The government has allowed truck and bus drivers to operate agricultural machinery during the war

From now on, drivers with licenses in categories C1, C, D1, and D, who typically operate trucks, buses, or minibuses, can work on tractors and combines without obtaining a separate tractor driver’s license. These changes to Resolution No. 217 were approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on April 6, 2026, in response to the chronic shortage of mechanizers during the planting and harvesting campaigns.

This is reported by AgroReview

Which machines fall under the new rules

According to the updated regulations, drivers with the aforementioned license categories can work on a wide range of agricultural machinery. This includes tractors, grain harvesters, and corn harvesters, as well as self-propelled machines for harvesting root crops, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, and berries. The changes pertain to equipment in categories A1, A2, B1, B2, and B3.

Conditions and restrictions for drivers

A key innovation is the cancellation of the mandatory three years of experience required to obtain the right to work with agricultural machinery. However, the new rules are only in effect during the state of war and for an additional 90 days after its conclusion. At the same time, it is prohibited to drive on public roads — operation is allowed exclusively in fields and on the territories of farms.

Mobilization during the war has significantly reduced the number of experienced mechanizers, complicating the 2026 planting campaign. Each day of machinery downtime due to a lack of drivers leads to crop loss and disruption of agronomic deadlines.

“In wartime, every day matters, and we need to simplify access where it does not compromise safety but is critical for food stability,” explained Minister of Economy Oleksiy Sobolev.

The Ministry of Economy expects that this initiative will enable agricultural enterprises to more swiftly meet their staffing needs, allowing them to stay on schedule with agricultural work in 2026.