New EU driving licence rules: truck licence at 18, digital licence and when they apply
The EU driving licence directive, Directive (EU) 2025/2205, keeps trucks at 18 with a full CPC and applies from 2029-11-26.
Logifie Team
Logistics Technology Experts
The EU driving licence directive for trucks, Directive (EU) 2025/2205, leaves the minimum age for categories C and CE with a full certificate of professional competence (CPC) at 18, as it has been since Directive (EU) 2018/645 . The new directive adds an optional accompanied truck licence at 17, a mobile licence as the default format and a fresh timeline. Reform backers such as the road transport association IRU point to a sector with more than half a million unfilled driver positions (IRU, 2025-10-22). This guide separates what is already law, what is new and optional, and what is new and mandatory, with the dates for each.
What does the EU driving licence directive change for truck drivers?
For truck drivers, the directive changes four things: it adds an optional accompanied licence at 17, makes the mobile licence the default format, sets new dates, and tightens rules for new licence holders. Most other truck rules stay where they are. The table below compares the main items, using the text of Directive (EU) 2025/2205 on EUR-Lex .
| Item | Rule today | Rule under Directive (EU) 2025/2205 | Applies from |
|---|---|---|---|
| C1 and C1E minimum age | 18 | 18 (Art 7(1)(b)) | Unchanged |
| C and CE minimum age without full CPC | 21 | 21 (Art 7(1)(d)); the accelerated CPC under Art 6(2) also stays at 21 | Unchanged |
| C and CE minimum age with full CPC | 18 | 18 with a CPC under Art 6(1) of Directive (EU) 2022/2561 (Art 7(1)(e)) | Already applies since Directive (EU) 2018/645 |
| Accompanied driving at 17, trucks | Not available | Optional for C1, C1E and C, national territory only, CE excluded (Art 17(2)) | 2028-11-26, only where a Member State applies it |
| Accompanied driving at 17, cars | Not compared here | Mandatory for category B, code 98.02 (Art 17(1)) | 2028-11-26 |
| Licence format | Physical card | Mobile licence as default, physical card on request (Art 3(4)) | 54 months after the Commission adopts the implementing acts |
| Validity for trucks | Five years | Five years for C, CE, C1 and C1E (Art 10(2)(b)) | Unchanged in practice |
| Medical checks for trucks | Required | Required, no self-assessment option for trucks (Art 11) | Unchanged in practice |
| Probation for new drivers | Not compared here | At least two years after the test, with stricter drink-driving, drug-driving and seat-belt rules (Art 18); the text does not exclude truck categories | 2029-11-26 (general application date) |
| Physical licences compliant | Cards issued under Directive 2006/126/EC | All physical licences issued or in circulation must meet the new requirements (Art 4(4)) | 2033-01-19 |
Read the table as three layers. Some rows are already law, some are new and optional, and some are new and binding on every Member State. The sections below take each in turn.
Can you drive a truck at 18, and is that new?
Yes, you can drive a truck at 18 in the EU if you hold category C or CE together with a full CPC, and no, this is not new. The rule has applied since Directive (EU) 2018/645 amended the older licence directive. The 2025 text carries it forward in Article 7(1)(e), which allows 18 for C and CE "provided that the driver holds a certificate of professional competence" under Article 6(1) of Directive (EU) 2022/2561.
The CPC is the EU qualification for professional drivers. The full initial qualification under Article 6(1) is what unlocks 18. The accelerated route under Article 6(2) leaves C and CE at 21. Without any CPC, the minimum for C and CE is also 21, while C1 and C1E have a minimum age of 18 either way.
Some press coverage presented 18 as an outcome of the new directive. That framing is wrong, and it matters for anyone planning recruitment around it. Your country may already allow it, and the national detail differs, so check the minimum age to drive a truck across Europe and the difference between category C and C+E before you commit a trainee to a route.
Can a 17-year-old drive a truck under the EU driving licence directive?
A 17-year-old can drive a truck only where a Member State chooses to offer the option, only on that state's own territory, and only with an adult beside them. Article 17(2) says Member States may issue licences for categories C1, C1E or C from the age of 17 for driving on their respective territories. The applicant must hold a CPC awarded under Article 6(1) of Directive (EU) 2022/2561. The conditions are set out in the Official Journal text .
Four details settle most of the confusion.
- It is optional. Article 17(1) makes accompanied driving mandatory for cars (category B, code 98.02). The truck option in Article 17(2) is a national choice.
- CE is excluded. Articulated tractor and semi-trailer combinations are not part of the scheme. The licence covers C1, C1E and C only.
- Recognition is limited. These licences are mutually recognised only among the Member States that issue them. A driver from a state that applies the option cannot assume another state will accept the licence.
- An experienced adult must sit in the front. Under Article 17(3), the under-18 driver drives only when accompanied by a person in the front passenger seat who is at least 24 years old and has held the relevant category for more than five years.
Article 17(4) and (6) let Member States limit the number of accompanying persons and add their own conditions. The measures for Article 17 are due by 2028-11-26, and the article applies from that date.
Opinion is split. IRU welcomed accompanied professional truck driving from 17 and said the reform helps a sector short of drivers. The European Transport Workers' Federation (ETF) opposed it, and its headline reads "This is no longer a Road Safety Package: Council and EP give Green Light to 17-year-olds to Drive Trucks" .
What is the digital driving licence, and will truck drivers still need a card?
The mobile driving licence becomes the default format, but drivers keep the right to request a physical card. Article 3(4) requires Member States to issue mobile licences as the default from 54 months after the Commission adopts its first implementing acts. Article 5(7) sets the deadline for those acts at 2026-11-26.
The directive does not state a calendar date for the mobile default, so no single date is certain. If the Commission adopts the acts exactly on the 2026-11-26 deadline, 54 months later points to around mid-2031. That figure is an inference from the mechanism and is not stated in the law. The European Parliament Legislative Observatory summary mentions a uniform mobile licence by the end of 2030 , which shows how sources differ on timing.
Physical cards have their own deadline. Under Article 4(4), all physical licences issued or in circulation must meet the new requirements by 2033-01-19. For a driver, the practical reading is that a card will remain available.
How long is a truck licence valid, and what medical checks apply?
A truck licence stays valid for five years, and a medical examination is still required. Article 10(2)(b) sets five years for C, CE, C1, C1E and the bus categories, while car and motorcycle licences run for 15 years (10 if used as an identity document). Article 11(1) requires a medical examination for the heavy categories.
Self-assessment, which can replace a medical check for some categories, is not allowed for trucks. Article 11(3) limits it to AM, A, A1, A2, B, B1 and BE. The five-year cycle with medical checks for professional drivers is largely unchanged from current practice.
New drivers face a longer probation. Article 18 sets at least two years after the test, with stricter rules on drink-driving, drug-driving and seat-belt use. The text does not exclude truck categories, so fleet managers hiring recently qualified drivers should expect it to apply to them.
When does the EU driving licence directive apply for truck drivers, country by country?
The directive is already in force, but Member States have until 2028-11-26 to transpose it, and it applies from 2029-11-26. The European Commission confirmed entry into force on 2025-11-25 . As of 2026-11-05, no Member State has fully transposed it.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2025-11-05 | Official Journal publication |
| 2025-11-25 | Entry into force |
| 2026-11-26 | Commission implementing acts on the mobile licence due |
| 2027-11-26 | Transposition of the measures under Art 9(2)(j) and (k) |
| 2028-11-26 | General transposition deadline; Art 17 accompanied driving applies |
| 2029-11-26 | Directive applies; Directive 2006/126/EC repealed |
| Around mid-2031 (inferred) | Mobile licence becomes the default format |
| 2033-01-19 | All physical licences compliant |
What is happening in individual countries?
National positions on the 17-year-old truck option already differ.
- Spain: the traffic authority DGT set up a working group in April 2026. It describes the truck option as voluntary and domestic , and Spain does not plan to apply it.
- Austria: the Austrian Economic Chamber (WKO) says the C17 option needs national negotiation and would cover C, C1 and C1E, not CE .
- Italy: a public consultation on truck licences at 17 ran in August 2026. It is a consultation stage, not law, and we covered it in our note on the Italian consultation .
- Poland, Romania and Germany: no verified 2026 transposition step for trucks.
What is the companion directive on disqualifications?
Directive (EU) 2025/2206 is a companion text on cross-border driving disqualifications. Fixed-term disqualifications of at least three months, imposed in one Member State for drink-driving, drug-driving, speeding or offences causing death or serious injury, are notified to the state that issued the licence, which then applies them. It shares the transposition date of 2028-11-26 and the application date of 2029-11-26. The issuing state may decline a speeding-only disqualification below 50 km/h over the limit.
What stays the same for truck drivers?
The professional qualification rules do not move. The Driver CPC and Code 95 periodic training stay under Directive (EU) 2022/2561. The licence directive amends that text in Article 27, but nothing in the sources reviewed here describes a change to training content, so drivers should assume their existing Code 95 cycle continues.
The category ladder also stays. Licences for C, CE and the other heavy categories are issued only to drivers already entitled to drive category B. A 17-year-old accompanied truck licence, where a country offers it, still requires the CPC first, so it does not shortcut the qualification.
For employers, the practical effect is narrow in the short term. Nothing in the directive lets a company put a 17-year-old in a cab today. The costs of training also remain; our overview of what a category C licence costs in Europe covers the licence costs.
Frequently asked questions
Can I drive a truck at 18 in the EU?
Yes, if you hold category C or CE and a full CPC under Article 6(1) of Directive (EU) 2022/2561. This has applied since Directive (EU) 2018/645. Without a full CPC, the minimum for C and CE is 21, while C1 and C1E start at 18.
Can a 17-year-old drive a truck in the EU?
Only where a Member State applies the optional scheme in Article 17(2), which covers C1, C1E and C but not CE. The driver needs a CPC and must be accompanied by a person aged at least 24 who has held the category for more than five years. The licence is valid on that state's own territory and is recognised only by other states that issue it.
When does the new EU driving licence directive apply?
The directive entered into force on 2025-11-25. Member States must transpose it by 2028-11-26, and it applies from 2029-11-26. The mobile licence default comes later, 54 months after the Commission adopts its implementing acts, and physical licences must be compliant by 2033-01-19.
Will my current truck licence stay valid?
The directive requires all physical licences issued or in circulation to meet the new requirements by 2033-01-19. Check with your national licensing authority before relying on a specific expiry date. Truck licences remain valid for five years with a medical check.
Is the digital driving licence mandatory?
No. The mobile licence becomes the default format, but Article 3(4) lets holders request a physical card. No calendar date for the default is fixed in the law, because it depends on when the Commission adopts its implementing acts.
Does the new directive change Code 95?
No change to Code 95 periodic training is described in the sources reviewed for this guide. Driver CPC and Code 95 stay under Directive (EU) 2022/2561. Keep your existing training cycle and watch your national authority for any later update.
Does the 17 option work across borders?
Only in part. Licences issued under Article 17(2) are valid for driving on the issuing state's territory and are mutually recognised by Member States that also issue them. A driver cannot expect recognition in a country that has not adopted the option.
Plan around the dates that are certain: transposition on 2028-11-26 and application on 2029-11-26. The 17-year-old truck option remains a national decision to track. If you are weighing a driving career or hiring new drivers, see the Logifie careers page .
