n even the Department of Transport continues to refer to
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HGVs rather than Vs, what hope is there that the rest of us will even begin to understand the new categories of licences introduced last year? Bob Little investigates why the industry finds change so difficult to accept.
While training specialists and the DVLA talk about LGV (large goods vehicles) and categories of vocational driving licences, many drivers and driver agencies—and even, at times, the Department of Transport—still refer to HGV (heavy goods vehicles) and classes of licence.
The term HGV officially ceased to exist some six years ago and categories of driving licence were introduced to "harmonise" UK licences with those in the rest of the EU. Yet newspaper advertisements and driver agencies frequently refer to HGV class 1, 2 and 3 drivers.
Andy Lawton, operations and contract manager for Driver Hire Derby, one of 70 franchisees in the Driver Hire Nationwide group, acknowledges that he is guilty of being class, rather than category, conscious.
"The drivers we hope to recruit are those who are experienced and therefore have held their licences for a while," Lawton says. In order to attract them, we need to talk their language—the language of HGVs and classes of licence.
"People in the street don't understand the term LGV and if we advertised for drivers holding a C+E category licence, we'd have no enquiries!"
Adam Lane, general manager of PL Workforce, part of the Bristol-based Lane Group, puts a different view. "We always use the correct terms—LGV, C, C+E and so on in all our advertisements, quotations, brochures and invoices," he says.
"Of course, that brings its problems because people don't know what these terms mean. For example, when we advertise for category C+E licence holders, around half the replies are from car drivers who think that they hold such a licence!"
Even the Department of Transport (DOT) admits that it uses the term HG Vs in some of its publications and press notices.
"LGV is the official term," agrees a DOT spokesperson, "we're aware that there are discrepancies in some of our publications and we are trying to change our ways, but there is a real danger that people may understand WV to mean light, not large, goods vehicle."
"Only training schools and the DVLA really know and apply the new terminology," believes Peter Hodgson, chief executive of St Albans-based West Herts Training. "Transport managers at the companies we z deal with still tend to talk about HGVs and LI, class 1, 2 and 3 licences but it's quite easy to o i translate the transport managers' require› o z meats to what is currently possible to H achieve."
I , Hodgson does not believe that there is any ineed for a campaign to change the industry or 8 the public's mindset over this terminology.
.8 "It's unnecessary because we all know what E. we're talking about," he says. "I don't believe that it's anyone's fault that the new terminology has not become widely accepted and used.
"The DVLA has tried its best, producing a great deal of literature on the subject, although it is not helped by the DOT continuing the use the term HGV! However, the current categories of licence are much more complex than the old classes—and this could be a key reason why people prefer to talk about classes rather than categories of licence." Len Willett, managing director of trainer Garage and Transport Training (GATT), of Hinckley in Leicestershire, agrees with Hodgson. "The new system of licences doesn't confuse us, even if it might confuse those outside our industry," he says.
"It seems odd to change from 'H' to I' GV, but I suppose it was necessary to encompass some vehicles that are large, but not heavy, for which drivers now require a vocational driving licence rather than a car licence. "The biggest headaches for trainers arising from these changes have been the introduction of 'staging', which has increased costs to trainees, and the increased time it now takes for trainees to begin their training," Willett adds.
"That extra time is taken up in waiting to take the theory test, then waiting to receive the theory test pass certificate which the trainee needs, along with a medical certificate and a relevant provisional licence, in order to begin practical train i Hodgson and Willett agree that some of their companies' trainees are, if not confused by the current system of licence categorisation, at least discouraged from taking the "traditional" car-to-class-1 route to a vocational driving licence. "In December last year, before the introduction of staging and theory tests, trainees who already held a car driving licence could take some 30 days to pass the class 1/category C+E driving test from the time they applied for their provisional LGV licence," claims Hodgson.
"Now, the time needed for the same person to achieve a category C+E licence is, typically, 70 days," he says.
"The increase in time taken to achieve the licence is reflected in increasing casts," says Willett, with some estimates placing the current cost as high as some £2,500, compared with around £1,000 before January.
This, rather than confusion about terminology, could be one major reason new licence holders are not joining the industry at the rate they used to. And this could be the reason more and more firms and agencies are searching for, but not finding, the WV drivers they currently need.
Films and books used to contain statements to the effect that "names have been changed to protect the innocent". In this case, have the names been changed to protect the guilty?
The DOT's policy arm, the USA, has recently conducted a consultation exercise on proposals to introduce statutory waiting times between taking a theory and practical test and between taking practical driving tests.
This would not only increase the alleged 70 days for "car to C+E" but could also increase costs further, add to trainees' frustration and discourage even more potential drivers from entering the industry.
Classes and categories The change from classes to categories of driving licences began with the harmonisation of EU driving licences in June 1990. This was followed by the second EU Directive on licences, which was adopted in July 1991 and which introduced the concept of indefinite mutual recognition of driving licences in all EU member states.
This gave rise to The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations 1996, which resulted in further changes, including the introduction—from 1 January this year—of written theory tests and staged testing. Staged testing means that drivers must first hold a full licence in a lower category before applying for a provisional driving licence for a higher category.
A comprehensive explanation of the previous, "class-based" licence system and the new "category-based" licence system runs to a great many closely typed pages in Croner's Road Transport Operations and many Department of Transport leaflets. Here is a brief summary of the current main licence categories, with minimum driving ages.
Approximate Category Description Current Class minimum (Group) driving age M/cycle ID) A Motorcycles 17 itif.._111__ree-wheeled vehicles 17 CarCars
Car (A) Car (A) Car (A) HGV 2/3 HGV 2/3} HGV 1 } B+E Cl
Cl + E C+E
Cars towing a trailer of over 750kg Lorriesbetween 3,300 and 7,500kg as Cl, towing a trailer of over 750kg Lorries over 7,5004 [(a) as C, towing a trailer of over 750kg or {(b) articulated lorries
17
18' 18'
2r
21" 21"
• T
ar . sma •uses setween • an. • passenger seats
Car (A) DI + E as D, towing a trailer of over 750kg
P37117 )uses 21 21—
PSV 1/2 D + E Articulated buses and large buses towing a trailer of over 750kg 21
Members oithe armed forces on duly and members of the Young LGV Drivers Training Scheme may be able to drive category C vehicles legally while they are below the minimum driving age. For further details of the Young LGV Driver Training Scheme, contact the Road Haulage & Distribution Training Council on 01923 858461 or 01923 858484.