Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Driving Licences

(asked on 15th September 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average processing time has been for an HGV driving licence application in 2021.


Answered by
Andrew Stephenson Portrait
Andrew Stephenson
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
This question was answered on 20th September 2021

The table below shows the average processing time for vocational (which includes HGV) driving licence applications.

Financial Year

Average days to issue a vocational driving licence

2018/19

3.33

2019/20

3.42

2020/21

6.71

2021/22 (to end of August)

16.80

Industrial action by the Public and Commercial Services union, a significantly reduced number of staff on site to ensure social distancing in line with Welsh Government requirements, as well as the increased demand for Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) services has led to the increased processing times in this financial year.

It is not possible to specify how many staff are working on applications for HGV licences as most DVLA operational roles require employees to carry out a range of tasks.

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