Gqeberha’s Blue Chevron Driver Training Academy believes it can make a valuable contribution to bringing down South Africa’s road death toll – through changes in truck driver training.
The widespread practice of issuing Code 10 licences to first-time drivers is doing more harm than good, says founder and managing director, Lunga Ntsendwana.
More importantly, he says the practice should be “urgently removed”.
“Around 60% of new licences issued in South Africa are Code 10, intended for light trucks,” says Ntsendwana.
“Many learners choose it because they think it’s better for job prospects, or because it’s perceived as easier to pass, but this is a dangerous shortcut that leaves new drivers unprepared for real-world driving.”
Ntsendwana believes that, unlike the more practical Code 08 licence, which focuses on driving passenger vehicles, Code 10 tests are often completed at low speeds on simple routes. Some learners pass after just 5-10 hours behind the wheel – never driving faster than 40 km/h or mastering real traffic conditions.
Meanwhile, unscrupulous driving schools market ‘drive till you pass’ packages that focus purely on passing the test yard movements, not on building true driving competence, a company statement says.
“When a driver can pass a test without learning emergency braking, hazard awareness, or proper lane discipline, we’re sending unprepared motorists onto already dangerous roads,” Ntsendwana adds.
Blue Chevron recommends that Code 08 should become the standard for all new drivers.
It also recommends a minimum of 30 hours of formal, accredited training, including night driving; A redesigned test that prioritises real-world defensive driving skills like braking, emergency lane changes, and skid recovery – not just parking; and licensing only through registered, qualified instructors whose details are linked to the driver’s licence to help fight corruption.
“If we’re serious about saving lives, we must stop selling short-cuts and start producing competent drivers,” Ntsendwana says.
“A car licence makes sense for daily life – not a truck licence that no one uses. Code 08 is the key to safer roads.”
His comments come at a time when South Africa continues to record one of the highest road death tolls in the world, with poor driver training standards and outdated licensing loopholes at the heart of the crisis.
The country’s road fatality rate stands at approximately 26 deaths per 100 000 people – well above the global average of around 18/100 000.
Heavy-load vehicles (trucks over 3 500 kg) account for about 9.4% of all fatal crashes, despite comprising only 3.3% of vehicles on the roads.
