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Driving tests hit by month-long strike action

Published 15 December 2022

Driving examiners who are members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union have begun striking in a row over pay, pensions, jobs and redundancy terms
The strikes are affecting driving test centres in different parts of Great Britain at different times
You should go to your driving test appointment as planned if it’s on the date of strike action, unless DVSA contacts you to tell you not to go

Learner drivers who are due to take their practical driving test are facing widespread disruption as examiners have begun a month-long period of strikes.

The strikes are part of national industrial action by the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union over pay, pensions, jobs and redundancy terms, with workers at National Highways set to strike tomorrow (16 December 2022).

The driving examiner strikes are affecting driving test centres in different parts of Great Britain at different times.

Strikes are already underway in the north east of England and are set to last until Sunday 18 December.

L Plate (2)

This will be followed by strikes in the north west of England and Yorkshire and the Humber from 19 December to 24 December.

Examiners in the East of England, East Midlands, West Midlands and parts of London will go on strike Wednesday 28 December to Saturday 31 December, and Tuesday 3 January 2023, with the rest of London south east England, south west England and Wales striking from Wednesday 4 January to Tuesday 10 January.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), which is responsible for driving tests, said that not all examiners are PCS union members, and even if they are, they might choose not to go on strike.

However, it said that drivers can change their test to another date if they want to, provided they give at least three clear working days' notice. Otherwise, they will have to pay again.

DVSA Driving Test Certificate

It warned that bank holidays over Christmas and New Year might affect the last date a test can be changed.

The DVSA will automatically rebook a driving test if it cannot go ahead because of the strike action. Drivers should be sent the new details within five to 10 working days and are being advised that they do not need to contact DVSA. They will also be able to claim out-of-pocket expenses.

Drivers should go to their driving test appointment as planned if it’s on the date of strike action, unless DVSA contacts you to tell you not to go.

The strike action will not affect theory tests or if those drivers taking their driving test with a private test provider.

Which driving tests are affected by the strikes?

The DVSA said that the strike action might affect:

car driving tests
motorcycle tests
lorry, bus, coach and minibus driving tests (these are known as vocational tests)
tractor or specialist vehicle driving tests
approved driving instructor (ADI) part 2 (driving ability) or part 3 (instructional ability) tests
ADI standards checks
moped and motorcycle compulsory basic training (CBT) checks - but not the training courses themselves

The strike action will not affect theory tests.

Which driving test centres are affected by the strikes?

The PCS union has told DVSA the strike action will affect driving examiners employed at the driving test centres below. Tests might also be affected at other driving test centres that are not listed.

North east England and Scotland

These areas include these test centres:

Aberdeen North, Aberdeen South (Cove), Airdrie, Ayr, Bishopbriggs, Blyth, Darlington, Darlington LGV, Dumfries, Dundee, Durham, Edinburgh (Currie), Edinburgh (Musselburgh), Elgin, Gateshead, Glasgow (Anniesland), Glasgow (Baillieston), Glasgow (Shieldhall), Gosforth, Grangemouth, Greenock, Hamilton, Hartlepool, Inverness (Seafield Road), Irvine, Kilmarnock LGV, Kirkcaldy, Livingston, Middlesborough, Paisley, Perth (Arran Road), Peterhead, Stirling and Sunderland.

Tests at other driving test centres in these areas might also be affected.

North west England and Yorkshire and the Humber

These areas include these test centres:

Atherton (Manchester), Barnsley, Barrow In Furness, Beverley LGV, Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Bolton (Manchester), Bradford (Heaton), Bradford (Thornbury), Bredbury (Manchester), Bridlington, Bury (Manchester), Carlisle, Carlisle LGV, Chadderton, Cheetham Hill (Manchester), Chester, Chorley, Crewe, Doncaster, Grimsby Coldwater, Halifax, Heckmondwike, Heysham, Horsforth, Huddersfield, Hull, Kendal (Oxenholme Road), Knaresborough, Leeds, Macclesfield, Nelson, Norris Green (Liverpool), Northallerton, Pontefract, Preston, Rochdale (Manchester), Rotherham, Sale (Manchester), Scarborough, Scunthorpe, Sheffield (Handsworth), Sheffield (Middlewood Road), Southport (Liverpool), Speke (Liverpool), St Helens (Liverpool), Steeton, Upton, Wakefield, Wallasey, Walton LGV, Warrington, West Didsbury (Manchester), Widnes (Liverpool), Workington and York.

Tests at other driving test centres in these areas might also be affected.

East of England, East Midlands, West Midlands and parts of London

These areas include these test centres:

Ashfield, Barking (Tanner Street), Barnet (London), Basildon, Birmingham (Garretts Green), Birmingham (Kings Heath), Birmingham (Kingstanding), Birmingham (Shirley), Birmingham (South Yardley), Birmingham (Sutton Coldfield), Bishops Stortford, Borehamwood (London), Boston, Brentwood (London), Burton on Trent, Bury St Edmunds, Buxton, Cambridge (Brookmount Court), Chelmsford (Hanbury Road), Chesterfield, Colchester, Derby (Alvaston), Dudley, Featherstone, Goodmayes (London), Hinckley, Hornchurch (London), Ipswich, Kettering, Kings Lynn, Leicester (Cannock Street), Leicester (Wigston), Leighton Buzzard (Stanbridge Road), Letchworth, Lichfield, Lincoln, Loughborough, Loughton (London), Lowestoft (Mobbs Way), Ludlow, Northampton, Norwich (Jupiter Road), Norwich (Peachman Way), Nottingham (Chilwell), Nottingham (Colwick), Nuneaton, Peterborough, Peterborough LGV, Redditch, Rugby, Shrewsbury, Southend-on-Sea, St Albans, Stafford, Stoke on Trent (Cobridge), Stoke on Trent (Newcastle under Lyme), Telford, Tilbury, Warwick (Wedgenock House), Watford, Watnall, Wednesbury, Weedon LGV, Wolverhampton, Worcester and Worksop.

Tests at other driving test centres in these areas might also be affected.

London, south east England, south west England and Wales

These areas include these test centres:

Ashford (Kent), Aylesbury, Banbury, Bangor, Barnstaple, Belvedere (London), Bletchley, Bodmin, Bridgend, Bristol (Avonmouth), Bristol (Brislington), Bristol (Kingswood), Bromley (London), Burgess Hill, Caernarfon LGV, Camborne, Canterbury, Cardiff (Llanishen), Carmarthen, Cheltenham, Chertsey (London), Chichester, Chingford (London), Chippenham, Crawley, Dorchester, Eastbourne, Enfield (Brancroft Way), Enfield (Innova Business Park), Erith (London), Exeter, Exeter LGV, Farnborough, Folkestone, Gillingham, Gillingham LGV, Gloucester, Greenford (London), Guildford, Hastings (Ore), Hendon (London), Herne Bay, Hither Green (London), Isleworth (Fleming Way), Lancing, Launceston, Lee On The Solent, Llanelli, Llantrisant, Maidstone, Merthyr Tydfil, Mill Hill (London), Monmouth, Morden (London), Newbury (Hambridge Lane), Newport (Gwent), Newport (Isle Of Wight), Newton Abbot, Oxford (Cowley), Pembroke Dock, Pinner (London), Plymouth, Plymouth LGV, Poole, Portsmouth, Reading, Rhyl, Sevenoaks, Sidcup (London), Slough (London), Southall (London), Southampton (Maybush), Southampton LGV, Swansea, Swindon, Taunton, Tolworth (London), Tottenham, Tunbridge Wells, Uxbridge (London), Wanstead (London), Weston-Super-Mare, Winchester, Wood Green (London), Wrexham, Wrexham LGV and Yeading (London).

Tests at other driving test centres in these areas might also be affected.

How do I change my driving test?

You can change your driving test appointment online up to six times. You need to give at least three full working days’ notice to change your test or you’ll have to pay again. Monday to Saturday count as working days but Sundays and public holidays do not.

If you do not give enough notice you will have to pay again, unless: you have an illness (including Covid-19) or injury that means you cannot take your test; have suffered a bereavement; you need to take an exam at a school or college; or you have had your driving licence stolen.

The DVSA will contact you if your test has been cancelled because of industrial action.

Ask HJ

What is the best way to insure a learner driver?

What are the best options for getting my 17-year-old son insured whilst learning to drive?

Any reputable driving school will have suitable insurance in place for your son to learn to drive in their vehicle. If you are going to teach him to drive with your own vehicle then you can add him as a named driver (although this may push up your premium). A learner policy will cover your son if he wants to learn to drive with his own car.

Answered by Dan Powell

What's the best automatic for a learner driver?

My 21 year old daughter has applied for her provisional licence and is keen to learn on an automatic. We will need to buy a small auto and have up to £3500 budget. First question, if we get an auto box which has the option of semi auto changes can she legally drive this before or after passing her test? I would prefer a torque converter box but they are like hen's teeth at the moment. Can you recommend some options for the best cars for our budget?

If your daughter learns and passes her test in an automatic car then her licence will be restricted to 'automatic only', which means she will not be able to drive a manual vehicle. The semi-auto gearbox will not change the 'automatic only' licence she will gain if she passes. The best auto? I'd probably say the Honda Jazz or Toyota Yaris. Both used CVTs (continuously variable transmissions) which have extremely good reputations for reliability.

Answered by Dan Powell

Comments

VWCSK on 16 December 2022

You will be hard pressed to know if there on strike or not, hard to tell the difference.

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focussed on 20 December 2022

When I was an instructor the PCS union examiners were regularly on strike, it caused a lot of money problems for pupils who had tests booked that were cancelled who needed to maintain their current driving skill before the test.

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Falkirk Bairn on 25 December 2022

The rolling strike pattern nearly snookered my granddaughter's test.
She had waited some 5 months from applying and her test date was 19th December - the Scotland & NE England strike finished on the 18th!!!

She passed 1st time but the cost of extended lessons was huge.
She was deemed ready by the instructor by August but had to wait until last week.

33 lessons of 90 minutes, so nearly 50 hours
I

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Basil_Barras on 30 December 2022

Nowadays, there are a lot of requirements for students, but when I took my driving test in college, it took me a long time to learn to drive and sometimes I could not attend some lectures in college. In order to complete my studies and not to waste time on checking the final work for plagiarism, I used https://fixgerald.com/ which helped me with this. This is one of the most convenient services to check your work for plagiarism. Thanks for the article!

Edited by Basil_Barras on 30/12/2022 at 12:08

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Plence79 on 14 July 2023

Ongoing strikes by the Trade and Public Service unions over wages, pensions, employment and contingency provisions are causing widespread disruption to learner drivers due to taking the term. driving practice test. Unfortunately, the sonic exe strikes are affecting driving test centers in different parts of the UK at different times, making it difficult for learners to know when they can take the test.

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