A GROUP representing farm and forestry contractors has welcomed change to the wording for licences for work vehicles.
The Association of Farm Contractors in Ireland (FCI) was reacting to a change of the requirements issued by the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS) and Road Safety Authority (RSA) for a W Category Driving Licence.
The wording which had been issued recently indicated that a Category W Driving Licence in Ireland should only be used for Agricultural or Forestry work, and that, ‘anyone driving Commercially e.g. Carrying stone/blocks etc for Construction work etc then they must have a Category CE or C1E and also undertake CPC training to drive professionally’.
Speaking in the Dail last week, Cork South West TD and Independent Ireland leader Michael Collins said he had serious concerns about the licensing, and feared ‘a lot of diligant young workers are now being told they would need an articulated licence’. Deputy Collins warned this could lead to up to 4,000 job losses and see major agricultural projects halted.
FCI lobbied extensively and the wording has now been changed. The new wording: ‘In relation to Category W licence, the RSA will review the position and requirements of the holders of category W with the Department of Transport in line with the fourth driving licence directive which is expected to be published in September.’
FCI chair John Hughes welcomed the revised wording but said it is ‘unacceptable Government agencies such as the NDLS and Road Safety Authority have the power to make changes to the rules with regard to Driver Licence Categories without prior consultation among the relevant and impacted stakeholders’.
He said the previous wording had been a significant stress to contractors, many of whom have tractors engaged in activities that are other than strictly agricultural but are rural based and have a significant benefit to their rural economy and rural employment.
‘At FCI we would also like to know that if a tractor driver was required to have a CE of C1E licence, could that person complete a driving test for these licence categories in an agricultural tractor, rather than an articulated truck, as this would be the vehicle that they would use and this would also the vehicle that that the NDLS and the RSA by extension, consider to be the same as an articulated truck, for driving licence purposes.
‘At FCI we remain deeply concerned that proposed changes were put in place on the NDLS website, over which the RSA has total control, and without any discussion with our Association, as a primary industry and sector stakeholder. At FCI we consider that this is a direct attack on the rural-based agricultural contractor sector in Ireland. Were it to be introduced it would have meant that many businesses would have been forced to cease operations, as it would have impacted on the ability to carry out many public and other works commitments in rural areas of Ireland.’
