The road freight transport industry represents one of the most important sectors in Europe, providing millions of Europeans with fresh produce, bulk goods, liquids and other essentials every day. Arguably the most important position within road freight transport is that of a professional driver, who often has responsibility for driving a truck, loading and unloading goods, liaising with customers, managing routes and schedules and maintaining safety standards. Estimates show that there’s over one million truck drivers working in Europe today, and while it’s fair to suggest that the public perception of a professional driver has been poor it continues to be a valued and important role that flies under the radar of many Europeans. However, times are changing and quickly. The widely publicised testing and development of autonomous vehicles has demonstrated the speed at which technology will change the landscape of the labour market. The widespread introduction of this technology is likely to occur through the commercial road freight sector in the first instance, as it offers the most significant potential towards cost reduction and enhanced safety as well as overall improvement in factors such as air quality and fuel efficiency. However, the consequence of introducing this technology will be the impact that it will have on the one million plus professional drivers within Europe. Forecasts suggest that by 2030 the majority of journeys made by a large goods vehicle will be fully automated, which leaves a question mark over the role of professional drivers in the truck of the near future, and at this stage it isn’t clear about what part they will play in transporting goods. The average age of a European professional truck driver also continues to rise year after year, which demonstrates an ongoing problem to attract new drivers into the industry. It also shows that the industry relies on the experience and skills of well-established and knowledgeable drivers. So we know that the role of drivers will change significantly over the coming years, therefore it's important that transport businesses and professional drivers can be as prepared as possible. The Steer to Career DRV project will focus on developing curricula and professional learning programmes to help companies prepare their professional drivers for a more diverse role within a company. These objectives will focus on areas that will become more important as we move into the age of vehicle autonomy and will include the principles of managing people, basic financial management, emergency responder, customer service and safety management. The project will also seek to develop two sets of guidance; one for managers / company owners and one for professional drivers. The guidance will focus on competences, attitude and social skills, with the aim of helping managers to deploy drivers to alternative positions within a company, and to help drivers recognise the competences they need in order to continue to be successful in their professional life. It is essential that this project is undertaken on a transnational scale because the potential problem is a universal one. Work will be done in conjunction with European and National Qualification Frameworks and will leverage systems such as ESCO (to identify potential career options) for research and development purposes. The experience and knowledge of the project partners will also be utilised where possible and as appropriate. In order to successfully achieve the objectives of the project, Steer to CareerDRV will; • Engage, through interviews and questionnaires, a wide range of stakeholders on the development of the professional, personal and social skills of truck drivers • Undertake industry research to determine the most important and relevant competences • Use the information and output from the series of DRV projects (ProfDRV and ICT-DRV) • Develop a set of professional learning objectives based on management and communication • Produce guidance for managers and professional drivers • Promote the project through media and publication channels • Disseminate the guidance and findings industry-wide