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WE ARE OPEN FOR CLASSROOM DRIVER CPC BOOKINGS
Call us now to book your CPC courses on 01384 442233

What is Driver CPC?

The Periodic Training Requirement

The Driver Certificate of Professional Competence, better known as Driver CPC or DCPC, is designed to ensure that all professional drivers, driving for “hire or reward”  attend 35 hours of approved "periodic training" every five years.  This has become known as “CPC refresher training” amongst drivers, commercial vehicle and passenger carrying vehicle operators.  Periodic driver training is designed to confirm and expand existing knowledge and skills of each driver,  to ensure that they continue to be safe, courteous, and fuel-efficient drivers.

Once 35 hours of approved driver CPC training has been completed, drivers are issued with a Driver Qualification Card (DQC) better known as a Driver CPC Card.  This is valid for five years.  The driver must attend a further 35 hours of training before the expiry date on the card to stay legal.  A new card is issued on completion of each 35 hours of training per five-year period.

What licence categories does it affect?

Category C, C+E, C1, C1+E, D, D+E, D1, D1+E.

Owner Drivers
The Certificate of Professional Competence for an owner driver will not cover you under the new regulations. The new Periodic Training syllabus follows a different curriculum and covers operational topics such as safe and fuel-efficient driving.

If you already have a full LGV or PCV licence
You will not have to take any kind of exam. But you will have to ensure that you undertake 35 hours of relevant Periodic CPC training in the five years from the start of the CPC training cycle - September 10th 2008 for PCV and 2009 for LGV. If you hold both C and D licences currently you will not have to undergo two separate Driver CPC's, one will cover both.

The CPC Training Syllabus
The driver cpc training covers regulations on Health, Road and Environmental Safety and Customer Service and Logistics.  Advanced training in rational driving based on safety regulations.

  1. Advanced training in rational driving based on safety regulations.
  2. Application of regulations
  3. Health, road and environmental safety, service, logistics

The training for PCV and LGV drivers differs but both disciplines will cover the basics of economical driving (use of the characteristics of the engine and transmission),  safety features (braking and retardation systems).  Other topics include drivers' hours regulations, tachograph regulations, the social environment of road transport, and responsibilities regarding initial qualification and periodic training. Further details can be found on the government website  here Periodic CPC Training Syllabus

Training Sessions
Periodic training can only be delivered by training bodies who have been approved by JAUPT (Joint Approvals Unit for Periodic Training). Each separate training session must last at least seven hours in 24-hour period, but those sessions can be spread over several years or delivered in one week.  The total requirement is for 35 hours training in a five-year period. Courses can be repeated to make up the 35 hours requirement.  The CPC courses do not have to be delivered by a single training body.   Each seven-hour course will be credited to the driver's record at the DVSA.  Once five courses have been completed and registered at the DVSA by the training body or bodies, a new CPC (Driver Qualification Card) will be issued to the driver at the appropriate time to ensure continuity of CPC entitlement.  If a driver  attends a sixth course in the five-year period before the expiry date on the current Driver CPC card, the sixth course cannot be registered and will not count towards any future 35 hour requirement. 

Penalties
The Police and DVSA officials will ask to see your Driver CPC card at roadside checks or if you have been involved in an accident. The driver may receive a fixed penalty fine of £50 if they are unable to produce the card.  Driving without CPC card carries a maximum fine of £1000 for both the driver and the operator licence holder. 

Driver CPC and Brexit
Leaving the EU will not change the requirement for drivers to hold a current CPC card. Although the regulations were created by a European Directive, the UK is a signatory to the AETR ( The European Agreement Concerning the Work of Crews of Vehicles Engaged in International Road Transport) .  To be able to continue to trade within the EU, the UK is required to remain a signatory of the AETR.  

Exemptions - the following are exempt

Driving a vehicle with a maximum authorised speed which does not exceed  45KM/H.

Driving a vehicle under the control of or used by the Armed Forces, Civil Defence, Fire Service or Forces responsible for maintaining law and order.

Road testing vehicles for technical development, repair or maintenance purposes, or for driver training.

Driving a vehicle carrying materials or equipment for use in the course of work, providing that driving that vehicle is not their principle activity.

These are a few examples of general exemptions.  The government have issued a more comprehensive  list of examples of when exemptions apply and when they do not which can be found here Driver CPC exemptions 

If you require more information please call us on 01384 442233 

How to carry out a driver CPC check of completed training hours with the DVSA

Drivers are required to complete 35 hours of approved periodic CPC training,  before the expiry date on their current Driver Qualification Card. 
This can be done using the government website. Link below. 
To do this, drivers will first need to register with the DVSA first using their driving licence number and home postcode. 
The DVSA will then send a password by post to the address they have on record which should match the current driving licence. 
The driver or employer can then use the government website to check CPC training records including 

How many hours of driver cpc training have been completed
Which courses have been attended
When their next Driver Qualification Card (DQC) will be issued
Create a temporary password for their employer to view their record 
View a  driver’s record if with the temporary password

Check Your Driver CPC periodic training hours

 A sample 35 hour, five-course, CPC training schedule

There never is a good time to take drivers off the road.  We will be pleased to work with you to minimise any disruption to you and your customers' operations. This may include running courses to fit in with your normal shift pattern,or running CPC courses over the weekend.
There is no requirement to do the courses over consecutive years or days. Providing the driver attends five CPC courses before the expiry date on their current CPC card,   a new card will be issued at the appropriate time. Drivers can not “bank” courses for future CPC cards.  If a driver attends a sixth course before the expiry date on their current CPC card, that course will not count towards any subsequent 35-hour requirement. 
We will be pleased to work with you to find the best option to ensure that your drivers complete their 35 hours of training in the required time scale.  

The majority of our driver CPC training courses are 3.5 hours long.  This gives you the opportunity to mix and match selected course topics that are relevant to your operation and that your drivers will find interesting and educational.

A typical five course programme could be 

1. Defensive Driving in the morning sessionplus Safe at Work in the afternoon.

2. Drivers Hours in the morning plus PCV Driving (for Bus & Coach drivers) or Vehicle Security for LGV drivers, in the afternoon.

3. Highway Code & Speed Awareness plus Fitness & Health.

4. The Professional Driver plus Motorways

5. Bridges & Heights plus Collisions & Incidents

A further option is to include  Professional Drivers First Aid – delivered by St John Ambulance - 7 hours

For further information call us now on 01384 442233

Course Location
Courses can be run on your premises anywhere in the UK, if you are able to provide a suitable training room.  We will check the room prior to the course to ensure that it meets basic JAUPT requirements.   We can provide all audio visual equipment.  We suggest that you provide refreshments during the day. If you do not have a suitable room we will work with you to find a suitable local venue such as a room hire in a locall leisure centre or library.

CPC Course Scheduling & the 35 hours requirement
Category D and C drivers who acquired their Driver Qualification Card (DQC) better known as a CPC card,  by sitting the hgv & bus driving four-part test after September 2008 or 2009 respectively, have five years from their test date to complete their 35 hours of Periodic Training.  This can be determined by the expiry date on their DQC.
The 35 hours can be phased over this period to suit you.  e.g.  7 hours per year for five years, or 14 hours in each of two years and 7 hours in one year, or any combination providing that the 35 hours is completed before the expiry date on the DQC. 
Drivers who acquired their first CPC card under acquired "grandfather rights" need to complete a further 35 hours of approved periodic (refresher) training by the expiry date on their card. 

CPC Course Timings,  Weekend Training & Course Size
Most courses  run between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. but earlier starts are welcome. A full seven hour session must be completed in one day.  Or the seven hours can be completed over two days providing that the second 3.5 hour session starts within 24 hours of the end of the first 3.5 hour session. 
We can run courses during the normal working week or on a Saturday or Sunday
We are registered with JAUPT to deliver courses for up to 15 delegates on one course. 

Driving Licences and Identification
Drivers must produce the appropriate documentation for identification purposes when attending each CPC course. 
The options are

A photo-card Driving Licence
A current Driver Qualification Card
A passport and an old style paper driving licence
An old style paper licence plus a digital tachograph card.

All documents must be originals, NO copies are permitted. Scans or copies held by employers are NOT acceptable.  If a driver fails to produce the appropriate documentation we will not be able to upload his attendance records to the DVSA register. Drivers undergoing a medical review, and not in possession of their driving licence, should hold a receipt from the DVLA; this will confirm their driving licence number. The driver will be able to attend the course provided that the driver can produce this receipt and relevant photographic ID from one of the items listed above. This can be verified against the DVLA receipt based on the driver's name and date of birth. 

If you require more information please call us on 01384 442233 

Attendance & DVSA Registration
Drivers must attend the full seven hours of training to qualify for having their seven hours attendance uploaded to the DVSA register.  Drivers failing to attend the full seven hours will not have their details registered with the DVSA so even their partial attendance will not count. Late arrivals or early leavers will not be registered as having attended.
Drivers completing seven hours training will have their details uploaded to the DVSA register.  Once a driver has completed 35 hours of training, the DVSA will issue a Driver Qualification Card (DQC) which is sent to the driver's home address before the expiry date of the old card. 

See How to Check your CPC hours.

Course Fees
The fee for a seven hour driver CPC course on your premises is £400 plus VAT per trainer day plus upload fees for a maximum of 15 drivers.  Upload fees are currently £8.75 per driver for each seven hour course and are recharged to you at cost. 
Professional Drivers First Aid is a seven hour course delivered by a St John Ambulance trainer.  Outside of the M25 the fee is £770 plus VAT for a maximum of 12 delegates plus £8.75 per driver upload fee.  The fee within the M25 is £870 plus VAT for a maximum of 12 delegates plus £8.75 per head upload fee. 

The New Four-Part Vocational Driving Test
Drivers sitting their HGV or PCV test for the first time, now have to sit a new four -part driving test.  Once they have passed all four parts, they are given a  Driver Qualification Card (DQC) - better known as a CPC card. 

The new four-part test consists of 

Module 1  Theory test  - 2.5 hours

Module 2  CPC case studies – theory -1.5 hours

Module 3  Driving practical test – 1.5 hours

Module 4  Driver CPC practical test – 0.5 hrs

Further details can be found on the government website  here Become a lorry or bus driver

All drivers, new and existing are then required to undertake 35 hours of training every five years,  to ensure that their DQC is current. This is known as Periodic Training as described above.
Only courses that have been approved and are being delivered by a training organisation that has been approved by the Joint Approvals Unit for Periodic Training (JAUPT) will count towards the Periodic Training requirement of 35 hours.

 If you require more information please call us on 01384 442233  or email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or complete the contact us form. 

 



JAUPT APPROVED DRIVER CPC TRAINING CENTRE AC00259

Defensive Driver Training

We are one of the UK’s leading corporate driver training companies specialising in providing Defensive and Advanced driving courses to wide variety of clients from almost every sector of the UK economy including banking, the petro-chemical industry, property,  pharmaceuticals,  electricity & gas,  energy generation and distribution, local authorities, NHS Trusts and government agencies... read more

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Defensive Driver Training Ltd, Pure Offices, Broadwell Road, Oldbury, West Midlands,
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