This is the area of our site which deals solely with the driver CPC.
This can be a complex subject, but as with many subjects we deal with, the easiest way to explain things is to do so in the form of a series of Questions and Answers. We are sorry it is so long winded and we are sure you will have more questions but at least this lot will save you having to write it all down.
These notes are not intended to be a legal document but more of a guide to help you decide whether the regulations apply to you.
Particularly if you believe yourself to be exempt from the regulations, you should seek legal advice or call us for more detailed information, but in the meantime, the following questions are the ones we get asked most.
Q. WHAT IS THE DRIVER C.P.C.?
First and foremost the Driver CPC should not be confused with the Operator CPC which hauliers carrying goods on behalf of other people will, or should, already hold.
The Driver CPC is a professional qualification which will permit a person to drive an in-scope goods vehicle for a living.
Q. WHAT VEHICLES ARE IN SCOPE?
A goods vehicle is said to be “in-scope” if it has a G.V.W. exceeding 3.5 tonnes. It also applies to most PCV licence holders. (N.B., This guide applies only to Goods Vehicles).
Q. ARE THERE ANY EXCEPTIONS?
Particularly if you believe yourself to be exempt from the regulations, you should seek legal advice or call us for more detailed information, but in the meantime, the following questions are the ones we get asked most.
Q. WHAT IS THE DRIVER C.P.C.?
First and foremost the Driver CPC should not be confused with the Operator CPC which hauliers carrying goods on behalf of other people will, or should, already hold.
The Driver CPC is a professional qualification which will permit a person to drive an in-scope goods vehicle for a living.
Q. WHAT VEHICLES ARE IN SCOPE?
A goods vehicle is said to be “in-scope” if it has a G.V.W. exceeding 3.5 tonnes. It also applies to most PCV licence holders. (N.B., This guide applies only to Goods Vehicles).
Q. ARE THERE ANY EXCEPTIONS?
Yes but very few. The regulations apply to drivers of goods vehicles which are carrying goods in connection with a business but not to vehicles, the carrying of goods is ancillary to normal business. For example, a farmer is a farmer. Full stop. On the occasions he uses a vehicle to take his animals to market he is still a farmer but happens to be using a vehicle to be able to carry out his work. Just as he might do with a tractor. The farmer is exempt. A Fire Engine is exempt, it is after all, not carrying on a business. A Goods Vehicle Training vehicle is exempt whilst training, as it is not carrying goods in connection with the business. He is not exempt, however, if the training is taking place whilst the driver is delivering or collecting goods.
The following drivers/vehicle examples are not exempt.
• You own a retail or wholesale furniture shop and deliver goods to customers.
• You process oil for a living but deliver and collect from customers.
• You sell electrical goods, TVs, fridges and deliver them to customers.
For the most part you could say that if you need to keep drivers records you probably need a drivers CPC. Use that as a basic guide.
Q. WHICH LICENCE HOLDERS DOES IT APPLY TO?
Large vans and lorries: C1, C1+E, C or C+E
Large coaches and buses: D 1, D 1+E, D o r D+E
Q. IF I DRIVE BOTH A BUS AND A LORRY DO I NEED TWO CPCs?
No. The driver CPC covers Goods Vehicles and PCVs, although if you take your training under the Goods Vehicle rules, you might wish to voluntarily receive training in PCV subjects such as carrying passengers etc.
Q. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR YEARS, WHY SHOULD I NEED MORE TRAINING?
The CPC is an E.U. requirement intending to harmonise driver training and driving skills throughout the whole of Europe. It is hoped that, as result of the training, drivers will become more eco friendly whilst conserving fuel. It will also ensure that drivers are up to date with changing laws whilst understanding the working time directives and digital tachographs. Furthermore, it will avoid unequal competition and it will raise the profile of drivers to a professional level.
Q. HOW WILL IT HELP ME AS THE OWNER OF A SMALL COMPANY?
Any driver training must help you with accident avoidance and as a lot of drivers unwittingly break the law it will be helpful that they have a far better understanding of regulations than they might currently have.
Q. WHAT OTHER SUBJECTS ARE COVERED?
Health and Safety issues, safe loading, incident management are just a few of the core elements.
Q. IS THE TRAINING A ONE OFF QUALIFICATION?
No. CPC is periodic training. Every driver must complete 35 hours of training every five years.
Q. ARE THERE EXAMS AT THE END?
No. At the moment there is no intention for there to be exams. The training is a continual assessment with a certificate of attendance being awarded for each session.
Q. WHO CAN CARRY OUT THE TRAINING?
Training can only be conducted by instructors accredited by the Department for Transport. The instructors must also belong to an organisation accredited by the DfT. The organisation is accredited every five years and their courses are accredited every year. This means you can be satisfied that the training is conducted by professionals who are up to date on current requirements.
Q. WHAT IF I DON’T BOTHER?
A one thousand pound fine for you and your company if you do not undertake the training and a thousand pound fine for failing to carry the driver card with you whilst driving.
If you make false entries in relation to the qualification or to your certificates, 2 years imprisonment
Q. WHY SHOULD I COME TO FAST-TRAK?
Fast-Trak has been training all licence groups and companies for nearly twenty years. We train motorcyclists, car drivers, van drivers and LGV drivers. And, although we are based in what appears to be a motorcycle building, two wheeled transport accounts for only about 20% of our work. The vast majority of our time is taken up giving help to protect companies and drivers under Health and Safety regulations and Corporate Manslaughter.
All of the on-road instructors are Approved Driving Instructors, some are DSA fleet registered instructors and some are qualified examiners.
Our Director of Training is a former Traffic Police Officer and therefore knows exactly what is appropriate to keep you the right side of the law.
We also act as a tachograph bureau for many companies. Our knowledge of working hours and tachograph law is therefore very current and very relevant in this digital age.
Q. HOW MUCH DOES IT ALL COST?
Some elements naturally cost more to conduct than others with some particular elements being especially labour intensive. If we charged by the hour breaking everything down into individual segments, costing would be complex and difficult to follow. It would not be less expensive by that means.
We are therefore offering two pricing formulas.
VAT at the current rate should be added to the cost.
The driver training module is one full day of seven hours: Cost £130 per person. Other modules cost between £80 and £100. Add them together separately and your total CPC will cost £675.
However, if you book the course as one block (not necessarily taking the whole training together) there will be a one off cost of £395 plus vat.
You will then not need further training for five years. This cost equates to less than £2 per week.
At the completion of your training your Driver Qualification card will be issued and a certificate of completion will be awarded.
The course effectiveness in relation to each delegate is evaluated by our staff and the attendance is logged on your behalf on the DfT central database.
Q. HOW DO I START THE PROCESS?
This bit's easy. Click on the "contact us" button and complete a few simple details. Or call and speak to a real living person.
The following drivers/vehicle examples are not exempt.
• You own a retail or wholesale furniture shop and deliver goods to customers.
• You process oil for a living but deliver and collect from customers.
• You sell electrical goods, TVs, fridges and deliver them to customers.
For the most part you could say that if you need to keep drivers records you probably need a drivers CPC. Use that as a basic guide.
Q. WHICH LICENCE HOLDERS DOES IT APPLY TO?
Large vans and lorries: C1, C1+E, C or C+E
Large coaches and buses: D 1, D 1+E, D o r D+E
Q. IF I DRIVE BOTH A BUS AND A LORRY DO I NEED TWO CPCs?
No. The driver CPC covers Goods Vehicles and PCVs, although if you take your training under the Goods Vehicle rules, you might wish to voluntarily receive training in PCV subjects such as carrying passengers etc.
Q. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING FOR YEARS, WHY SHOULD I NEED MORE TRAINING?
The CPC is an E.U. requirement intending to harmonise driver training and driving skills throughout the whole of Europe. It is hoped that, as result of the training, drivers will become more eco friendly whilst conserving fuel. It will also ensure that drivers are up to date with changing laws whilst understanding the working time directives and digital tachographs. Furthermore, it will avoid unequal competition and it will raise the profile of drivers to a professional level.
Q. HOW WILL IT HELP ME AS THE OWNER OF A SMALL COMPANY?
Any driver training must help you with accident avoidance and as a lot of drivers unwittingly break the law it will be helpful that they have a far better understanding of regulations than they might currently have.
Q. WHAT OTHER SUBJECTS ARE COVERED?
Health and Safety issues, safe loading, incident management are just a few of the core elements.
Q. IS THE TRAINING A ONE OFF QUALIFICATION?
No. CPC is periodic training. Every driver must complete 35 hours of training every five years.
Q. ARE THERE EXAMS AT THE END?
No. At the moment there is no intention for there to be exams. The training is a continual assessment with a certificate of attendance being awarded for each session.
Q. WHO CAN CARRY OUT THE TRAINING?
Training can only be conducted by instructors accredited by the Department for Transport. The instructors must also belong to an organisation accredited by the DfT. The organisation is accredited every five years and their courses are accredited every year. This means you can be satisfied that the training is conducted by professionals who are up to date on current requirements.
Q. WHAT IF I DON’T BOTHER?
A one thousand pound fine for you and your company if you do not undertake the training and a thousand pound fine for failing to carry the driver card with you whilst driving.
If you make false entries in relation to the qualification or to your certificates, 2 years imprisonment
Q. WHY SHOULD I COME TO FAST-TRAK?
Fast-Trak has been training all licence groups and companies for nearly twenty years. We train motorcyclists, car drivers, van drivers and LGV drivers. And, although we are based in what appears to be a motorcycle building, two wheeled transport accounts for only about 20% of our work. The vast majority of our time is taken up giving help to protect companies and drivers under Health and Safety regulations and Corporate Manslaughter.
All of the on-road instructors are Approved Driving Instructors, some are DSA fleet registered instructors and some are qualified examiners.
Our Director of Training is a former Traffic Police Officer and therefore knows exactly what is appropriate to keep you the right side of the law.
We also act as a tachograph bureau for many companies. Our knowledge of working hours and tachograph law is therefore very current and very relevant in this digital age.
Q. HOW MUCH DOES IT ALL COST?
Some elements naturally cost more to conduct than others with some particular elements being especially labour intensive. If we charged by the hour breaking everything down into individual segments, costing would be complex and difficult to follow. It would not be less expensive by that means.
We are therefore offering two pricing formulas.
VAT at the current rate should be added to the cost.
The driver training module is one full day of seven hours: Cost £130 per person. Other modules cost between £80 and £100. Add them together separately and your total CPC will cost £675.
However, if you book the course as one block (not necessarily taking the whole training together) there will be a one off cost of £395 plus vat.
You will then not need further training for five years. This cost equates to less than £2 per week.
At the completion of your training your Driver Qualification card will be issued and a certificate of completion will be awarded.
The course effectiveness in relation to each delegate is evaluated by our staff and the attendance is logged on your behalf on the DfT central database.
Q. HOW DO I START THE PROCESS?
This bit's easy. Click on the "contact us" button and complete a few simple details. Or call and speak to a real living person.
