"Once again, driving schools are in a critical situation due to the lack of personnel in the Traffic Headquarters, which threatens the summer campaign," as stated by the National Confederation of Driving Schools (CNAE). Despite the promise of the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, to implement a shock plan to resolve the saturation in the DGT examination centers, the "problem persists," they stated.
Currently, "50% of the vacancies" in the Traffic Headquarters remain unfilled. This shortage is particularly aggravated during the vacation period, when the demand for practical exams increases significantly and many examiners are forced to perform administrative tasks due to the alarming lack of information operators.
This situation means that, although there is a significant number of examiners, many of them cannot perform their evaluation functions. The DGT assures that in the "last twelve years there have never been as many Traffic examiners as now, with 855 employees on staff, 52 less than there should be," according to the job position list (RPT). However, the problem lies in the fact that many of these examiners "are occupied in these administrative tasks, which severely limits the operational capacity of the headquarters."
“It is incomprehensible that the Government does not act decisively to resolve this situation, which puts the driving school sector at risk, where more than 1,350 driving schools have closed, 14%, since 2018. This crisis not only affects driving schools, but also all citizens and professionals who need to obtain a driver's license. It is paradoxical that the DGT charges fees for all its procedures and sanctions, and transfers a significant sum of money to the General State Budgets, where it is diluted. According to the fourth provision of the Traffic Law, this item should be used entirely to finance road safety and, therefore, also to strengthen the Traffic Headquarters,” says the president of CNAE, Enrique Lorca.
Recently, the Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Function, José Luis Escrivá, announced the Public Employment Offer (OEP) 2024, which includes seventy positions for examining officials and positions for information operators. However, in the eyes of the employers, this reinforcement is "insufficient and focuses more on covering retirements and permanent leaves than on the necessary reinforcement and expansion required by the Traffic Headquarters." Driving schools and affected citizens urgently await an "effective and sustainable solution" that guarantees the operational capacity of the Traffic Headquarters and allows the obtaining of driver's licenses without unnecessary delays.
