LOWERING THE THRESHOLD
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Within two years an LGV licence will be required for all vehicles of 3.5 tonnes and above. This may be good news for the driver training schools, but how will it affect operators and manufacturers?
The second EC directive on driver licensing, 91/439/EEC, becomes effective in the UK on 1 July 1996. Measures include staged testing and a theory element but the most far-reaching innovation is the lowering of the threshold for WV licensing to 3.5 tonnes, to coincide with the 0-licensing limit
Staged testing follows what at first appears to be a complicated set of rules but which are, in fact, common sense. Car drivers will no longer be able to progress direct to driving artics and drawbars without first tackling rigid trucks, and a new class of LGV licence called Cl, will be created for vehicles from 3.5 to 7.5 tonnes. Some cars towing large trailers like caravans and horseboxes will also be affected and may need a Class B+E licence.
Existing drivers, and those who pass their ordinary driving test before 30 June 1996, will already have this entitlement; after this date new drivers will have to take the test and meet higher medical standards. The Cl+E licence will cover combinations up to 12 tonnes GCW The regulations also state minimum sizes for vehicles in which tests can be taken. For example, the Cl+E test must be in a vehicle of at least four tonnes, with a trailer of at least two tonnes and a train length of at least eight metres.
Theory element
The format for the theory element has not yet been decided but could well take the form of a classroom-style examination covering questions on Road Traffic regulations, road safety matters (including use of seat-belts and the effects of alcohol and fatigue) and areas such as pollution, fuel consumption and the vehicle's impact on the environment. Applicants will also be quizzed on mechanical aspects of the vehicle, such as steering and brakes, which affect road safety
The effects of lowering the LGV threshold will be many and varied. Most of the operators contacted by Commercial Motor feel that it's too easy for anyone to drive a 7.5-tonner, regardless of what training they may have had, although others feel that this is not a problem.
With regulations governing the 3.5 to 7.5tonne sector being "as loose as a goose", as one manufacturer put it, tighter controls are seen in many quarters as a good thing.
PC Chris English of the Metropolitan Police HGV Unit points out that tachograph and 0-licence infringements abound in this category, simply because drivers are untrained.
Operators' views vary: the prospect "frightens the daylights" out of one parcels operator who cites the cost advantages of not having "trained" drivers. Not all "untrained" drivers are bad, he says, and it is not difficult to match the "loutish" element with "certified louts" driving 38-tonners. On the other hand Parcel Force, with 1,800 vehicles between 3.5 and 75 tonnes, feels the change is long overdue.
Howard Hunt, managing director of a Surrey building firm, points out that "certificates" are now required for driving fork-lift trucks and JCBs and even for erecting scaffolding, so it is only a logical extension of the drive to improve standards in all industries. Most operators seem to accept or welcome the change.
Rental companies are among the biggest buyers of 7.5-tonners and, again, views vary. Bill Duffy, a director of TDG's truck rental and contract hire arm Unilink, sees no relevance in LGV licensing at 7.5 tonnes and believes the present flexibility should be retained. He argues that modern 7.5-tormers, like the MAN L2000 or the Leyland 45, are so simple to drive-especially when compared with older models like the Dodge Commando or Leyland Terrier-that there is simply no need for "over-qualified" drivers. He adds that many rentals are to replace a Transit for the day or for a tipper to tow a compressor out to site just to dig a hole, and in these cases an LGV licence holder represents nothing more than additional cost.
Duffy cannot remember when he last had a 7.5-tonner involved in a serious accident but says that one depot alone has a 17tonner and a tractor written off after accidents involving fully qualified drivers.
Tongue in cheek
David Owen, director of market planning for BRS & Exel Logistics, welcomes anything which raises the standards of professionalism in the industry: (It's no surprise he reckons it's good to see the industry coming up to BRS standards!) In practice he says the move may hit some some small operators by encouraging a move from ownaccount to third-party contracting. And there's always BRS Taskforce's pool of qualified drivers to draw on.
The 7.5-tonne market provides big volumes for the manufacturers. They do not seem over-concerned about the effect of the lower licence threshold. Mercedes-Benz says things will not change overnight: partly due to grandfather rights, partly due to the natural replacement cycle of vehicles, and partly because many operations are geared up to payloads of around 3.5-4 tonnes. Tony Pain, of Leyland Daf Trucks, agrees. He feels that any changes are likely to be up the weight range, rather than down, with about two-thirds of operators moving up to 10 or 12 tonnes and the other third down-trading to 3.5-5 tonnes,
Renault says the downwards shift will polarise around the 5-6-tonne mark which is seen by some as being more environmentally friendly', especially for home-deliveries.
Recent moves by the Post Office into this sector, where cube need not be markedly different from a 75-tormer, may set an example; it certainly makes the future
more difficult to predict. Iveco Ford marketing director Chris Christianson welcomes anything changes which enhances safety, be they design, operation or legislation.
All the manufacturers we spoke to seem happy to wait and see how the 7.5-tonne class is affected as they all have offerings across the range.
As might be expected, the driving schools see the change as a good idea. However, this is not simply enlightened self-interest. There is genuine concern about the standards of driving by non-LGV trained drivers at 7.5 tonnes.
Driving schools
John Morris, boss of Shrewsbury Transport Training, welcomes the idea as it helps bring quality into the industry. Richard Parker, director of Group One Driver Training, is pressing for LGV driving schools to be registered to provide some control over who can train new drivers: he reckons there is plenty of capacity in the training sector to handle the extra work, especially as the changes will be gradual, taking two or three years for the stock of existing qualified drivers to work their way through.
Others feel the change will take even longer to show its full effects because many Class 3 drivers are already employed on 7.5tonners due to the recession. One instructor estimates it will be 20 years before the full effect is felt.
While some will be inconvenienced and others will have to bear some additional costs, the consensus is that the introduction of more professionalism into the industry is welcome.
E] by Robert Coates