An Oireachtas committee will hear that the Road Safety Authority (RSA) is "broken" and "beyond repair".
The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) will tell the Committee on Transport that the RSA needs "radical reform".
IRHA Deputy Vice President Eugene Drennan will tell TDs and senators that the current driving and testing system is outdated and not delivering as it should.
Mr Drennan will say a backlog in driving tests has resulted in learner drivers waiting "excessive periods" for a test.
The IRHA will say that many of these learner drivers are "effectively forced into non-compliance because of the prolonged, unacceptable waiting times".
"They must travel to work or school. This is not a failure of learners; it is a failure of system capacity," he will say.
Mr Drennan will say the RSA has been slow to adopt education methods, such as the use of simulators, remote learning, and delivering driving education in a learner’s first language.
The association will also call for a comprehensive review of the Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) for HGV drivers.
Mr Drennan will say the CPC is "not fit for purpose", with the training amounting to "little more than a wasted day, despite the significant time and resources required to complete it".
"Its content, materials, and delivery are outdated and largely irrelevant to the needs of the modern HGV driver," he will add.
He will say the CPC is seen as a box-ticking exercise that is disconnected from real-world operational risks.
The IRHA will also call for greater transparency in the reporting of collisions as "there is a significant difference between being present in a collision and being the causative factor".
Mr Drennan will say the association is "highly doubtful that the RSA in its current format and structure can be repaired and relaunched".
Transport Security Force 'absolutely vital'
The National Bus and Rail Union will tell the committee that investment in bus lanes and adequate enforcement to keep them clear is "paramount for safety".
"Every time a bus has to manoeuvre around obstacles, illegally parked cars, or other obstructions, it increases the risk of accidents," Assistant General Secretary Thomas O’Connor will say.
Mr O'Connor will also call for mandatory high-vis clothing for all cyclists and users of scooters.
He will say a Transport Security Force is "absolutely vital" and will need adequate legislative powers to protect drivers and passengers alike.
Meanwhile, SIPTU, which represents Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann and Go-Ahead Ireland, will say the stakes are "uniquely high" for bus drivers transporting large numbers of passengers daily.
It will say one of the most pressing concerns for drivers is the "increase in dangerous driving behaviours among general road users".
Its spokesperson will say speeding, distraction, and intoxicated driving "dramatically elevate collision risks for larger vehicles like buses that require longer stopping distances and have limited manoeuvrability".
