Seasonality in Pass Rates – Truck C Practical Exam (Solo Vehicle)

How hard is the Truck C practical exam?

The chart shows the weekly slagingspercentages for the Dutch Vrachtauto C praktijk (C) exam (solo truck), plus a LOWESS curve that smooths out random week-to-week noise. The bar chart underneath shows how many exams were taken each week.

From the descriptive statistics:

• Average pass rate: 69.61%
• Middle range (25–75%): from 68.18% to 71.48%
• Lowest week: about 55.7%,
• Best week: about 75.6%

So in a typical week, roughly 7 out of 10 candidates pass. The standard deviation of only 3.39 percentage points tells us that the results are remarkably stable over the 53 weeks.

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Volume: how busy is Truck C?

The same dataset shows:

• Total exams: 13,642
• Average per week: ≈257 exams
• Median per week: 265 exams
• Normal spread: standard deviation 55 exams
• Quietest week: 58 exams (holiday week 2024/52)
• Busiest week: 359 exams (2024/51)

This means the Truck C exam market is steady but not overcrowded. There is a consistent flow of new truck drivers, without extreme peaks like in car exams.

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Seasonality – is there a “best” time to take the exam?

The LOWESS line in the figure sits close to 70% the whole year:

• Small dips appear around some winter weeks and at the very end of the period, but these often line up with low-volume holiday weeks, where a few extra fails can move the percentage more.
• Spring and summer keep the pass rate very close to the yearly average, with only gentle ups and downs.

For practical planning:

There is no strong evidence of a “bad season” for the Truck C exam.
Your personal preparation and training matter far more than the month you book.

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What this means for internationals and trucking schools

For foreigners who want a Dutch trucking license:

• The C practical exam is challenging but fair: if you complete a full training programme with a good rijschool, the statistics say you have a solid chance of passing.
• Compared to theory exams, the practical C exam has much higher and more stable pass rates, which is reassuring if driving is your strong point.

For trucking schools and employers:

• With pass rates around 70% and stable volumes, you can plan year-round intakes of new drivers rather than relying on a specific season.
• Because results don’t fluctuate much, improvements in your own training quality (extra practice, exam simulations, tailored coaching for internationals) are likely to show up clearly in your slagingspercentages.

In short: if you are serious about becoming a truck driver in the Netherlands and invest in proper training, the data for Truck C (solo vehicle) suggests that the exam offers reliable, consistently high odds of success throughout the year.