Brussels, 02/02/2001 (Agence Europe) - On Friday the European Commission adopted by written procedure a draft Directive that would require for professional drivers to follow an initial and continuous training. At the present time, only the driving licence is required to become a professional driver in Europe, except in France and the Netherlands, which have recently generalised the requirement to follow an initial compulsory training. Announced in the framework of the "social driver package" that includes the working time of drivers and the "drivers certificates", the new draft Directive has as aim to improve the competition conditions in the expanding sector. It sets the duration and the content of the initial training that will have to be followed by European drivers that enter into the profession. Drivers that have undertaken for three years during the five years prior to the entry into force of the Directive will be exempted. However, they will have to follow a continuous training for the first renewal of the driving licence, or "before a maximum period of five years."
The duration of the initial training completed, allowing for the gaining of a certificate of professional qualification, will be 420 hours (12 weeks of 35 hours), which "corresponds to the present duration of this training as taught in all the Member States for a short cycle", adds the Commission. The "minimum" training will be 210 hours (6 weeks of 35 hours). "It is to be foreseen that a large majority of professional drivers will follow the initial minimum training, which would thus be a concrete result of the Directive," notes the Commission. Working drivers will have to follow in addition a continuous training of at least five days every five years. The initial training will include a common section on safety, the enforcement of rules, health or logistics, among others. A specialisation would cover knowledge linked to specific sector: different types of vehicles (suspended goods, liquids, cranes, etc.), types of contracts, different logistics systems. The Draft Directive specifies in annex the accreditation procedures for "training bodies."