TD says driving testers are being moved from commercial to car testing

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has said it remains fully committed to reducing driving test wait times for all categories, as a Cork TD says they have diverted resources away from essential HGV and bus testing to meet targets of reducing waiting times for car drivers.

Backing the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA), who have recently spoken up about the issue, Independent Ireland leader Michael Collins said: “Rather than addressing the root cause of the problem by rapidly expanding testing capacity to meet growing demand, the RSA has moved the deckchairs around the Titanic.

“They’ve shifted testers away from articulated trucks, buses, and HGVs and shoved them into the car testing queue to make the numbers look good. The result? The commercial sector is being strangled by delays — and rural Ireland is paying the price.”

Mr Collins said that workers are being kept out of their chosen field of employment.

"The people who keep our shelves stocked, tourists moving, and supply chains functioning are left twisting in the wind. It’s cynical and it’s dangerous.”

An RSA spokesperson told The Echo that they are “fully committed to delivering fair and timely access to driving tests across all licence categories — including commercial vehicles”.

The spokesperson said: 

“In May 2025, we delivered record levels of Category C and D (truck and bus) tests in preparation for the release of our experienced staff from the service to support the training of our new recruits. This resulted in a reduction of testing staff to support the higher licence categories during the training period in June and July.

“Once the new testers are fully deployed from early September, waiting times for all licence categories — including commercial — will stabilise and meet service-level agreements.

“At the end of June, 2,738 people were awaiting a truck or bus driving test. These individuals will be issued with an invitation in the coming weeks.”