IRU has called on the United Nations to establish global standards for professional drivers, warning that inconsistent qualifications are undermining road safety and efficiency worldwide.
Speaking at the United Nations Global Forum on Road Traffic Safety last week, IRU Global Advocacy Policy Adviser Clara Sánchez López underscored the need to professionalise commercial drivers and harmonise standards to improve road safety.
Heavy-duty vehicles are involved in a relatively small share of road accidents, the majority of which (85%) are caused by human error. Of these, three-quarters are caused by other road users. Driver certification, education and awareness – for both heavy-duty vehicle drivers and other drivers – are crucial to address the human factor.
The standardisation of driving permits must be accompanied by a harmonisation of professional qualifications to advance road safety. Professionalisation is at the heart of the solution for drivers.
While EU rules mandate standardised access to the profession, including compulsory qualifications, UN resolutions lack specificity and are voluntary. Recognising professional qualifications legally can significantly improve road safety.
A formalised, professional sector should be built on international standards. But standards are not enough, they must be practiced and monitored effectively.
IRU proposes a four-pillar approach – formalise, professionalise, validate and manage – as a practical framework to establish, implement and monitor professional driver standards globally. A key component is IRU Examiner, which helps authorities and examination bodies create fair, transparent certification systems tailored to the national context.
The model also incorporates a public-private partnership approach, ensuring that all elements – from training delivery to certification – are aligned, scalable and locally owned. This approach allows countries to build capacity quickly, even without a full legal framework, and to progressively move towards formal recognition.
Illustrating the point, Clara Sánchez López referenced a recent bus and truck study conducted by IRU for the European Commission.
Many non-EU countries have training and qualification standards comparable to the EU Certificate of Professional Competence. The foundational elements already exist, with structured theoretical and practical training, mandatory exams, and a clear emphasis on safety. These standards need global recognition and harmonisation. This will also facilitate driver mobility in light of driver shortages in many parts of the world.
After IRU urged the forum to convene experts to establish clear global guidelines on aligning professional driver qualifications, the chair stressed the urgency of including professional driver qualifications as a permanent agenda item.