Having a conversation with my wife, who keeps failing her car test I jokingly suggested that she looks around Europe, finds the easiest place to pass a car test & book a flight.
This started me thinking does anyone know how the test standards varies across Europe ? (if it does.).
This is not a dig at foreign drivers coming into the UK to work, I have no real problem with that, the good ones will stay & many will work for the cowboys, get fleeced & go home poorer for the experience.
But is this trend going to lead to lower road safety as a result of poorly trained drivers entering the UK haulage industry ?.
I don’t think you are allowed to take you test in another country and then come back and drive in the UK.
But as for I have been told that French truck drivers have to pass a mountain driving course. 
only ever tried mountain climbing before never tried driving one. 
I’d say you could take your ‘European Driving Test’ in another country and then change the licence for a UK one.
My wife was driving on an International Licence (issued in Serbia) when we first moved to Germany. The Int Lic ony lasts for one year so she did another test here in Germany. It was expensive and more difficult than in UK. We even looked at sending her back (to UK) to do a five day ‘crash’ course.
Mmmm, ‘crash course’ maybe not a good choice of words for her!
I think that you will be informened from the relevant licenceing
office.THE following in order to take your test in a member of
the EU states,you must reside in the country where you wish
to take your driving test, for 6 months,
I live and work in Germany , and because people have had there
licence taken away due to traffic offences, these persons then go
to poland and take a new test , but it is not reconized if they
have not been living in poland for the 6 months, even then if
the person has avery bad offence record because of the way
they drive on the roads, It can make a difference of getting a
new licence ,or not.
Hi Daxi…sorry about your wife keep failing her test…my wife had the same problem…as did my daughters…and i couldnt teach someone else to drive…havnt got the patience…anyway a very good solution to this problem is to go Automatic…theyve all got their licences on my recommendation…and practically every car has an auto version…of course this doesnt solve the problem if you want to share one car and its a manual…but it is a solution…and i personally would choose auto everytime…especially after being in a truck for 15 hours a day…up and down the box…unless of course i was lucky enough to have an auto one of those as well…and we all know that there are more and more coming onto the market…good luck…
have a nice day
Here in Coventry, the council pay for you to have driving lessons and your test.
The catch is you have to be in immigrant. There are that many here that can’t drive, they became a danger so this was the councils solution.!! 
whilst i was doing my class 2 the other trainee was there to get a uk lgv. The instructor thought it was going to be an easy week cos he already held an lgv from Bulgaria.
It turns out the test consisted of a quick drive round the block. Needless to say he failed with 7 serious faults 
Sorry Magic Mel - I must be seeing things.
Is it Really true that your local Council pays for driving lessons AND a test ?
Surely visitors and settlers from war torn countries escaping persecution cannot have this priveledge.
My daughter is 17 in 3 weeks, the cheapest lessons I have found are 15 quid an hour.
I personally cannot teach her, as the insurance on my Range Rover won’t let me.
Look’s like borrowing my mate’s curtainside trailer, sticking my daughter in the back , and driving to Coventry.
Halfway down the Foleshill Road I’ll get her to stick her head out and claim Asylum Seekers Allowance.
( And maybe a few hours with B.S.M.) 
Cheers,
Niall.
As a real last resort, maybe you should bring her over here, American drivers licences come free, inside of a boxes of cornflakes 
Ireland!!! The majority of people here still do not have a driving licence!! Although these days they are trying to push people into passing some form of test. Consequently, there are now lots of people going for the test and a high pass rate just to get them “legal”. The standard of driving here is on a par with Italy or even worse. And It is no problem changing an Irish licence for a British one.
kennymanning:
Ireland!!! The majority of people here still do not have a driving licence!! Although these days they are trying to push people into passing some form of test. Consequently, there are now lots of people going for the test and a high pass rate just to get them “legal”. The standard of driving here is on a par with Italy or even worse. And It is no problem changing an Irish licence for a British one.
Going on the standard of the drivers(from abroad) we’ve had through the agencys .Their standard of driving matched their English(zero).I’ve nothing personal against imported drivers yet,but the standard of driving does not equate to your british trucker. I had to reverse a agency drivers truck one day because he couldn’t park it between two trailers on a tesco’s ndc site.
Thanks for the info Cliff - when you have your breakfast in the morning shake a licence out and send it over
Kenny - it seems the roads of Southern Ireland are 1 big test track for learner drivers.
It’s a case of " Here comes an artic, let’s wait untill the last minute to pull out!"
Not so bad if they pull into the ‘hard shoulder’ ( slow lane) but no - straight on to the main road.
(For those that have not been to Southern Ireland, country roads have a white lined ‘hard shoulder’.
It is normal practice for a slow moving vehicle to use this lane. )
Bob - glad you helped the driver back on to the bay.
Foreigners or not - you helped him out.
When I was at A.C.C ( The Co-Op) in Halesowen on shunting and yard duties, all the tipping ramps had to be backed on ‘blindside’
It was fine if you had a L.H.D. motor, but a right ■■■■■■ was a nightmare if you had to squeeze in-between 2 other wagons.
1 day, after seeing a driver struggle, I offered to put his motor ‘on the bay’, as I was doing it all day.
The driver kindly accepted my offer, and in no time at all his trailer was being un-loaded.
6 drivers were in the smoke hut at the time, none of who offered help.
( I wish I could get sponsored driving lessons for my daughter )
Cheers,
Niall.
Niall:
Is it Really true that your local Council pays for driving lessons AND a test ?Surely visitors and settlers from war torn countries escaping persecution cannot have this priveledge.
Niall.
Surely they should, its not their fault they are being persecuted or shelled out of their homes. Or do you think it is
Or am I reading your comment the wrong way
Simon - I think you are reading my comment the wrong way.
I was unhappy to read that some of our European friends were able to qualify for certain benefits in England.
When you have worked hard for what you have, and have to shell out a lot of money for things like driving licences for your kids, it’s annoying.
It’s even more annoying when I am paying for the benefits myself, in wage stoppages at the end of the week.
Where IS all our Tax money going ?
Niall.
I think if you know how to play the system you could get driving lessons on the tax payer, in Norfolk there is a scheme were they give unemployed people mopeds so they can go and get work.
However the problem come when councils want to be so politically correct and “right on” they bow to the lobbing of pressure groups and forget the rest of us who pay our taxes.
I was talking to some about driving standards in Ireland when I was there and they told me that even if you failed your test you could continue to drive. I also experienced drivers coming out of a side turning striaght into lane 3 on a dual carriageway. Interesting until you get used to it and then you expect it, the same goes for Dublins taxi drivers. Nealy had a few of them as mascots on the front of the truck.
i think it’s belgium, judging by the standard of driving i see there i’m still unsure if they ever did introduce driving tests or if they just claimed to have done so.
i know they were probably the last to do so in the eu and it was possibly in the seventies or eighties when they did but they have to be the most incompetent drivers on the roads of europe with the exception of the truck drivers of course.
johnny:
i think it’s belgium, judging by the standard of driving i see there i’m still unsure if they ever did introduce driving tests or if they just claimed to have done so.
i know they were probably the last to do so in the eu and it was possibly in the seventies or eighties when they did but they have to be the most incompetent drivers on the roads of europe with the exception of the truck drivers of course.
Youre right Johny, there are lots of drivers who never had to take a test, they appear to rely on Rosary Beads to show the way. The drivers they have who passed a test were probably taught by their parents anyway 
Its not much better in France, See Davids Voiture Sans Permis thread.
Unfortunately the rules changed when the rights of way altered, give way to traffic on a major road was give way to traffic emerging from a side road, Im afraid the two dont mix very well