The EU Driving Licence Directive is back again to threaten disruption and increased costs to the UK haulage industry. The directive has now reached the second reading stage and we need to act now if we are to stop it.

The idea behind the directive is supposedly to improve the free movement of citizens across the EU by standardising licences across each of the member states.

Endless Retests

The new rules will actually spell out endless and costly retests and medical check-ups for UK drivers. British drivers are required to notify the relevant authorities of any serious medical conditions. The authorities then decide what action to take.

The new rules will replace this with regular medical check-ups for drivers suffering from complaints ranging from angina and diabetes to high blood pressure. Drivers with these kinds of illnesses will have to undergo unnecessary, inconvenient, and not to mention costly, medical examinations on a regular basis.

The directive does not stop there. Commercial drivers will be subject to far more stringent (not to say costly!) medical checks and from an earlier age than in the UK. Not only that but, depending on the category of vehicle, drivers will have to renew their licence every five or 10 years. We had a small victory at the first reading of the directive by winning concessions on medical exclusions.

However, national governments including our own have decided to put all this back in the proposals. We now believe the best course of action is to reject the entire proposal.

It Ain't Broke

Our current system works well and there is no need for a scheme that will only create red tape and inconvenience. The UK government has decided to abstain from the final vote, meaning that unless we can change its mind, Britain's drivers will be swamped with another mountain of red tape and bureaucracy from the EU.

The message is simple: if it ain't broke, don't fix it.