‘The loads are gone serious!’ Calls for tractor driving training schools in Longford marts

“The tractors are now bigger, faster, and the loads are gone serious!” Cllr Turlough McGovern told the recent meeting of Longford County Council as he called for a tractor driving training school to be established in Longford.

In proposing a motion that the council write to the Minister for Transport Seán Canney to seek a training facility in a central location, “such as Granard Mart”, the councillor added that such training would help “to support young people with proper training and instruction to improve road safety” particularly given that the current rule allows 16 year olds to operate large tractors with only a learner permit.

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The councillor’s motion comes following the news that the RSA is actively reviewing the regulation of tractor driving and potentially introducing a mandatory, formal driving test and training program for learner permit holders from 2027 onwards 

Addressing the chamber, Cllr McGovern said adequate training was “absolutely necessary to continue supporting the farming industry as a whole.” 

The training school, which, he said, would be for the first time licensees who have passed their driver theory test and obtained a learner permit. 

Councillor McGovern said the whole idea behind the training school would be to show them how to handle tractors ranging from “a 100 horsepower to maybe 350 horsepower.” 

“The drivers would be rated on their practical ability. A lot of them can do their theory, that’s no problem, it's really the practical end of it - driving with heavy loads, how to tip in a safe manner, agitate slurry, how to operate the back ends of these tractors." 

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"Anyone can get in and drive one but using the handling facilities they have, I think it's a great idea to educate our young drivers and where would you have a better place off the road for this than the mart?"

"I'm mentioning Granard Mart here but you could have one in Ballymahon, etc. The reason for this motion is the tractors are now bigger, faster and the loads are gone serious.” 

Cllr McGovern likened the course he was proposing to a safe pass course adding that it would help young drivers be aware of “the safety and precautions to have with the excessive load they're carrying behind them.”

Cllr Mark Casey seconded the motion, stating it was “probably one of the best motions that we've heard this year”, adding “I guarantee the minute we start rolling this out, it'll be rolled out in every county in the country.” 

Cllrs Colin Dalton and Mick Cahill also voiced their support for the motion and in particular the proposal that it would take place in a local mart. 

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Cllr Gerry Hagan said he supported the motion but added there were a number of “other factors and variables at play”. 

He told the chamber, “Our director (or services) here across the chamber from me, Barbara Heslin, her father trained more 16, 17 and 18 year olds how to drive tractors, reverse them, and tip trailers than any other single farmer in Ireland I’d say during his many years farming just outside Longford town. 

"You weren't allowed up in a tractor unless you could drive it around Heslin's years ago. All you needed was one look from Paddy (Heslin) to know whether you could drive a tractor or if you did the right thing or the wrong thing." 

"That is absent now because farmers are very irresponsible. They would put a 15, 16, 17 or 18 year-old up on a 200 horsepower tractor with a massive slurry tanker or trailer."

"These tractors are actually carrying more than articulated lorries, some of them carrying 35 tonnes behind them and these powerful tractors can go at a serious speed.” 

“There's a lot more than just setting up a training centre to teach a young fella how to drive a tractor safely on the road. I think the farming organisations need to get serious about this as well and row in behind it while I support the motion, there's an awful lot of other factors and variables at play in this regard” 

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Cathaoirleach Garry Murtagh replied that the merit of the motion was to provide training, and invited Cllr McGovern to also address Cllr Hagan’s concerns.

 “We know all about the 35 tractors, the 20’s, the 165’s and 168’s,” began Cllr McGovern in reference to the Massey Fergusson models, “but we have moved on a lot from that. 

What I’m saying is that there’s a starting point in every education. When you get on your first push bike, it's a starting point. So that's what I'm coming at.”

In response, Longford County Council said they reached out to the RSA who confirmed that it is “currently evaluating the curriculum and education provided to learner drivers and that while there is presently no requirement for a tractor driver test applicants to complete Essential Driver Training, the RSA has indicated that this “may be considered in the future.”

The council said if the motion was adopted by the elected members, then they would write to the ministers involved namely Darragh O’Brien, Seán Canney, and Jerry Buttimer and request that consideration be given to locating a tractor training facility in Granard “if the RSA introduces a mandatory training programme as part of the Phase 2 Action Plan of the Government’s Road Safety Strategy. 

The council also added that a number of private operators and farming organisations provided tractor training courses.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme