Italy's cabinet approves raising the age limit for driving lorries and buses from 68 to 70

Italy’s Council of Ministers approved, in preliminary review on 13 October, the draft legislative decree put forward by Transport Minister Matteo Salvini that replaces the 1992 Highway Code. Among the changes is one with a direct impact on professional lorry and bus drivers.

What’s changing

• The maximum age for professional driving with group 2 licences — C1, C1E, C, CE, D1, D1E, D and DE, meaning lorries and buses — rises from 68 to 70, with a mandatory two-yearly medical check.
• Several Italian outlets (Missionline) point out that the headline is misleading: there is currently no general age limit for a category C licence; the 68-year threshold only applies to combinations above 20 tonnes. The change is therefore narrower than press headlines suggest.
• The package also cuts some fines (for example from €26 to €25 and from €42 to €40) and suspends the annual automatic inflation adjustment, as well as banning e-scooters that obstruct pavements.

What still needs to happen before it takes effect

This is only the preliminary cabinet approval. The text still needs an opinion from the Council of State, has to go through the Conferenza unificata (central government and regions) and the relevant parliamentary committees. Italian media do not expect final approval before early 2027.

What to do

• Anyone approaching 68 who was considering giving up professional driving in Italy for this reason now has a horizon of two extra years — but only once the decree is actually in force; nothing changes while the legislative process is still running.
• We are tracking the bill’s progress and final approval, which could still change the text approved today in preliminary review.