This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations .(April 2009) |
In the United Kingdom, driving examiners are civil servants employed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) in Great Britain and by the Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) in Northern Ireland for the purpose of conducting the practical element of driving tests.
Outside the military, haulage and private bus companies who employ delegated examiners who test their own drivers, driving examiners are the only people who are authorised to conduct driving tests and issue the certificate required for obtaining a full driving licence in the UK. Driving examiners do not conduct the theory tests as these take place in an office environment, supervised by administrative staff.
There are over 1,600 driving examiners in the UK, working at over 400 test centres.
Driving examiners may be full or part-time, conducting anything from 35 tests a week (full-time) down to 14 tests a week (the current part-time minimum). Overtime is available when there is demand, which is more or less constant in all but the quietest of locations.
Not counting trainees, there are three job roles associated with the Operational Delivery of Driving Tests - Driving Examiner (DE), Local Driving Test Manager (LDTM) and Operational Delivery Manager (ODM). Test centres are grouped into sectors with each sector headed by a LDTM, with the ODM heading a large geographical area of test centres.
Mark Winn is currently appointed as the Chief Driving Examiner for the whole country, although the Chief Driving Examiner is not the head of the DVSA with several layers of non-examiner management and executive staff additionally employed.
All driving examiners start as (only) car examiners, since car tests represent by far and away the highest demand.
The most common additional vehicle tested for is the tractor. Category F testing can be done with a standard licence holder as it is a given entitlement when passing a car test. Large Goods Vehicle testing is a close second due to operational demands. The current motorcycle test involves off-road testing so candidates normally have to go to a purpose built testing centre (this is under review). The DVSA certifies examiners for every vehicle that a licence can be issued, however, so examiners exist to cover everything from the moped to tracked vehicles.
Beyond what are known as the "L" tests (ordinary driving tests for any given vehicle), driving examiners also conduct various special tests including the extended driving test for banned drivers to re-qualify, and disability tests for candidates requiring vehicle adaptations. The extended test required for prospective examiners is usually undertaken by LDTM's and very experienced examiners. An ADI standards team, normally consisting of former driving examiners, undertake various tests required for Approved Driving Instructors to qualify as such.
The DVSA recruits driving examiners by national campaign as and when it needs more. [1]
A prospective driving examiner must have held a full car licence for more than four years with no more than three penalty points on it at the time of application. If the candidate is successful at the application form stage, he/she will be asked to take an online situational judgement test; if successful here, he/she will be invited for a Role Play Assessment at a regional training centre. If the candidate passes this, he/she will then be invited to take a driving assessment. The driving assessment involves a drive over a specially chosen route of about 20 to 25 miles. It will usually involve both urban and rural areas and will include driving on a dual carriageway and motorway (if within local area). Candidates are expected to drive at a speed consistent with the road and traffic conditions. Assessment drives are graded bronze-silver-gold.
If the candidate passes and if there is a vacant post in a location at which he/she is able to work, then only at this stage will he/she be employed. The new examiner spends one day at the test centre at which he/she will be employed, then four to six weeks at one of the regional training centres, which are located around the country. This used to be within the DVSA's former training and development centre in Cardington. As part of the training course, the candidate is expected to retake the theory and hazard perception tests. These are the same as the 'L' tests but with higher scores needed to pass. After passing the course the candidate will be appointed as a DE and assigned to a test centre. A 6 month probation period then applies wherein the candidate must maintain a certain standard.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is the organisation of the British government responsible for maintaining a database of drivers in Great Britain and a database of vehicles for the entire United Kingdom. Its counterpart for drivers in Northern Ireland is the Driver and Vehicle Agency. The agency issues driving licences, organises collection of vehicle excise duty and sells personalised registrations.
The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) was an executive agency of the UK Department for Transport (DfT).
A commercial driver's license (CDL) is a driver's license required in the United States to operate large and heavy vehicles or a vehicle of any size that transports hazardous materials or more than 15 passengers.
The MOT test is an annual test of vehicle safety, roadworthiness aspects and exhaust emissions required in the United Kingdom for most vehicles over three years old. In Northern Ireland the equivalent requirement applies after four years. The requirement does not apply to vehicles used only on various small islands with no convenient connection "to a road in any part of Great Britain"; no similar exemption is listed at the beginning of 2014 for Northern Ireland, which has a single inhabited island, Rathlin. The MOT test was first introduced in 1960 as a few basic tests of a vehicle and now covers twenty different parts or systems on or in the vehicle.
IAM RoadSmart, formerly called the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), is a charity based in the United Kingdom, whose objective is to improve car driving standards, motorcycle riding standards, and enhance road safety by using the British police's system of car and motorcycle control. The System was devised in 1937 by racing driver Mark Everard Pepys, 6th Earl of Cottenham, to reduce accidents in police pursuits.
Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) was an executive agency granted trading fund status in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Transport of the United Kingdom Government.
Graduated driver licensing systems (GDLS) are designed to provide new drivers of motor vehicles with driving experience and skills gradually over time in low-risk environments. There are typically three steps or stages through which new drivers pass. They begin by acquiring a learner's permit, progress to a restricted, probationary or provisional license, followed by receipt of a full driver's license. Graduated drivers' licensing generally restricts nighttime, expressway, and unsupervised driving during initial stages, but lifts these restrictions with time and further testing of the individual, eventually concluding with the individual attaining a full driver's license.
Driver's education, driver education, driving education, driver's training, driver's ed, driving tuition or driving lessons is a formal class or program that prepares a new driver to obtain a learner's permit or driver's license. The formal class program may also prepare existing license holders for an overseas license conversion or medical assessment driving test or refresher course. It may take place in a classroom, in a vehicle, online, or a combination of the above. Topics of instruction include traffic code or laws and vehicle operation. Typically, instruction will warn of dangerous conditions in driving such as road conditions, driver impairments, and hazardous weather. Instructional videos may also be shown, demonstrating proper driving strategies and the consequences for not observing the rules.
A driver's permit, learner's permit, learner's license or provisional license is a restricted license that is given to a person who is learning to drive, but has not yet satisfied the prerequisite to obtain a driver's license. Having a learner's permit for a certain length of time is usually one of the requirements for applying for a full driver's license. To get a learner's permit, one must typically pass a written permit test, take a basic competency test in the vehicle, or both.
Pass Plus Scheme commonly referred to as Pass Plus is a scheme run in the United Kingdom aimed at new drivers who have recently passed the standard driving test, which helps to give drivers the confidence to drive on their own and to increase experience on the road.
Approved Driving Instructor is a UK term for a trainer of car driving who has been tested and registered by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). UK law requires driving instructors to be qualified before they can charge for their services.
The Driver and Vehicle Agency is a government agency of the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. The agency is responsible for conducting vehicle testing, driver testing and the issuance of driving licences.
The United Kingdom driving test is a test of competence that UK residents take in order to obtain a full Great Britain or Northern Ireland (car) driving licence or to add additional full entitlements to an existing one. Tests vary depending on the class of vehicle to be driven. In Great Britain it is administered by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and in Northern Ireland by the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA).
In Canada, driver's licences are issued by the government of the province or territory in which the driver is residing. Thus, specific regulations relating to driver's licences vary province to province, though overall they are quite similar. All provinces have provisions allowing non-residents to use licences issued by other provinces and territories, out-of-country licences, and International Driving Permits. Many provinces also allow non-residents to use regular licences issued by other nations and countries. Canadian driver's licences are also valid in many other countries due to various international agreements and treaties.
The New Zealand driver licence system is a graduated system that has been in place since 1988. It consists of three phases for a car licence, each with varying levels of conditions.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) of Ghana is the government agency responsible for the licensing and evaluation of drivers and cars in Ghana.
Driving licence in Thailand is a document that allows the holder to drive on any roads in the Kingdom of Thailand. The minimum age to drive a motor vehicle is 18, and to drive a motorcycle is 15. Driving licence is issued and administered by the Department of Land Transport, Ministry of Transport and its branches, land transport offices across Thailand.
A driver's license, driving licence, or driving permit is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a public road. Such licenses are often plastic and the size of a credit card.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is an executive agency of the UK Department for Transport (DfT).
A Lebanese driving licence is a driving licence issued by the government of Lebanon. It authorises its holder to operate various types of motor vehicles on highways and some other publicly accessible roads. It is issued by each individual district.