before September 2009.

No major difficulty has been reported with recognition
of the acquired rights of national and non-national drivers by the enforcement
authorities.

The national administrations have provided
information to the enforcement system by e.g. circulating the Directive and
transposition laws, organising ad hoc training and meetings with police
officers, sending letters and administrative acts, publishing guides on the internet,
etc. In some Member States, the regulations have been issued for public
consultation, and the police was one of the consultative bodies in the hearing
process [17].
In addition, the enforcement authority in Romania and Norway is also the body
that issues the CPC.

The enforcement authorities may use many
means to verify the acquired rights of national and non-national drivers, in
particular by checking the date when the driving licence was issued or its
authenticity. They can also contact the issuing authority or consult, where
available, the database containing the data for the initial qualification and
periodic training.

According to the Member States, this aspect
of the Directive does not create any major problem. However, a difficulty
arises when the driving licence is renewed and no longer contains the date when
it was issued for the first time. There is also uncertainty as to how to
enforce regulations because the various Member States and Norway are at different
stages in applying the Directive. This situation concerns only a few drivers
and is easily solved by the direct exchange of information between national
authorities.

2.5.        Initial
qualification — Article 5

The Directive establishes the minimum age
for driving vehicles intended for the carriage of goods or passengers, in accordance
with different criteria such as the driving licence category, the duration of
the training to obtain the initial qualification, and the distance travelled.

Table 3 —
Summary of requirements concerning the initial qualification for new drivers
(Art. 5)

Vehicle || Licence requirement || CPC requirement || Age

Carriage of goods || C — C+E || Normal || 18

C1 — C1+E || Accelerated || 18

C — C+E || Accelerated || 21

Carriage of passengers || D — D+E On regular services and route ≤ 50 km || Normal || 18 Within their territory

Accelerated || 21

D — D+E || Normal || 21

20 within their territory. It can be reduced to 18 when there are no passengers.

Accelerated || 23

|| D1 — D1+E || Normal || 18 Within their territory

|| || Accelerated || 21

Obtaining an initial qualification does not
require the corresponding driving licence to be obtained beforehand.

Therefore, in 13 Member States and in
Norway[18],
the initial qualification can be combined with training to obtain the driving licence
(see Table 4).

Table 4 —
Combination of C or D driving licence training and the initial qualification in
the Member States and Norway

Member States that combine the C or D driving licence training and the initial qualification || Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands (partially), Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom

Member States that do not combine the C or D driving licence training and the initial qualification || Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain

Some of the Member States that combine the
driving licence training and the initial qualification have opted to combine training
for C and D driving licences with both the initial qualification and the
accelerated initial qualification, while others require trainees to have achieved
a certain degree of progress in the driving licence programme before starting on
the initial qualification.

Concerning the issuing of a CPC before the
corresponding driving licence is obtained, the majority of Member States do not
allow this. However, Belgium accepts this for combined training, Austria
requires only the theoretical test to be passed in advance, and Lithuania
requires the driver to possess only a B category driving licence. Although, in
general, Norway requires a driving licence to be held before a CPC is issued,
it exempts drivers undergoing a vocational apprenticeship or traineeship.

2.6.        CPC
certifying initial qualification — Article 6

The Member States issue the CPC to drivers
who have attended the training and passed the test or who have passed the theoretical
and practical tests, depending on the option chosen.

If a Member State has chosen the option
consisting in the course and test, or the accelerated initial qualification,
the training course covers the subjects listed in Section 1 of Annex 1 of the
Directive. It is followed by a written or oral test.

If a Member State opts for just the tests,
the drivers must pass the theoretical and practical tests as described in point
2.2 of Annex 1.

Member States have not reported any difficulties
concerning the implementation of the Article.

2.7.        Periodic
training — Article 7

Periodic training should enable drivers to
update the knowledge essential for their work. It aims to expand on and review
some of the subjects described in section 1 of Annex I.

The duration of the periodic training is 35
hours every five years, given in sessions of at least seven hours, as mentioned
in Section 4 of Annex I.

The majority of Member States allow drivers
to attend single sessions of seven hours. However, they set specific
requirements mainly as to the period of time within which the 35 hours of
training should be completed.

For some Member States, this period can be
12, 6 or 3 months, even one week[19].
Other Member States have also specified the number of 7-hour sessions into
which the training is divided: e.g. two course sessions of 7 hours, two
separate modules comprising 3 training days for 7 hours and 2 training days for
7 hours, 5 consecutive days or two sessions of 3 days and 2 days, respectively[20], etc.

2.8.        CPC
certifying periodic training — Article 8

Members States issue the CPC to drivers who
have completed the periodic training.

The periodic training must be taken by new
drivers within five years after obtaining the CPC for initial qualification, and
by drivers who hold acquired rights, following the timetable set by their
Member States.

The Directive exempts from the requirement
to obtain the initial qualification any drivers who hold a category D driving
licence issued before September 2008 and drivers who hold a category C driving
licence issued before September 2009. For drivers with such acquired rights,
Member States have adopted national timetables for completing the first course
of periodic training by the deadline of 2015 (category D driving licence) and
2016 (category C driving licence).

Mutual recognition of the transitional
periods decided by the Member States has been agreed[21]. Accordingly, until the
deadline of 2015 (vehicle category D) and 2016 (vehicle category C), drivers
cannot be penalised in any Member State for not having completed the periodic
training.

Member States have chosen different
criteria to establish their national timetables for the periodic training of
drivers holding acquired rights. These can be based for instance on the date on
which the driving licence was issued, on the driver’s birthday, on the driving
licence expiry date, on the age of the driver, or on the driving licence
number.

National timetables are included in the Annex.

2.9.        Place
of training — Article 9

Drivers who are nationals of an EU Member
State must obtain the initial qualification in the Member State where they
normally reside, while drivers who are nationals of third countries must obtain
the qualification in the Member State where their employer is established or in
the Member State where they obtained a work permit.

Drivers must undergo the periodic training
in the Member State where they normally reside or where they work.

Regarding the recognition of previous
training for drivers who change their country of residence or country of work,
the majority of the Member States require a certificate or evidence of the
training undertaken[22].

Member States have not reported any difficulty
concerning the implementation of this Article. In some isolated cases, however,
they do not always recognise previous training partially followed in another
Member State and only accept training completed in their territory.

2.10.      Community
code — Article 10

The competent authorities enter code 95, which
serves as proof of compliance with the training requirements, either in the
driving licence or in a separate driver qualification card.

13 Member States have opted to enter the
code in the driver qualification card and 12 Member States enter it in the driving
licence. In Finland both options are possible, while in Luxembourg the code is
marked on the driving licence and also on the card only for non-resident drivers.

Norway enters code 95 in the certificate of
professional competence. In future, it will also be entered in the driving
licence (Table 5).

Table 5 — Code 95

Member States that enter code 95 in the driving licence || Austria, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia

Member States that enter code 95 in the driver qualification card || Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Hungary, Ireland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom

Finland || Both options are possible

Luxembourg || The code is marked on the driving licence. It is entered in the card only for non-resident drivers.

Norway || Code 95 is entered in the certificate of professional competence. It will also be entered in the driving licence in future

2.11.      Minimum
qualification and training requirements — Annex I

As mentioned above (section 3.3), Section 1
of Annex I lists the subjects to be taken into account by Member States when establishing
the initial qualification and periodic training for drivers.

Section 2, concerning the compulsory
initial qualification under Article 3(1)(a), requires each trainee driver to drive
for at least 20 hours individually accompanied by an instructor. For goods drivers
wishing to broaden their qualifications in order to carry passengers, or vice
versa, since they hold a CPC, they only need to repeat the parts specific to
the new qualification and drive for 5 hours. For the accelerated initial
qualification, trainees must drive for 10 and 21⁄2, hours respectively.

Under Section 2,
(point 2.1) of Annex I, each driver may drive for a maximum of 8 hours of the required
20 hours on special terrain or in a top-of-the-range simulator. For the accelerated
initial qualification, trainees may drive for a maximum of 4 of the required 10
hours on special terrain or in a top-of-the-range simulator.

For the
majority of Member States, trainees do not need to drive on special terrain or
in a simulator. Nonetheless, some provide for this as an option.

In short,
Member States have not faced any major problems in applying Annex I. Some
issues were reported by Austria and Slovenia regarding the need for practical
training or the sufficiency of theoretical lessons. Moreover, it is worth
noting that Belgium considers Annex I to be oriented more to drivers involved
in international transport than those driving short distances.

3.           Conclusions
and recommendations

3.1.        General
evaluation of the application of Directive 2003/59/EC

By adopting Directive 2003/59/EC, the
legislator has contributed to ensuring a common level of training for professional
drivers in the European Union with a view to generally enhancing road safety.

According to the findings of the
evaluation, there are several differences among Member States in the
application of Directive 2003/59/EC.

First, the Directive allows Member States
to choose whether the initial qualification takes the form of a course and test
or just involves tests. The periodic training can also vary in structure, since
it must be taken as a single course in some Member States while in others the
35 hours can be spread over different years.

Second, training programmes and teaching
methods are not standardised: the content of the courses differs between Member
States as does the way in which training is provided, e.g. in some Member
States the use of computer-based modules is allowed alongside traditional
teaching.

Furthermore, the requirements for trainers
and the premises where courses are given differ from one Member State to
another.

Last, the number of drivers per class, the
fleet of vehicles, and the availability of a top-of-the range simulator depend
on the testing centre.

Nevertheless, the equivalence of the qualification
systems and the efficiency in ensuring the required qualification is guaranteed
by the national training systems, which have to meet the requirements in Annex
1 regarding the minimum subjects to be taught and the structure of tests. The
monitoring of the training centres by the national authorities also makes an
important contribution to ensuring that the training is aligned with the
objectives of the Directive.

3.2.        Main
aspects to be improved and recommendations

Building upon the findings concerning the
application of the Directive, a few specific issues may need to be improved.

As regards the exemptions listed in Article
2 of the Directive, the fact that several Member States apply different
exemptions may cause problems for intra-EU cross-border traffic.

Although the Commission has so far no knowledge
of any such cases, it is in general advisable for professional drivers and
undertakings to be aware of the differences between Member States concerning
the application of Article 2 of the Directive.

It may therefore be necessary for the
Commission to issue some guidelines, over the medium term, in order to clarify
the scope of the exemptions under Article 2.

Regarding the national differences in the timetabling
of periodic training, the exchange of national timetables should help overcome
any difficulty that enforcement authorities may face when checking drivers from
abroad. This can be done within the Committee established under Article 12.

Given that the Directive does not cover
this issue, it is essential to maintain close cooperation between Member States,
in particular within the Professional Drivers Training Committee.

Against this background, a list of existing
national contact points has been established by the Commission in order to
facilitate cooperation between Member States.

Finally, it would appear useful in future
to closely involve social partners and consult them on a regular basis.

Annex

National timetables for implementation
of periodic training for drivers with acquired rights (deadlines for attending
the first course)

Austria || Cat. D: 10.9.2013 Cat. C: 10.9.2014

Belgium || Cat. D: 10.9.2015 Cat. C: 10.9.2016

Bulgaria || Cat. D driving licence issued: before 31 12 1970: 31.12.2009 from 1.1.1971 to 31.12..1980: 31.12.2010 from 1.1.1981 to 31.12.1990: 31.12. 2011 from 1.1.1991 to 31.12.2000: 31.12. 2012 from 1.1.2001 to 10.09.2008: 10.9.2013

Cat. C driving licence issued: before 31.12.1970: 31.12.2010 from 1.1.1971 to 31.12.1980: 31.12.2011 from 1.1.1981 to 31.12.1990: 31.12.2012 from 1.1.1991 to 31.12. 2000: 31.12.2013 from 1.1.2001 to 10.9.2009: 10.9.2014

Cyprus || All: 26.1.2012

Czech Republic || All: 1.8.2011

Denmark || Cat. D: Date of birth                                           Deadlines 1, 2 or 3                                                    30 .6.2009 4, 5 or 6                                                    31 .12. 2009 7, 8 or 9                                                    30.6.2010 10, 11 or 12                                              31.12.2010 13, 14 or 15                                              30.6.2011 16, 17 or 18                                              31.12.2011 19, 20 or 21                                              30.6.2012 22, 23 or 24                                              31.12.2012 25, 26 or 27                                              30.6.2013 28, 29, 30 or 31              31.12.2013 Cat. C: Date of birth                                            Deadlines 1, 2 or 3                                                    30 .6.2010 4, 5 or 6                                                    31.12.2010 7, 8 or 9                                                    30.6.2011 10, 11 or 12                                              31.12.2011 13, 14 or 15                                              30.6.2012 16, 17 or 18                                              31 .12.2012 19, 20 or 21                                              30 .6.2013 22, 23 or 24                                              31.12.2013 25, 26 or 27                                              30 .6.2014 28, 29, 30 or 31                                        31.12.2014

Estonia || All: 1.9.2011

Finland || Cat. D: 10.9.2013 Cat. C: 10.9.2014

France || Cat. D: 10.9.2011 Cat. C: 10.9.2012

Germany || Cat. D: 10.9.2015 Cat. C: 10 .9.2016

Greece || Cat. D: 10.9.2013 Cat. C: 10.9.2014

Hungary || Cat. D: 10.9.2013 Cat. C: 10.9.2014

Ireland || Cat. D: 10.9.2009 Cat. C: 10.9.2010

Italy || Cat. D: 10.9.2013 Cat. C: 10.9.2014

Latvia || Cat. D: 10.9.2013 Cat. C: 10.9.2014

Lithuania || Cat. D: 10.9.2013 Cat. C: 10.9.2014

Luxembourg || Cat. D: 10.9.2015 Cat. C: 10.9.2016

Malta || Cat. D: 9.9.2013 Cat. C: 9.9.2014

The Netherlands || Cat. D: 10.9.2015 Cat. C: 10.9.2016

Poland || All: 12.9.2014

Portugal || Cat. D: drivers who are currently: 30 years old: by 10.9.2011 between 31 and 40 years old: by 10.9.2012 between 41 and 50 years old: by 10.9.2013 over 50 years old: by 10.9.2015 Cat. C: drivers who are currently: 30 years old: by 10.9.2012 between 31 and 40 years old: by 10.9.2013 between 41 and 50 years old: by 10.9.2014 50 years old: by 10.9.2016.

Romania || The system has been in place since 2003

Slovenia Slovakia || Cat. D: 1.10.2008 Cat. C: 1.10.2009 Cat. D: 10.9.2013 Cat. C: 10 .9.2014

Spain || a) Cat. D driving licence ending with: 1 or 2: 10.9.2011 3 or 4: 10.9.2012 5 or 6: 10.9.2013 7 or 8: 10.9.2014 9 or 0: 10.9.2015 b) Cat. C driving licence ending with: 1 or 2: 10.9.2012 3 or 4: 10.9.2013 5 or 6: 10.9.2014 7 or 8: 10.9.2015 9 or 0: 10.9.2016

Sweden || Cat. D: 10.9.2015 Cat. C: 10.9. 2016

United Kingdom || Cat. D: 9.9.2013 Cat. C: 9.9.2014

Norway || Cat. D driving licence expiring between 10.9.2011 and 10.9.2015:  date of expiry of the driving licence. Cat. D driving licence expiring date: 2008: 2011 2009: 2012 2010: 2013 2011: 10.9.2011 from 11.9. 2015: 2015 2016: 2014 2017: 2015 2018: 2014 Cat. C driving licence which expires between 10.9.2012 and 10.9.2016: date of expiry of the driving licence. Cat. C driving licence expiring date: 2009: 2012 2010: 2013 2011: 2014 before 10.9.2012: 2012 from 11.9.2016: 2016 2017: 2015 2018: 2016

[1]               OJ L 226, 10/09/2003, pp. 4–17, as amended.

[2]               According to the impact assessment, ‘On measures
enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of the tachograph system’, SEC
2011(948), DG MOVE.

[3]               Some estimations provided by the national
authorities: 510 out of 15 000 in Hungary, 100–200 out of 11 000 in
Poland, 190 out of 3 042 in Portugal, 185 out of 9 571 in Romania, 24
out of 9 638 in Slovakia, 23 out of 10 136 in the United Kingdom, none
out of 8 606 in Bulgaria, 3 out of 615 in Lithuania.

[4]               Under Article 2, the Directive does not apply to drivers of:        
(a) vehicles with a maximum authorised speed not exceeding 45 km/h;     
(b) vehicles used by, or under the control of, the armed forces, civil defence,
the fire service and forces responsible for maintaining public order;        
(c) vehicles undergoing road tests for technical development, repair or
maintenance purposes, or new or rebuilt vehicles that have not yet been put
into service;           
(d) vehicles used in a state of emergency or assigned to rescue missions;              
e) vehicles used in the course of driving lessons for any person wishing to
obtain a driving licence or a CPC, as provided for in Article 6 and Article
8(1);  
(f) vehicles used for the non-commercial carriage of passengers or goods, for
personal use;              
(g) vehicles carrying material or equipment to be used by the driver in the
course of his or her work, provided that driving the vehicle is not the driver’s
principal activity.

[5]               This information does not come from the questionnaires
returned by the Member States but was communicated to the Commission by some
national authorities.

[6]               OJ L 237, 24.8.1991, pp. 1–24.

[7]               Austria, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Romania.

[8]               Norway.

[9]               Finland, Sweden.

[10]             Greece, Italy, Latvia.

[11]             Cyprus, Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Poland.

[12]             Lithuania.

[13]             Slovenia.

[14]             This happens, for instance, in Bulgaria.

[15]             This is the case with Sweden.

[16]             Besides Luxembourg, where the initial training is
funded by the public sector, in various Member States the national employment
agencies provide some kind of funding for the training.

[17]             This is the case for Malta and Norway.

[18]             Norway requires trainees to achieve a certain degree of
progress in the driving licence programme before starting the initial
qualification programme.

[19]             Denmark, Norway, France and Latvia, respectively.

[20]             Luxembourg, Romania and France, respectively.

[21]             Agreement was reached at the Committee meeting on 27
May 2009. A note issued by the Commission services was then circulated to all
Committee members for information.

[22]             In Luxembourg, the Minister of Transport decides on a
case-by-case basis, after taking into account the opinion of the commission responsible
at the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Infrastructure. In Malta, the
authorities run a check and exchange data with the competent authority of the
driver’s Member State.