Major rise in numbers awaiting specialised driving tests in Cork

The Road Haulage Association has said a lack of drivers is having huge impacts on their businesses.

The minister for transport has been accused of “robbing Peter to pay Paul” after it emerged that the waiting lists of some categories of driving test in Cork have increased massively over the past two years.

Since January 2023 the overall waiting list for a driving test in the county almost doubled, increasing by 84% from 4,159 applicants to 7,661 – a difference of 3,502.

The new figures, released via parliamentary question to Sinn Féin TD for Cork North-Central Thomas Gould, arrive at a time when the Road Safety Authority has been battling lengthy waiting lists for driving tests for more than a year.

They show that the most common test – for a car or light van – has seen its waiting list increase by 83% since the beginning of 2023, standing at 6,835 at the end of July of this year.

However, some of the more specialised test categories have increased to an even greater extent.

As of the end of July, 217 people were awaiting a test for driving a car with a trailer – an increase of 409% from January 2023 (53).

Since January 2023 the overall waiting list for a driving test in the county increased from 4,159 applicants to 7,661 – a difference of 3,502.

Meanwhile, the number of people awaiting a test to operate an articulated truck jumped from 12 at the beginning of 2023 to 34 last month, a hike of 183%.

Mr Gould noted that the figures show that the numbers for niche categories “continue to rise significantly”.

“It cannot be a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul to clear these backlogs,” he said, in reference to the recent improvements seen in terms of the main driving test, which has seen its backlog reduce from 8,131 last April to just 6,835 at the end of July.

Mr Gould noted that “we are hearing constantly from the Road Haulage Association that a lack of drivers is having huge impacts on their businesses”.

He described as “extremely worrying” the fact that the articulated truck licence list had increased at such a rate given the pressure on the industry to source qualified drivers.

"The reality is that long waiting lists will turn people off the profession as they find other employment opportunities,” he said, while arguing that the numbers seen in Cork should see consideration given to the opening of a new testing centre in the county.

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“There is already a partially operational centre in Ballincollig that could be expanded and this would see significant reduction in the waiting lists,” Mr Gould said.

The Road Safety Authority had not replied to a request for comment at the time of writing. Earlier this month the RSA said that it was “moving closer” to meeting the relevant standard for driving waiting list times.

It said that the average national waiting time for a test invitation had dropped to 13.5 weeks — a figure slightly ahead of its own targets.