You can now get a truck driver's license faster
In Ukraine, drivers will no longer have to wait at least a year to obtain a license to drive trucks with heavy trailers. The Cabinet of Ministers has eliminated the one-year driving experience requirement for categories BE, C1E, and CE. This is expected to help train new drivers more quickly and partially address the shortage of drivers in the transportation and logistics sectors.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has amended the rules for obtaining driver’s license categories that authorize the operation of vehicles with heavy trailers. Drivers are no longer required to have at least one year of driving experience after obtaining their basic license category. The changes apply to three categories: BE, C1E, and CE. The BE category allows a driver to operate a passenger car with a trailer weighing more than 750 kilograms.
The C1E category is required to drive C1-category trucks. These are vehicles weighing between 3.5 and 7.5 metric tons that are used in combination with a trailer weighing more than 750 kilograms. The CE category authorizes the driver to operate Category C trucks with a trailer or semi-trailer weighing more than 750 kilograms. Previously, to obtain these categories, one had to have not only the corresponding basic driver’s license but also at least one year of driving experience with a vehicle of the corresponding category. Now, there is no need to wait that year.
At the same time, obtaining a new category will not happen automatically. The driver must hold a license for the corresponding basic category—B, C1, or C. After that, they must complete special retraining according to the established program and pass a practical exam at a regional service center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In other words, the main change concerns the waiting period. If a person already holds the required base category, they no longer need to wait a year before beginning training and taking the exam to drive vehicles with heavy trailers.
The Ministry of Economy and Environment explains that the decision is intended to help prepare drivers for the labor market more quickly. This is particularly important for sectors currently facing a shortage of drivers, especially in transportation and logistics. At the same time, other requirements remain in effect. These include, in particular, the minimum age requirement for obtaining the relevant driver’s license category and the requirement to hold a basic driver’s license.
Thus, the government has not eliminated the training or the practical exam. Only the procedure for training and obtaining additional categories has changed: the mandatory one-year waiting period after obtaining a basic category has been eliminated for drivers. The new rules will remain in effect for the duration of martial law and for an additional six months after its termination or repeal. Thus, drivers who already hold categories B, C1, or C will be able to move more quickly to training for categories BE, C1E, or CE and, after completing the necessary training, take the practical exam. This was reported by the Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine.
