The deadline for lorry drivers with acquired rights to finish their first 35 hours of Driver CPC periodic training passed on 9 September, and DVSA figures indicate that almost all drivers have completed their first block of training.
The Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) was introduced in 2008 for bus and coach drivers and 2009 for lorry drivers. While new drivers had to start taking the Driver CPC initial qualification from then, existing drivers were given ‘acquired rights’ which took their previous experience into account. To stay within the rules, both new and existing drivers must then do 35 hours of periodic training every five years.
The Driver CPC syllabus covers a range of safety topics including how to load vehicles, passenger safety and drivers’ hours.
Industry estimates suggest there are between 425,000 and 675,000 professional drivers in Great Britain, and the latest DVSA figures show that 664,000 drivers have completed their first block of training.
Alastair Peoples, chief executive of the DVSA, said: “I would like to thank the bus, coach and haulage industry for their support, including the drivers and operators who have committed to the training and the wider industry who have been invaluable in helping with the introduction of Driver CPC.
“Driver CPC has a lot to offer and, by keeping their skills up to date, professional drivers are helping to make Great Britain’s roads among the safest in the world.”
Jack Semple, from the Road Haulage Association, said: “Five years on, we can see a progressive evolution in attitudes to Driver CPC. Hauliers increasingly talk in terms of benefits to their businesses.”
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