Licence for life for HGV drivers
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• Truck drivers are to get licences for life under a legal shake-up announced by the Government last week.
Legislation will be introduced in December establishing a unified licensing system which will integrate the ordinary and vocational (HGV and PSV) driving licences into a single pan-European document.
Under the Road Traffic (Driver Licensing and Information Systems) Bill, Transport Secretary Paul Channon will become the sole licensing authority for all driving documents — although the Traffic Commissioners will retain responsibility for overseeing the conduct of drivers of large goods vehicles and buses.
When the legislation was announced in the Queen's speech for the new parliamentary session, the Department of Transport said: "This Bill will allow a licence to remain valid throughout the holder's lifetime provided the relevant licence was claimed within two years of the test pass".
The 10-year rule for renewing ordinary licences that are surrendered or revoked is to be repealed.
The Bill also proposes that drivers who develop disabilities will be required to undergo a special new training course before they are allowed back on the road unaccompanied.
In addition the legislation will provide for the installation and operation of the Autoguide route guidance and information system. This equipment will warn drivers about traffic jams arid recommend optimum routes. Vehicle companies and drivers will be allowed to install the guidance systems, which will work from information relayed via roadside beacons.
The DTp says that in future operator licences could include conditions on the area and type of roads to which the system will apply.
Autoguide has been tested in central London. since April and it is planned to extend it to
cover London's radials routes within the M25 area.
During the experimental stage it is understood that about 300 beacons will be installed with about 1,000 vehicles equipped to use the system. o The Association of Metropolitan Authorities has attacke Autoguide. Councillor Steve Nugent, chairman of the AMA's highways committee, says: "The so-called Autoguid legislation is really a licence fc more rat-running" with driver using residential streets to escape traffic. Nugent warns: "It is also an open invitation t private companies to dig mon holes in the road" despite locl authority and public utility agreements on "reinstating them to better standards".