According to Danish road transportation magazine Lastbil Magasinet, the ITD has called on the Danish Government to introduce a so-called “senior package” that would make it easier to retain and recruit very experienced truck drivers. The organisation also wants to see the requirement for CPC training every 5 years scrapped for experienced drivers.
The move comes after a story regarding a retired lorry driver made headlines in Denmark. The trucker said he would be happy to work longer as a lorry driver, but the current regulations don’t make it worthwhile.
In Denmark, people over retirement age can work while getting a pension. However, if the sum of their earnings reaches a threshold, they need to decide whether to work more and lose some of their pension; or work less, and get the maximum of their pension. One of ITD’s recommended measures would address this problem by removing the aforementioned regulation completely.
In addition, ITD thinks that job centres should be much better at matching senior job seekers with transport companies.
Moreover, the organisation believes there is a need for action to remedy the driver shortage at both a national and EU level.
When it comes to the latter, ITD argues that the CPC requirement for all lorry drivers to complete training every 5 years should be changed. It wants the CPC scrapped for drivers with many years of experience, as it considers the course to be a barrier for many drivers. Due to the content of the course not being refreshed, the ITD also believes it is often a waste of time.
Keen to get the ball rolling, the has ITD promised to start active dialogue with the IRU on the matter. It has also contacted a number of sister organizations with a view to kick-starting the debate on retaining and recruiting senior drivers.