All those who want to work commercially with trucks (over 3.5 tons) and earn money with them.
All those who want to transport passengers commercially with buses or coaches.

For trucks:

New professional drivers:
People who obtained their truck license (C1, C1E, C, CE) after September 10, 2009 and want to work commercially in road traffic must complete the Accelerated Basic Qualification.
This requirement applies to beginners who have no professional experience in the transport sector.

People changing to the profession of professional driver:
If you already have other vocational training and want to become a professional driver, you also need the BGQ if you want to work with a truck or in the transport of dangerous goods.

Drivers working with dangerous goods:
If you want to transport dangerous goods, ADR training is required, but the BGQ also remains necessary to ensure that you, as a professional driver, understand all relevant regulations and safety measures.

For buses:

• All new bus drivers who obtained their D license after September 10, 2008 and want to drive commercially.

• Career changers who previously did not have a commercial bus license but want to switch into this field.

• Drivers in tour and scheduled services if the bus carries more than 8 passengers.

For trucks:

• Professional drivers who already had a truck license (C1, C1E, C, CE) before September 10, 2009 do not need to complete the BGQ.

• People with a license for vehicles under 3.5 tons (e.g. C1 license) do not need the BGQ if they only drive vehicles under 3.5 tons.

• People performing driving tasks where driving the truck is not their main paid activity.

• Vehicles with a maximum permitted speed not exceeding 45 km/h.

• Drivers of the armed forces, police, fire brigade, customs.

• Those used in emergency rescue by recognized rescue services.

• Vehicles used for technical development, repair, maintenance or technical testing.

• People performing tasks as experts or inspectors according to §1 of the Motor Vehicle Expert Act.

• Vehicles that are new or converted and not yet put into operation.

• Vehicles used as training vehicles in a driving school.

• Vehicles not used for commercial freight transport (often municipal operations).

For buses:

• Drivers who obtained their bus license before September 10, 2008 do not need the BGQ (grandfathering).

• Non-commercial drivers who drive the bus privately or for non-profit organizations (e.g. fire brigade, associations) are exempt.

• Special trips, such as those for the armed forces, police or disaster protection, also do not require the BGQ.

The training consists of a certain number of hours filled with practical and theoretical content. Here are the main topics covered:

Traffic safety and driving technique: correct driving under different conditions (e.g. in bad weather, on narrow roads, in city traffic) safe loading and unloading of the vehicle (e.g. securing the load, accident prevention) behavior in road traffic and in emergencies

Legal basics: regulations on driving times, rest periods and the use of driver cards knowledge of the road traffic regulations and EU regulations for professional drivers

Environment and economy: economical and environmentally conscious driving, reduction of fuel consumption and emissions technical aspects that influence vehicle efficiency

Vehicle technology: basic understanding of vehicle technology (e.g. brakes, chassis, engine)

Additionally for buses, for example: passenger safety & comfort – dealing with passengers, accessibility

The Accelerated Basic Qualification lasts a total of 140 hours (including 10 driving hours), which can usually be completed within 4 weeks. This may also be organized flexibly depending on the driving school.

The training consists of theoretical and practical hours.

At the end of the training, an exam is taken to confirm the basic qualification. This usually consists of a theoretical exam and a practical exam. (more about exams here)