If you wish to provide professional road transport services for freight or passengers, you must provide proof of ‘initial qualification’ for professional drivers in addition to your driving licence.
This applies to drivers of vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of more than 3.5 tonnes in road freight and own-account transport, or to drivers of vehicles with more than eight passenger seats in passenger transport, where operation of the vehicle/combination of vehicles in question requires a driving licence of categories C or D.
If you obtained your driving licence prior to 10 September 2008 (bus) or 10 September 2009 (lorry), you do not have to demonstrate initial qualification (‘vested rights’).
At the same time, training as a professional driver is recognised as an initial qualification for passenger and road freight transport. Training as a driving operations specialist () is only recognised as an initial qualification for passenger transport; training as a road maintenance worker () and as a member of the plant fire brigade () is only recognised for road freight transport.
The initial qualification examination includes a theoretical examination and a practical examination.
You are not required to attend a preparatory course to take the examination.
Nor is a driving licence required at the time the examination is taken.
If you have evidence of expertise in a particular field in accordance with the regulations on access to occupations in the road haulage and passenger transport sector (GBZugV and PBZugV), simplifications are provided in the theoretical portions of the examination. You must, however, take the practical examination in its entirety.
The type of examination administered varies depending on the requirements that apply:
- Regular examination: ‘Initial qualification’
You must take the regular examination if you are unable to provide proof of an examination of expertise in road freight transport or passenger transport (‘transport manager examination’) for the relevant type of transport, or if you have not taken an examination for the (accelerated) initial qualification for the other type of transport.
2. Examination for drivers changing vehicle types: ‘Initial qualification’
You can take the examination for drivers changing vehicle types if you have successfully passed the examination for the respective other vehicle type. Accordingly, in the training course offering accelerated initial qualification of drivers changing vehicle types, only the specific characteristics of the type of transport are addressed. The future bus driver, for example, will be taught how to behave with regard to passengers, as this was not part of his first initial qualification in road freight transport.
This also applies to drivers who have obtained the driving licence for the other type of transport prior to the relevant reference date (vested rights).
3. Examination for career changers: ‘Initial qualification’
You can take the examination for career changers if you have valid demonstration of an examination of expertise for the type of transport for which the examination is to be taken. As the examination of expertise does not test for all of the knowledge a driver must have, as the holder of a certificate of expertise, you must also acquire the initial qualification.