The essentials
France hired 108 driving inspectors in 2025 and opened 80 positions for 2026 to reduce 65+ day exam waits.
France is scaling up its driving test inspector recruitment to address persistent exam delays. The government recruited 108 driving test inspectors in 2025 and has opened 80 additional inspector positions for 2026 recruitment, bringing total new hiring to 188 positions over two years.
These recruitment efforts directly support the government's stated goal to reduce driving test waiting times to 65 days. The inspector expansion represents a concrete response to the staffing crisis documented in previous reporting, where wait times exceeded 172 days in some departments and candidate numbers grew without corresponding staffing increases.
The phased approach—108 hires completed in 2025 followed by 80 positions opening for 2026—suggests a sustained commitment to gradual capacity building rather than emergency measures. This hiring pace falls short of earlier calls for 150 additional inspectors, indicating the government is pursuing a measured expansion strategy alongside existing system reforms.
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Government completes first phase of inspector expansion plan
The 108 inspectors recruited in 2025 represent concrete progress on addressing systemic staffing shortages. Opening 80 additional positions for 2026 demonstrates continuity in the hiring initiative. Combined, these placements constitute measurable action on capacity-building, with recruitment targets advancing the government's 65-day waiting time objective beyond previous delays exceeding 172 days.
Hiring pace trails earlier requests for inspector expansion
The 188 total positions across 2025-2026 follows earlier official recommendations for 150 additional inspectors, suggesting incremental rather than accelerated capacity growth. The phased rollout indicates budgetary or logistical constraints may be limiting the pace of expansion, even as waiting times remain substantially above the 65-day target the government aims to achieve.