The controversial program announced by the Ministry of Transport and Logistics, which aimed to retrain and re-examine all drivers, will not begin this year and has been temporarily suspended, according to the Ethiopian Heavy Truck Drivers Association.
The Association's manager, Ato Solomon Zewdu, confirmed that after discussions between the Association and the relevant Ministry, it was agreed that the plan requires further attention and additional dialogue, leading to the decision to postpone it.
Although it was previously stated that the new competency assessment would begin within 15 days, Ato Solomon Zewdu indicated that confirmation has been received that the implementation will not take place this year.
Explaining the dialogue between the Association and the Ministry, the manager stated that the Association raised critical questions regarding who would provide the training and how it should be conducted. He reiterated that because the issue requires careful consideration and further discussion, the program has been put on "pause" for the time being.
While the Ministry maintains its stance that all drivers must eventually pass through this competency certification process, it had previously announced that registration, training, and assessment for public and freight vehicle drivers would begin shortly.
However, the Association maintains that such mandatory directives require extensive research before implementation and that direct stakeholders, especially the drivers themselves, should be involved in the process.
Furthermore, they argued that rather than testing professionals who have driven on difficult long-distance roads for 30 to 40 years, the actual needs of the drivers should be studied. They also pointed out that there must be clear distinction regarding whether the assessment should focus on technical skills or ethical conduct.
On the other hand, the Association expressed that it was inappropriate to designate a private institution named "SDS Driving Skills" as the sole provider of the assessment, or to circulate sudden information claiming that drivers would be dismissed if they failed to obtain certification within 15 days.
The Association, which urged the government to establish a standardized and controlled system rather than merely imposing mandatory conditions, announced that it is currently working on preparing its own training modules to help drivers prepare in advance.
The assessment had faced criticism for lacking a legal basis, with many questioning the government’s move to force experienced professionals—some with 10 to 30 years of experience—to stop working for training, as well as the requirement for drivers to pay for the retraining out of their own pockets.
