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Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Irish Examiner
Hauliers accuse RSA 'of moving deck chairs around Titanic' by switching truck driving testers to car test centres
Road hauliers have accused the Road Safety Authority of 'robbing Peter to pay Paul', claiming it has massaged driving test figures by moving bus and truck testers to car testing to reduce wait times. The Irish Road Haulage Association said the RSA had diverted testing resources from commercial testing into car testing under 'intense political pressure', and it comes at a time when the haulage sector is desperately short on drivers. 'Young Irish drivers who need a license to drive a bus, truck or HGV cannot get licenses because the RSA have all but stopped commercial testing to focus on car testing,' the hauliers group president Ger Hyland said. 'They have pulled the wool over this Government's eyes and instead of dealing with the high demand for testing, they decided to simply move the deck chairs around the Titanic.' During the summer, the RSA has been ramping up its efforts to reduce waiting times for drivers hoping to sit their test, with times of well over six months being reported in some centres earlier this year. This has included dozens of additional testers and the extension of operating hours. Last week, the RSA said the average waiting time for a driving test had reduced to 14.4 weeks from a peak of 27 weeks at the end of April. It said it remained on course to bring average waiting times down to 10 weeks by September. However, hauliers pointed to CSO data which shows a sharp increase in the number of applicants waiting for an articulated truck licence test in recent months, compared to a decrease in the numbers waiting for a car driving test. Furthermore, there was a fall in the number of tests scheduled for category C truck licences compared to an increase for car licence tests. Mr Hyland said: 'One HGV driving instructor in Kerry told us that he didn't have a scheduled commercial driving test in the Tralee centre since May and wasn't expecting one until at least August. He told of the devastating impact this was having on his business and how he had young drivers waiting since January for a commercial driving test to try and get a job. Mr Hyland said his organisation had written to transport ministers Darragh O'Brien and Sean Canney on the issue, giving them a two-week deadline to come back with sustainable proposals to improve driving test wait times in their sector. 'These are the drivers we need to bring tourists around, deliver goods and keep our economy running,' he added. In a statement, the RSA said it was 'fully committed' to delivering fair and timely access to driving tests for all categories. It said 'record levels' of truck and bus tests were delivered in May in preparation of the release of 'our experienced staff from the service to support the training of our new recruits'. 'This resulted in a reduction of testing staff to support the higher licence categories during the training period in June and July,' the RSA said. 'This short-term adjustment is already delivering improvements in overall capacity. Once the new testers are fully deployed from early September, waiting times for all licence categories — including commercial — will stabilise and meet service-level agreements.' It added the 2,738 people awaiting a truck or driving test at the end of June would be issued an invitation in the coming weeks.


The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
‘Significant increase' in truck & bus driving test wait times as hauliers accuse RSA of ‘massaging' driver test figures
MORE than a thousand people are waiting to sit their truck and bus driving test according to shock new claims. The Irish Road Haulage Association has accused the Advertisement 2 The RSA has been accused of "massaging" the driving test wait times figures Credit: RSA 2 The waiting times for commercial tests have increased in recent months Credit: Getty Images - Getty The hauliers revealed this was done to reduce the waiting times for car driving tests, while the waiting times for commercial As a result, the waiting lists for car tests fell by 10 per cent between April and June. This has led to a "significant increase" in the waiting times for According to figures provided by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the number of applicants waiting for an articulated truck test rose by 39.6 per cent. Advertisement READ MORE ON RSA And those waiting for a category C truck test increased by 42 per cent, going from 907 people to 1,289 people waiting for the tests. It has also caused a backlog in the testing of bus drivers, describing it as "a crisis in the making for the The figures also show a 12.6 per cent decrease in driving test applications for category C truck licences between April and June 2025. And the applications for category CE articulated truck tests dropped by 8.5 per cent. Advertisement Most read in Motors Additionally, the stats indicate that between April and June 2025, the number of applicants scheduled for driving tests for cars and light vans rose by 49.2 per cent, from 15,287 to 22,810 scheduled tests. And the number of scheduled tests for articulated trucks decreased by 69 per cent from 242 scheduled tests in April 2025 to merely 75 scheduled tests in June 2025. I'm an Irish driving instructor and here is why your friends are failing the test The number of scheduled tests for category C trucks decreased by 61.8 per cent from 356 to 136 tests planned during the same period. The association made their claims in separate letters to Minister for Transport Advertisement They both have a deadline to return in two weeks with "sustainable proposals to improve driving test wait times". Ger Hyland claims that the RSA's actions are hindering He said: "Young Irish drivers who need a license to drive a "They have pulled the wool over this governments eyes and instead of dealing with the high demand for testing, they decided to simply move the deck chairs around the Advertisement 'DEVASTATING IMPACT' Hyland added: "Driving school owners are telling us that commercial driving license testing in Ireland has all but stopped over the last 2 months. That means no new bus drivers, truck drivers, HGV drivers. "We have young Irish people who want to drive for a living but cannot get a license so we are forced to bring in drivers from "One HGV driving instructor in "He told of the devastating impact this was having on his business and how he had young drivers waiting since January for a commercial driving test to try and get a job." Advertisement 'CLEARLY NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE' He continued: "The RSA know that the car testing figures are what will garner more media and political focus. "That is why they moved their resources there, at the expense of the commercial driving sector. "They just moved the driving test crisis from cars to commercial vehicles, leading to severe backlogs in the testing system for bus, HGV and truck drivers. "These are the drivers we need to bring tourists around, deliver goods and keep our Advertisement "The RSA have learned nothing in the past 6 months and have demonstrated that their organisation is clearly not fit for purpose."

The Journal
3 days ago
- Automotive
- The Journal
Irish hauliers accuse the RSA of ‘massaging' driving test wait times
LAST UPDATE | 35 mins ago THE IRISH ROAD HAULAGE Association (IRHA) has accused the RSA of 'massaging' figures for waiting lists for driving tests for cars by moving testing away from buses and trucks. Last week, the RSA reported a 'significant drop' in driving test wait times. It said that as of 12 July, the average national waiting time to receive a driving test invitation has dropped to 14.4 weeks, surpassing the RSA's mid-July target of 18 weeks by 20%. The RSA added that this marked a further improvement from the 16.3 weeks recorded two weeks previous , and a 'dramatic' reduction from the peak of 27 weeks at the end of April. The RSA also said it 'remains firmly on course to achieve its long-term goal of bringing average waiting times down to 10 weeks by September'. A spokesperson said the progress was due to a 'series of targeted measures to expand capacity and streamline operations', such as additional testers and planned new testing centres in Drogheda and Sandyford which are due to become operational by September. However, the IRHA today claimed that that RSA is achieving this reduction in waiting times by 'moving testers from articulated truck, bus and truck testing to car testing'. The IRHA added that waiting times have reduced for car driving tests but have 'increased exponentially for commercial driving tests'. It said that between April and June, there's been a 42% increase in wait times for trucks (42%) and a 40% increase for articulated trucks. The IRHA also pointed to a 'backlog in the testing of bus drivers' and said that this is a 'crisis in the making for the commercial driving industry'. Ger Hyland, president of the IRHA, claimed that the RSA decided to move testers away from buses and truck and towards cars due to 'intense political pressure'. Hyland described it as 'effectively robbing Peter to pay Paul at a time when the haulage sector is desperately short on drivers'. 'Young Irish drivers who need a license to drive a bus, truck or HGV cannot get licenses because the RSA have all but stopped commercial testing to focus on car testing,' said Hyland. Advertisement 'They have pulled the wool over this government's eyes and instead of dealing with the high demand for testing, they decided to simply move the deck chairs around the Titanic.' He added that some companies are 'forced to bring in drivers from South Africa instead whilst young Irish people are forced to move abroad and drive there'. 'The RSA know that the car testing figures are what will garner more media and political focus,' said Hyland. 'That is why they moved their resources there, at the expense of the commercial driving sector – they just moved the driving test crisis from cars to commercial vehicles, leading to severe backlogs in the testing system for bus, HGV and truck drivers. 'These are the drivers we need to bring tourists around, deliver goods and keep our economy running.' Hyland went on to say that the RSA is 'clearly not fit for purpose' and called for it to be removed from the driver testing system 'before any more damage to the Irish economy is done'. In a statement to The Journal , the RSA said it is 'fully committed to delivering fair and timely access to driving tests across all licence categories'. A spokesperson said that in May, it delivered 'record levels of Category C and D (truck and bus) tests in preparation for the release of our experienced staff from the service to support the training of our new recruits'. The spokesperson said this resulted in a reduction of testing staff to support the higher licence categories during June and July. 'This short-term adjustment is already delivering improvements in overall capacity,' said the RSA. 'Once the new testers are fully deployed from early September, waiting times for all licence categories — including commercial — will stabilise and meet service-level agreements.' The RSA said that at the end of June, 2,738 people were awaiting a truck or bus driving test. It added that these individuals will be issued with an invitation in the coming weeks and that the RSA expects to exceed testing for the higher categories in 2025 when compared to last year. The RSA added: 'We note in recent months, the IRHA expressed concern about long waiting times for car driving tests, warning of the 'safety risks' that delays were contributing to potentially more unaccompanied learner drivers sharing the road with professional HGV drivers. 'Addressing that issue has been a national priority.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal


RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Automotive
- RTÉ News
Hauliers accuse RSA of 'massaging' driver testing figures
The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) has accused the Road Safety Authority (RSA) of "massaging" driver testing figures by moving testers from one category to another. It accused the RSA of moving testers from articulated truck, bus and truck tests to car tests in order to reduce wait times for car driving tests, adding that waiting times for commercial driving tests have increased "exponentially". Hauliers have said that this has caused the waiting lists for driving tests for a car to fall by 10% between April and June but has led to a "significant increase" in the wait times for truck (42%) and articulated truck (40%) tests during the same period. The association has described it as a "crisis in the making" for the commercial driving industry. IRHA president Ger Hyland said young Irish drivers who need a license to drive a bus, truck or HGV "cannot get licenses" because the RSA "have all but stopped commercial testing to focus on car testing." He claimed that driving school owners have said commercial driving license testing in Ireland has all but stopped over the last two months. "That means no new bus drivers, truck drivers, HGV drivers," he said. Mr Hyland claimed the actions of the RSA are "stifling economic growth in rural Ireland by delaying the qualification of suitably qualified professional drivers who are desperately needed to support small and medium sized businesses across the country." Number of applicants waiting for tests increased According to figures provided by the Central Statistics Office to the association, there was a 27% increase in the number of driving test applicants waiting at month end for a test between June 2024 and June 2025. Between April and June this year, the RSA recorded a 10% drop in the number of driving test applicants. However, the number of applicants waiting for an articulated truck license test between April and June 2025 rose by 39.6%. The number of applicants waiting at month end for a category C truck license driving test rose by 42% between April and June 2025, going from 907 to 1289 people. The figures show a decrease in new driving test applications for category C truck licenses of 12.6% between April and June 2025. It also recorded an 8.5% decrease for new category CE articulated truck tests between April and June 2025. The CSO figures also show that the 'driving test applicants scheduled' for cars/light vans between April and June 2025 increased by 49.2% from 15,287 tests to 22,810 scheduled tests. The number of scheduled tests for category C trucks fell by 61.8% from 356 to 136, while those for articulated trucks (CE license) fell by 69% from 242 tests scheduled in April 2025 to 75 tests in June. IRHA call on Govt to remove testing from RSA Mr Hyland claimed these figures coincide with a period where Minister of State Séan Canney met with the RSA leadership in the Department of Transport, giving a deadline to the RSA to return in two weeks with "sustainable proposals to improve driving test wait times". The IRHA has called on Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien to remove the driver testing system from the RSA "before any more damage to the Irish economy is done". "The RSA know that the car testing figures are what will garner more media and political focus. That is why they moved their resources there, at the expense of the commercial driving sector. "They just moved the driving test crisis from cars to commercial vehicles, leading to severe backlogs in the testing system for bus, HGV and truck drivers," he said. "These are the drivers we need to bring tourists around, deliver goods and keep our economy running. The RSA have learned nothing in the past six months and have demonstrated that their organisation is clearly not fit for purpose."

Finextra
15-07-2025
- Business
- Finextra
Solving modern KYC challenges
0 This content has been created by the Finextra editorial team with inputs from subject matter experts at the funding sponsor. In today's digital age, banking is expected to be seamless, frictionless, and to make it plain and simple: easy. However, with a constantly shifting regulatory landscape, increased demand for hyper-personalisation and desire to be digital – financial institutions have obstacles to overcome to keep up with consumer demand. A pain point in the digital-first agenda is the know your customer (KYC) process, which frequently requires manual, in-person visits to the bank that can complicate and frustrate the onboarding experience. Two out of three consumers today expect a fully digital onboarding experience. Recent research finds that 67% of banks have lost clients due to slow and inefficient client onboarding and KYC, and the annual cost of performing KYC reviews can range between $60 million and $175 million, depending on the type of bank. Arsalan Minhas, AVP of solution consulting organisation at Hyland for EMEA and APAC regions, spoke with Finextra on how to find solutions for modern KYC challenges, and where AI can be implemented in the onboarding process to improve overall customer experience and retention. What are the challenges in onboarding and KYC? Minhas outlined three key challenges that traditional financial institutions are facing when managing customer expectations in the current digital era of banking: Lengthy and ambiguous processes Poor functioning technology Regulatory complexity due to evolving KYC regulations Going into further detail, Minhas cited that 68% of modern-day consumers expect a 100% digital onboarding process, which traditional banks are struggling to meet. Additionally, issues with biometric ID verification or document uploads — especially on mobile devices — are common pain points. Minhas stated that neobanks are quickly filling in the gaps where traditional banks are falling short, stating that 'tech-first companies are leveraging advanced analytics to deliver hyper-personalised experiences' such as timely real-time notifications on transactions, tailored financial advice, and automated savings tools. 'If you look at these neobanks, they are providing frictionless onboarding and instant access. Opening an account can be completed in minutes, entirely online, with minimal documentation, which is in stark contrast to lending, paper-heavy processes still common in the traditional banking world,' Minhas said. The mobile-first and fully digital experiences offered by neobanks align with the needs of younger generations. Minhas noted that another area where neobanks surpass their traditional predecessors is in serving the underserved, the populations overlooked by traditional banks that are often in remote or lower-income communities. 'Finding the right balance between security and experience is an important thing,' Minhas said. 'While robust KYC is essential to prevent financial crime, the need to collect and verify extensive personal information can feel intrusive to a lot of customers. If you combine that with the regulations like GDPR and others, it becomes even more complex.' He added that 53% of consumers expect their providers to use their data to personalise their customer journey, and traditional banks must ensure that they are utilising data to its greatest potential. How can KYC processes be refined to enhance the customer onboarding journey? The digitisation of KYC processes though electronic KYC (eKYC) and perpetual KYC have modernised the onboarding experience. Perpetual KYC ensures that customer identities do not become outdated by regularly monitoring and updating customer data. In enabling onboarding through online platforms or banking apps, eKYC increases customer satisfaction and maintains trust without sacrificing convenience for the customer. Minhas stated that automated KYC can cut onboarding times by up to 80%, and effective onboarding can increase customer retention by 50%. 'By integrating and automating data collection through onboarding and KYC, banks and financial services institutes can prepopulate customer profiles, reducing redundant requests and friction. This enables a single view of the customer and allows hyper-personalised product recommendations, timely communication, and tailored support throughout the customer life cycle,' Minhas said. In order to refine their KYC processes, Minhas emphasised that banks must leverage technology and evaluate their current systems to identify problem areas. Advocating for a phased approach as opposed to the 'rip and replace' model, Minhas stated that incumbents should outline key problem areas that need to be addressed and zero in on improving those to avoid disrupting existing operations. '[Banks] have to evaluate their legacy systems to really understand if they are fit for the modern-day world. They need to identify the inefficiencies, risk and the data silos, and then set clear goals. What would they like to prioritise? Is it speed in terms of onboarding and servicing a customer, or is it about reducing the cost? In commercial banking still, onboarding costs around USD $30,000 per customer, which is something neobanks are able to reduce significantly.' How can FIs balance compliance with customer experience? Minhas highlighted that automating compliance is essential to keep up with regulatory guidelines. Building compliance into daily processes by aligning it with the requirements of GDPR and AML, for example, can make compliance easier and more efficient. Minhas said applying AI on both structured and unstructured data will be key to the future of KYC: 'According to the research, 80-90% of financial services data is unstructured, yet only 18% of the banks or institutes are effectively using it. That tells you that there's a huge demand for improvement and to get better.' Touching on the emergence of 'zero-trust architecture' Minhas said data access must have the highest level of security to minimise the risk of a breach, and enhanced due diligence (EDD) can be automated using AI to ensure security for higher-risk customers. Giving an example, Minhas said that in Spain, 'BBVA is using AI to trigger additional checks only when the anomalies arise. When it is a normal case where you don't expect an anomaly, it is completely automated, and when it meets some specific conditions or criteria about suspicion or a fraud, then AI is used to conduct an automatic investigation.' He concluded that financial institutions need to 'adopt a strategic blend of technology, process redesign and customer-centric innovation' to keep up with the pace of the industry. Looking forward, there is no one right way to innovate, but innovation is essential. To learn more about improving the customer journey, read the Finextra impact study in association with Hyland here.