It’s been 15 years since Driver CPC became compulsory for all professional lorry drivers. When it was first introduced, lorry drivers had to get their card by 9 September 2014 with cards valid for five years.
DVSA said to Transport News that this regular five year ‘anniversary’ means many cards will run out in September 2024.
A spokesperson tells Transport news: “So, there are lots of drivers trying to complete their 35 hours of training at the same time. In August and September 2019, the volume of training required was three times higher than usual!”
Richard Owen-Hughes from Driver Hire Training says: “As we approach the end of the current five-year cycle for many drivers, many want to do the mandatory five days of training all in one go. Inevitably, people are finding availability is limited as spots are filling up, and that can affect the cost too.
“If you find yourself with lots of training to do with the deadline approaching, act quickly to book yourself onto courses, and try and spread out the hours as much as possible.”
If possible, drivers are advised to try and spread out the training over the five-year period. “For example,” Richard says, “one day per year of training and set yourself reminders to complete training at regular intervals.
“Good training providers will have courses available to book for several months to come, so it would be a good idea to book your first course for the next cycle as soon as possible.”
He also says choose courses wisely: “Dedicate some of your training hours to courses which will increase your value to your current or future employer.”
Richard adds: “Examples of courses which may help with this goal are customer service focused courses, or fuel-efficient driving. Aside from your professionalism and driving, these are skills which employers will be impressed with, and may help with your career path.
“All courses should be set up in a way to be engaging and insightful, but choosing the right topics for you will help you to enjoy the course and get the most out of your driver CPC training.”
Finally, he says, do your training online. “Most training is available to do online at a time that suits you, so can be convenient to fit in around your work and personal life,” he says.
“The feedback we receive from delegates about online training is consistently positive; most saying they would not go back to classroom courses. It’s quicker as there is no commute time, easy to book and allows you to connect with drivers from across the UK. You can do all 35 hours of training from the comfort of your own home, which can make the process less stressful.”
