Tractor driver's licenses will start changing on September 1st

On Tuesday, August 28, the government approved the procedure for obtaining and renewing tractor driver's licenses, as well as for issuing, exchanging, renewing and destroying tractor driver's licenses, prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture. The regulations were prepared in response to a proposal from farmers and foresters to simplify the process of obtaining a tractor driver's license, thereby also reducing the costs of obtaining a driver's license.

Compared to the current rules (“Procedures for obtaining and renewing tractor driver’s licenses, as well as for issuing, exchanging, renewing and destroying tractor driver’s licenses”), the new regulations will allow a person to acquire theoretical knowledge and driving skills of tractor equipment through self-study, or – as before – to study with a merchant or educational institution that has received a tractor equipment training card. If a person does not have any of the tractor equipment category driver's licenses, they will be able to obtain the TR1 category through self-study. In turn, a person who has already held one of the tractor equipment category driver's licenses for at least 12 months will be able to obtain the TR2, TR3 or TR4 categories through self-study.

The Road Traffic Regulations (CSN) exam will have to be taken when obtaining the first tractor category driving license. If the applicant has one of the tractor category driving licenses, then the CSN exam does not have to be taken again.

The CSN exam will not be required to be taken when obtaining a tractor driver's license even if the person already has the right to drive vehicles corresponding to category C1 or C. Such a norm is possible because tractors, by their nature and design, are more comparable to trucks in situations when beacons must be used, cargo must be loaded, when there are weight restrictions, and in other specific situations.

From now on, the theoretical exam will be taken electronically in the form of a test and will consist of two parts: CSN questions and tractor operation safety questions.

The regulations also regulate which tractor equipment you will have to take the driving test with to obtain a specific category. The driving test will be taken with the most widely used tractor equipment in a specific category, for example, in categories TR1 and TR2 – with a tractor and trailer, in category TR3 – a harvester or forwarder, and in category TR4 – with a roller.

There will also be additional requirements for the driving test. Since a new figure – a trailer or overpass – will be included in the curriculum, this figure will have to be completed in the test for TR3 and TR4 categories.

In order for a person to learn to drive a vehicle, they must have a driving learner permit in accordance with Section 22, Part 6 of the Road Traffic Law, if the person does not already have a vehicle or tractor driving licence. Until now, such a permit has not been issued, as the regulatory enactment did not provide for it, but in the future, tractor driving learner permits will be issued, renewed and exchanged by the State Technical Supervision Agency (VTUA).

The new regulations also determine the situations in which and the procedure for destroying a tractor driver's license, as well as the procedure for renewing, exchanging, and replacing licenses - including those issued abroad.

The regulations provide that on September 1, 2018, the VTUA will begin issuing (changing) new tractor driving licenses (fee 13.60 euros). The currently valid tractor categories will be equated to the new categories according to the following scheme:

The regulations also provide for a transitional period for taking exams. If a person has started training in a training group registered before September 1, 2018, then the training can continue and complete in accordance with the procedure that was in force at the time of starting training, or switch to the new training procedure. In turn, the person can choose the procedure according to which to take the agency exams. There are two options: to take the exams in accordance with the procedure that was in force until August 31, 2018, or to take the exams in accordance with the new procedure that comes into force on September 1, 2018.

Rules “Procedures for obtaining and renewing tractor driver’s licenses, as well as for issuing, exchanging, renewing and destroying tractor driver’s licenses” shall enter into force upon their publication in the Official Gazette "Latvian Gazette".

Source: Ministry of Agriculture