How driver's license exchanges may be behind some traffic accidents

BarcelonaThere are increasingly more trucks on the AP-7 motorway, but the question is what kind of trucks they are and who is driving them. Sources within the Catalan government, consulted by ARA, indicate that in recent accidents on Catalonia's main motorway, as well as on other roads in the country, a pattern sometimes emerges that worries them: the driver at fault is a foreigner unfamiliar with local traffic and signage. Often, these accidents don't result in injuries, but they disrupt traffic and can cause delays. In the last five or six years, there have been almost 4,000 accidents on the AP-7 involving a truck, and 36% of these drivers were foreign nationals. However, these same sources have recently highlighted a trend: there is a growing presence of drivers from outside the European Union who obtained their licenses in Spain through a license exchange program. Since 2019, the number of drivers from North Africa involved in accidents has doubled (from 31 to 65). The number of drivers coming from South America has increased from 42 to 77, and those from North America from 4 to 15. This effect has been particularly noticeable since last year. The same sources warn that these are not necessarily more reckless drivers, but rather drivers who are not as accustomed to driving within the European Union. Josep Lluís Ayma, director of the Tarragona Provincial Federation of Motor Transport Companies (FEAT), agrees, stating that they have a different driving style and "sometimes cause problems." The root cause lies in license exchanges. If someone from outside the European Union wants to drive a truck in Spain and already has a license to do so in their country of origin, they must request an exchange from the DGT (Spanish Directorate General of Traffic), which has agreements with various countries. First, it's necessary to obtain a professional certificate, which is achieved after 35 hours of training for experienced drivers—those who have held a license since 2009—and 180 hours for younger drivers.

The worrying time gap

But it doesn't end there: the license exchange is only granted after the DGT (Spanish Directorate General of Traffic) examines you, and they can do so up to six months in advance. Until then, drivers can drive, and that's where the problem has been identified: many are driving on roads different from their own country's with only 35 hours of training. Now, they warn, new European regulations have increased this waiting period to a year.

The license exchange is a completely legal procedure, but sources from the Generalitat (Catalan government) warn that this waiting period is behind some incidents. Behind this, they add, there is often job insecurity and companies pressuring truck drivers to carry heavier loads or complete them in less time. In fact, it's increasingly common to see two truck drivers in one cab so they don't have to stop to rest and can take turns.

This isn't the only problem identified behind the increase in truck-related incidents. Several sources consulted by ARA lament that Spain's truck fleet is one of the oldest in Europe. The average age is currently 15.14 years, while the European average is a year lower. Recently, there have been several truck incidents, mainly breakdowns, which have also hampered traffic in Catalonia. In fact, this week a truck lost a wheel on the A-2 highway near Abrera and crashed into nine cars. This week there have also been two serious accidents in the Terres de l'Ebre region, one of them fatal. In both cases, the drivers were from outside the European Union, according to ARA. Another factor contributing to the accident rate, according to the same government sources, is the increasing number of younger, and therefore less experienced, drivers operating heavy vehicles. This phenomenon is expected to increase even further in the coming months, as the European Parliament recently gave final approval to the legal reform that will allow truck driving licenses to be obtained from the age of 18. The aim, according to the EU, is to mitigate the shortage of professional drivers in the transport sector.