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The government is carrying out a review of Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) to see how it can be improved to help ease HGV driver shortages.
The review is the latest of 30 government measures to support the road haulage sector and encourage more drivers to return to the profession.
The review will be informed by input from a wide range of stakeholders, including representatives of drivers, road transport operators, employers, trainers and road safety groups.
The review will explore whether:
- different training requirements should apply for more seasoned drivers
- the current requirement for 35 hours’ (5 working days’) periodic training should be more evenly spread over the 5-year period, advice is already to even it out
- drivers new to Driver CPC should cover a specific range of topics
- durations for each training course are rigid as they currently last a minimum of 7 hours (or split into 3.5 hour session across 2 days)
- the scope of Driver CPC including where it includes non-professional drivers
- there should be more of an obligation for employers to support drivers with the cost of training
- Driver CPC qualifications obtained in the EU should continue to be recognised in the UK for drivers moving to live and work here
The government continues to work with the industry to look at new ways to encourage vocational driver recruitment and retention to help tackle the driver shortage.
Industry leaders have told the government that Driver CPC needs reform.
Whilst Driver CPC aims to keep driving standards high, some drivers are left to pay for the training themselves and are not paid whilst attending their training course.
The review will look at how it can be updated to reduce the burden on returning and new drivers, and ensure it does not act as a barrier to working in the sector whilst maintaining road safety standards.
We will keep you updated on the review and how you can have your say as the review progresses.
Recommendations from the review will made by the end of the year.
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