UK Wide - Low Cost Professional CPC Training Courses

CPC Training

Back in the early 2000s, there was a discussion within the European Union about introducing competency standards for drivers of heavy commercial vehicles. The purpose of the discussion was to determine whether or not a set of standards could be developed that would improve commercial driver safety throughout EU member countries. What began as an informal discussion resulted in the adoption of formal regulations that were progressively implemented throughout most of Western Europe starting in 2008.

Driver CPC requirements became official in the UK from 2013. Every PCV driver who had earned his or her initial driving licence prior to 10 September 2008 was given acquired rights, meaning no further CPC training would be necessary until the end of the first five-year period (10 September 2013). The same rules were applied to HGV drivers beginning the following year. PCV and HGV drivers earning their licences after the initial deadlines were required to undergo CPC training as part of their initial training regimen. They received CDC cards good for five years.

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That brings us to 2015. At this point, every driver required under the law to be CPC trained should already have a qualifying card in his or her possession. That card is proof that CPC training has been completed according to the mandate. A professional driver must carry that card with him/her whenever he/she is working. Drivers found without their cards are subject to specific penalties.

Who Needs Regular CPC Training

With Driver CPC requirements now in full force, virtually every PCV and HGV driver operating in EU member countries are required to fulfil the training mandate. There are some exceptions, although these are few. The Driving and Vehicle Standards Agency recommends every commercial driver in the EU assume he or she needs CPC certification by default. If there are any questions, they advise seeking legal counsel. The exceptions that do exist are ambiguous and may be applied on a case-by-case basis.

How individual drivers undergo training depends on their circumstances. Below is a short list of scenarios that should cover most drivers in the UK:

New Drivers – New drivers who have yet to earn a commercial driving licence will undergo the required 35 hours of CPC training as part of their initial training package. The CPC portion of the programme will culminate with a test based on case studies designed to demonstrate a driver’s competence.
Company Drivers – Company drivers with valid commercial licences must be retrained every five years. The training consists of 35 hours of classroom work followed by some sort of assessment. Some companies pay for the CPC training on behalf of their drivers; others do not.
Independent Contractors – Because independent contractors are self-employed, they are responsible for arranging their own training in the final year of their current certification. They can arrange training through the HGV Training Centre or another approved provider. Independent contractors must pay for their training themselves.
Public Sector Drivers – As with company drivers, public sector drivers may benefit from their employers arranging and paying for training on their behalf. But be advised that public sector drivers are not exempt from the rules. They must still be recertified every five years.

The HGV Training Centre provides CPC training to both individual and company drivers. The primary benefit of companies contracting with us is that they can train large numbers of drivers simultaneously. We can arrange a corporate training session that allows our clients to make maximum use of time and resources while still complying with the law.

What CPC Training Involves

We are often asked by both corporate and individual clients what goes into CPC training. In other words, what does it involve? What kinds of topics are covered? How long does it take?

Regulations stipulate that training must include 35 hours of classroom work every five years. Beyond that, our status as an approved training provider means we have significant latitude in developing training courses that meet the needs of our clients. The government does have standards as to what constitutes proper training, but those standards are very easy to meet.

We are able to offer a very broad range of training options that our clients can choose from. For example, you could go to the website of the governing organisation – the Joint Approvals Unit for Period Training – and search their database of available training courses anywhere in the UK. Pick your favourite city; say Manchester, for example. Searching the available courses in Manchester would yield a long list of options, including:

first aid
safe urban driving
hazardous materials handling
proper load securement
compliance for operators
road sharing principles
emergency response strategies
fuel efficiency standards.

We have barely scratched the surface with the above list. There are literally dozens of pages of course listings on the website just for Manchester alone. The point is this: companies such as the HGV Training Centre can create bespoke training programmes specifically tailored to the needs of your company and the drivers you employ. We are not limited to just one or two topics that may be irrelevant to what you do.

We Make Training Easy

It was never the government’s intention to make life miserable for operators through the CPC requirements. Quite to the contrary, the original regulations were implemented to improve what operators do by making their drivers fully competent to perform up to standards. That has not changed despite being six years into the programme.

The last thing we want at the HGV Training Centre is to create a situation where your CDC training is difficult. In fact, we work hard to make it as easy as possible for you. As your corporate driver training partner, we want you to be able to contact us with a list of drivers and a time frame for getting them trained, then be able to forget about it and count on us to take care of the rest.

How do we make training easy for corporate clients? Consider the following:

Convenience – With more than four dozen training locations throughout the UK, there is likely a centre within a short distance from your location. You will not have to travel hundreds of miles just to get your drivers trained and certified.
Bespoke Courses – Our ability to create bespoke training courses for clients means you can have your drivers trained in areas you know will enhance your business. In essence, our CPC training can double as professional development to make your drivers better employees.
Approved Training – The fact that we are an approved training provider means you do not have to worry about whether our courses are in compliance. As long as you see our approval number published at the bottom of our website, you can count on the courses we offer.

All of our CPC training is provided by expert instructors who are, themselves, experienced professional drivers. Many of them spent years on the road before coming to work with us. That is not an accident. We specifically seek out professionals we know can combine real-world experience with book knowledge. We do so with the understanding that the training they provide is superior to that of an instructor who has never worked in a real-world setting.

The CPC requirements are now the law of the land for all European Union member countries. There is no getting around it. Therefore, it is incumbent upon all HGV and PCV operators, along with independent contractors, to make sure drivers maintain compliance. Failure to do so could result in fines of up to £1,000 and a loss of one’s driving or operator’s licence. Do not take that chance. Instead, partner with us for all of your CPC training needs. We make training convenient, easy, and cost-effective.