On 11 April 2024, roads minister Guy Opperman announced a number of proposals aimed at encouraging more young people to pursue careers as bus, coach and lorry drivers.
One proposal is the lowering of minimum age requirements for bus and coach drivers. While fully-trained 18-20 can operate an articulated lorry with no distance limit, bus and coach drivers of the same age are restricted to routes of up to 50km.
Other proposals include allowing bus, coach and HGV drivers to start theory and off-road training immediately, rather than having to wait for their provisional licence.
If the proposals are introduced, the DFT has said, ‘all prospective bus, coach and HGV drivers will be held to the same training requirements as before to ensure Britain’s roads remain among the safest in the world, which will mean drivers can complete training and get working more quickly’.
Opperman explained: “Being a bus, coach or lorry driver can be an excellent career for young people and these proposals could help get younger talent into transport, encouraging diversity in the sector.
“This could be a win-win, not only improving job opportunities for those leaving school but also going some way to continue to ease driver shortages, delivering more reliable bus and coach services and a more resilient supply chain as part of our plan to grow the economy.”
On the new proposals, Declan Pang, director of public affairs and policy for England at the Road Haulage Association (RHA), said: “We have long supported proposals to attract younger people into the role and address the ageing coach driver workforce, which is a barrier to the sector’s growth.
“The age restrictions have constrained the sector’s ability to attract young people and, considering someone can drive an HGV from 18 years old, puts the coach sector at a disadvantage.
“These proposals could improve prospects for coach operators and we look forward to seeing them implemented.”
The government has been keen on encouraging careers in logistics for young people over the past few years. Recently it has announced further investment in improving roadside facilities for HGV drivers, extended its HGV driver training scheme and continued to support the Generation Logistics initiative.
