New Drivers: CPC Qualification Applies to Operators Too

Brand-new drivers who complete their training at the HGV Training Centre will earn their initial CPC qualification cards along with obtaining their commercial driver’s licences. A qualification card is good for five calendar years from the date it is received; during those five years, the driver must undergo an additional 35 hours of remedial training to renew the card for another five years. If you are new driver yourself, you should be aware that the CPC qualification applies to operators too.

Why is this important to you? Because looking for your first job as a lorry driver likely means you will be in contact with quite a few different employers looking to hire you as quickly as possible. The current driver shortage is so profound that operators are aggressively competing for new drivers. If you suspect any operator offering you a job is not doing things on the up and up, it may be worth your while to see if you can discover whether the company is CPC compliant.

Regulators Are Not Playing Games

As a demonstration of how important the CPC qualification is for operators, consider a recent story run by Commercial Motor on its website. The story detailed an HGV driver (who is also an operator) stopped at a weighbridge on the M62 last summer. Upon discovering the man did not have the required CPC qualification as a driver or operator, he was cited by the authorities and successfully prosecuted.

The resulting sentence removed one of the company’s three vehicles from the road for 16 days. Fines of £200 for the driver and £300 for the company were also assessed. During the prosecution, regulators looked at both directors of the company as well. They told the directors that they would have to take an operator licence awareness course, undertake additional corrective action for the company, and undergo a complete audit to make sure all of the company’s systems are properly managed and monitored.

CPC Training for Drivers and Operators

As you can see, regulators do not take kindly to operators skirting the CPC qualification requirements. It is just as important for your employer to be CPC certified as it is for you. Keep that in mind when looking for a job. That does not mean you should be asking to see an operator’s licence when applying for work, just that you need to be aware in case you suspect something is not quite right with a prospective employer. No need to put yourself in harm’s way.

As for operators, there is no point in putting your business at risk by not meeting the CPC qualification requirements. The HGV Training Centre makes qualifying easy and convenient by offering recognised training at more than four dozen facilities throughout the UK. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us for more information about your own CPC qualification. We can custom design government approved CPC training courses to meet the specific needs of your business and drivers.

Sources:

Commercial Motor – http://www.commercialmotor.com/news/o-licence-curtailed-after-driver-caught-without-driver-cpc