Hgv youngsters get go-ahead
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AS FORECAST in CM October 24, the young driver training scheme will commence later this month ending many years of waiting by road haulage operators.
Regulations coming into force on November 25 have been laid before Parliament. These are : the Motor Vehicles (Minimum age for driving) (Amendment) Regulations 1975 SI 1730 and SI 1731. Both are available from HMSO or through any bookseller; the first costs 8p and the second 22p. There are further exemptions for drivers of Playbuses, too.
The new Regulations allow a trainee hgv driver to be issued with the appropriate licence between the ages of 18 and 21 years if he has a clean ordinary driving licence and has entered into an agreement with an aproved employer for practical training. The trainee's hgv licence will allow him to drive heavy vehicles only for his employer or during fulltime training at an approved establishment.
If the trainee is convicted of more than one road traffic offence involving endorsement of his ordinary licence, then his hgv licence will be withdrawn.
Drivers will be able to progress at yearly intervals from Class 3 vehicles to Class 1, but will not be allowed to drive any vehicle which draws a trailer, including artics, except under supervision, till he is 21 years of age.
Administration provisions are also included in the Regulations.
The exemption for drivers of Playbuses, which are hgv, is extended to driving vehicles with not more than two adults on board.