Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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390. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport in light of significant truck driver shortages reported in Cork, up to 40 vacancies locally, the measures that will be taken to fast-track HGV licensing, streamline cross-departmental employment permits, and support sectoral recruitment in Cork’s haulage industry. [46809/25]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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392. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport in light of reported HGV driver shortages including up to 40 vacancies in Cork and the burdensome licensing and permitting processes, if he will commit to inter-departmental reforms to expedite licensing and recruitment. [46823/25]

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 390 and 392 together.

As Minister of State for International & Road Transport, Logistics, Rail & Ports, my Department and I are committed to supporting the road haulage industry. We regularly engage with stakeholders across the sector, with the overarching aim of working collaboratively to address key challenges such as the shortage of HGV drivers.

The licensing and permitting process is necessary to ensure that only those operators that meet the legislative requirements of good repute, professional competence, financial standing and stable and effective establishment can receive a road transport operator licence allowing them to operate a haulage business for hire or reward. Individual drivers must have a valid driver certificate of professional competence (CPC) qualification to drive a truck or bus professionally throughout the EU.

In order to assist Road Transport Operators to maintain valid licences, they are issued a reminder 60 days before their road transport operator licence expires. Once the operator submits their application and supporting documentation on time, and provided they meet the legislative requirements to hold the licence, there is no delay with the issuing of their road transport operator licence.

To streamline and improve road transport operator licencing, my Department has been working on a new improved on-line road transport operator licencing system. Some key benefits of the new IT system include a new user friendly and easier to navigate interface, the ability to save a draft application and return to complete it later, less documents to sign and much more. Testing of the new system is ongoing, and we hope to go live with this project before the end of this year. My Department will be in direct contact with all operators prior to go-live day.

In relation to the licensing of individual drivers, Irish driver licensing law operates within a framework of EU law, which sets out the driver licensing legislation with which all Member States must comply, the provision of which I have delegated under national legislation to the Road Safety Authority (RSA). The format of driving licences, categories of vehicles, and the standards to be met in driving tests to qualify for a licence, are all set at EU level.

To work as an HGV driver in Ireland, non-European Economic Area (EEA) nationals require a work permit issued by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment (DETE) and may also require a visa issued by the Department of Justice (DoJ). Following engagement with DETE, the quota for employment permits for HGV drivers outside the EEA was removed in 2021. Ireland currently has licence exchange agreements for HGV drivers with five countries outside of the EEA. These countries are South Korea, Japan, Australia, South Africa and Georgia. However, non-EEA licences must be verified by the country that issued the licence prior to being exchanged for an Irish licence. Thus, the timeline of the process is dependent on the response time from the corresponding licensing authority.

My Department has provided an information note to assist potential employers and employees to navigate the requirements for recruitment of HGV Drivers who are non-EEA citizens which is available on our .

Additionally, the Logistics and Supply Chain Skills Group (LSCSG), which was established in 2019 to support the promotion of careers, skills development and sustainable employment in the Logistics and Supply Chain sectors in Ireland and is chaired by the Department of Transport, is actively assessing the process for the recruitment of HGV drivers from non-EEA countries. This priority action includes the driving licence exchange process, work permit and residence permissions, driver CPC, tachograph card application etc. and assesses the scope for potential efficiencies. The LSCSG includes key stakeholder representatives from government, academia and industry and will meet again at the end of September, where we expect to know more about the progress on this action.