Grant Shapps has launched a consultation to address lorry driver shortages caused by a lack of EU workers following Brexit.
To address driver shortages, the Transport Secretary will launch a consultation on Friday on whether to lift the ban on motorists driving anything larger than a 3.5-ton vehicle. The EU imposed the ban prior to Britain’s departure from the bloc.
“It has been suggested that now that the UK has left the European Union, we may wish to allow all car drivers – not just those who passed their test before January 1, 1997 – the right to drive these larger vehicles without the need for a further test,” the Transport Secretary wrote in a letter to MPs.
He said that changes to the licencing categories could result in a larger pool of drivers. “I am quite happy to explore this idea and how this may work in reality – without making any commitments to legislative change at this stage.”
“We are past the days when EU directives were handed down on stone tablets,” a government source said, “and we should be prepared to liberalise where we can, testing the necessity of maintaining driving restrictions that were once thought unnecessary in this country.”