Government to Abolish CPC Qualification for Mechanics

As you probably already know, all HGV drivers wishing to continue working professionally as of September next year (2013) must earn CPC qualification. As written, the certification requirement also applies to mechanics and valets who operate the vehicles only over short distances. However, that’s set to change come autumn.

According to an official government announcement, two exceptions will be made to the CPC qualification requirements to take into account the nature of the driving routinely done by valets and mechanics. The first exception has to do with delivery of the vehicle in question.

As long as a mechanic or a valet delivers vehicles under the following standards, he or she will be exempt from CPC training:

• vehicles must be delivered within 50 km of the driver’s home base
• vehicles cannot be transporting any cargo or passengers
• the delivery cannot include anything that would be considered driving for hire
• driving cannot be the mechanic or valet’s primary job.

A second exception will be implemented for mechanics who must drive HGVs short distances for the purposes of repairing and testing them. The changes are expected to positively affect some 76,000 workers throughout Europe.

Don’t Neglect Your Training

The professional staff at the HGV Training Centre welcomes the regulatory changes as very good news. There is no need to saddle valets and mechanics with the expense of CPC qualification when they barely spend any time driving HGVs. Nevertheless, to full-time professional drivers we say this: do not neglect your training.

Similar regulations have been implemented for PCV drivers as well. Yet their deadline is September of this year as opposed to the HGV deadline for next year. A good number of PCV drivers have failed to get their CPC training and are now in jeopardy of losing their jobs.

In early July, a PCV carrier was even prevented from continuing to operate because the company had not yet begun CPC training for its drivers. The government is serious about this training, so you need to get it taken care of if you want to keep working.

The good news is that the HGV Training Centre can provide CPC driver training to both individuals and company drivers. If you are a fleet manager, we can help you make sure all of your drivers are CPC qualified in short order. You only need to contact us so we can get the program started.

As for individual drivers, the HGV Training Centre has more than 45 facilities around the country. There is probably one near you. As soon as you get in touch with us, we can get the ball rolling on completing your CPC training. Better to do it now before you forget about it and eventually run out of time.

Individuals interested in starting a new career as a professional driver need not worry about CPC training as a separate entity. It is included in all current training programs for new drivers. You will have to undergo remedial training every few years.