Alterations to the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (DCPC) have been praised as a boost to UK road safety, writes Chris Tindall.
As well as cutting the minimum length of training courses from seven hours to 3.5 hours, other changes coming into effect on 3 December include the decoupling of e-learning from trainer-led courses and moves to encourage more flexibility in end of module assessments, as well as the introduction of an accelerated pathway for returning drivers.
The length of the entire course remains unchanged at 35 hours.
Chris Yarsley, Logistics UK senior policy manager, said: “The revisions to the Driver CPC ensure road safety is maintained while introducing much-needed flexibility into the training regime that will help retain drivers and ease the process for those returning to the industry.”
Driver Hire Training said the reforms made the Driver CPC a more accessible and flexible qualification, particularly the changes to e-learning.
“We know from driver feedback that the new type of course will be welcomed by drivers in their busy professional lives, as it allows them to be more flexible in doing their mandatory training, so we are assured drivers are going to welcome the change in December,” said John Keelan Edwards, Driver Hire Training MD.
Additional measures to speed up the process for drivers to return to driving a lorry if their Driver CPC has expired will come into force on 1 February 2025.
