It is a common misconception among many. Again and again, one can hear in internet forums or in conversations with colleagues: We are now EU Professional Truck Drivers.
If one then asks more precisely what this profession actually is, many wrongly believe that they are now Professional Truck Drivers under § 4 Abs. 1 Satz 2 BkrFQG , because they either completed the accelerated basic qualification or completed the 35-hour further education. Especially since there are also driving school instructors who spread such rumors.
However, one has to say unfortunately that the worker with a driver’s license here has only received a new designation: EU Professional Truck Driver. Even though one now has to take a small IHK exam.
In fact, the above-mentioned paragraph clearly states that only the person who has completed an apprenticeship in the apprenticeship trades “Professional Truck Driver/Professional Truck Driveress” or “Specialist in the Driving Operation” or a state-recognized apprenticeship trade, in which comparable skills and knowledge for conducting trips with motor vehicles on public roads are taught, is considered a Professional Truck Driver.
One must not assume that obtaining the accelerated basic qualification under § 4 Abs. 2 BKrFQG grants the status of a Professional Truck Driver / Professional Truck Driveress. It is true that with the introduction of the aforementioned law, the worker with a driver’s license no longer exists, but it is wrong to believe and claim that one is now a Professional Truck Driver. This is also claimed by many training institutions that offer the 3.5-hour further education. During one of my modules, I could hear the “trainer” say that he only sees Professional Truck Drivers in the room, since the worker with a driver’s license no longer exists. Such half-truths can quickly backfire for the involved parties, for example, when truck drivers and truck driveresses try to claim the same rights as a trained Professional Truck Driver through the trade unions. All those who only completed the accelerated basic qualification or also obtained the 35-hour further education due to their existing entitlement (Class C1, C1E, C, CE before 09.09.2010) are trained professionals with a driver’s license. A Professional Truck Driver is then the trained professional with a driver’s license.
