Road transport industry welcomes licensing review

Road Transport Forum Chief Executive Ken Shirley has welcomed the release of a government discussion paper reviewing the driver licensing system as being long overdue.

“For 15 years the Road Transport Forum has pushed the Ministry of Transport to review the current driver licence system for heavy vehicles,” says Shirley.

“The current system is a major impediment to attracting new drivers; it takes too long and is far too expensive. I’m glad to see both the Associate Minister and the Ministry acknowledge that fact.”

“The discussion paper present four options, two of which are really only variations on the status quo, however options three and four address a number of the industry’s concerns and show considerable promise.”

“The Road Transport Forum looks forward to constructively engaging in this process on behalf of our members associations and the broader industry,” says Shirley.