Driver training: concern about excessive digitalization
The Regional Federation of Transport Organizations and Companies of Murcia (FROET) has presented objections to the public consultation process prior to the modification of the Royal Decree 284 / 2021, which regulates the obtaining of the Certificate of Professional Aptitude (CAP) Mandatory for professional heavy vehicle drivers. The federation has reservations about the possible expansion of the virtual classroom as the primary channel for delivering this training.
While FROET supports digitalization in academia, it warns that a predominantly online model could undermine the fundamental principles of the CAP: promote road safety, professionalize drivers, and improve transportation efficiencyAccording to the employers' association, unregulated training would diminish the educational value of the CAP, turning it into a mere bureaucratic procedure with no real impact on driver skills.
Risks of online CAP and the need for regulatory control
Among the main shortcomings that FROET associates with the mandatory or majority virtual model of the CAP, the following stand out:
- Less attention and loss of training quality, especially in long sessions or when the student is engaged in parallel activities.
- Passive formation, with little interaction between instructor and student.
- Difficulty verifying identity and attendance, increasing the risk of fraud in training processes.
- technology gap, which limits the participation of students without access to appropriate devices.
- Lack of clear criteria regarding the legal percentage of online classes, causing legal uncertainty and differences between centers.
Given this situation, FROET requests that, if the use of the virtual classroom becomes widespread, it be implemented strong monitoring and control mechanisms that guarantee the quality of training. Otherwise, the employers' association proposes replacing the initial CAP course with a official external evaluation test, similar to other models already existing in the field of transport.
With regard to the CAP for continuing education, the organization is in favor of a limited use of the virtual classroom, as long as the contents do not address subjects of road safety or use of the tachograph, considered as core and critical.
Proposals to address the shortage of drivers in industrial transport
In addition to addressing the training model, FROET has proposed a series of specific measures to alleviate the current shortage of professional drivers, a problem that directly affects the operations of transport companies and workshops specializing in industrial vehicles.
The proposals include:
- Review of the Interministerial Agreement of November 15, 2023, which currently contains incompatibilities that make access to the profession difficult.
- Simplification of the exchange of foreign ID cards, a process that in many cases involves unacceptable delays for companies.
- Increase in the number of driving license exams, in order to shorten waiting times, which currently exceed eight months in some territories.
FROET also requests that the Ministry of Transport carry out a Urgent study on the number of candidates blocked due to lack of exam datesThis information would allow us to assess the real market access problem more accurately and adopt immediate reinforcement measures.
The federation also advocates for a structural renewal of the CAP contents according to the criteria established in the Directive (EU) 2022/2561. The objective is prioritize modules directly useful to the driver's activity, thus improving the practical adaptation of training to the real demands of the heavy transport sector.
A call to the sector: training quality and renewal of generational change
FROET's position highlights two key challenges for the industrial transport ecosystem: ensuring the effective driver training y promote the incorporation of new professionalsTo achieve this, a balance between technological innovation, pedagogical rigor, and flexible policy measures that facilitate access to the profession without compromising the safety and quality of the sector will be essential.
Source: All Transportation
