Road freight industry group Transporting New Zealand is welcoming proposed changes to driver licensing rules, saying they will help encourage more young people to become truck drivers.
Transport Minister Chris Bishop says the changes would remove the need for new drivers to take a second practical test to get their full licence. Other proposed changes include toughening up alcohol restrictions and reducing the number of demerit points required before a driver can have their licence suspended.
Transporting New Zealand chief executive Dom Kalasih says that attracting more young drivers is critical for the future of the industry. A large proportion of truck drivers are older, with many of them over 60, and as they retire that will lead to a driver shortage, which in turn will hurt the economy. Other countries are also facing this issue.
In the recent 2025 National Road Freight Industry survey, conducted by Research New Zealand, almost all industry respondents ranked workforce challenges as one of the top issues facing the industry with 94 per cent of respondents agreeing that the industry needs to attract more young people. There was also general agreement the current heavy vehicle driver licensing system makes it too difficult for new entrants to join the road freight industry.
Kalasih says getting their class one licence is the essential first step for young drivers progressing on to more specialised heavy vehicle licences, but fewer young people have been getting their licences compared with recent decades. He supports any move that makes it easier for young people to get their licence.
However, Kalasih agrees with the Automobile Association that safety is the number one priority and that the details of the proposed changes must be carefully examined. He welcomes the road transport industry being involved in consultation before the changes are introduced in the middle of next year.
