Driver Certificate of Professional Competence
	What is the Driver CPC? The Driver CPC is a scheme for LGV (and PCV drivers) who drive professionally throughout the UK. It is being developed as a requirement of the EU Directive 2003/59, which is designed to improve the knowledge and skills of professional LGV and PCV drivers throughout their working life. When will the Driver CPC scheme start? Legislation to underpin the Driver CPC will be in place by 22nd March 2007 and the Driver CPC for LGV drivers must be implemented by 10 September 2009. How will the Driver CPC affect me? Depending on your individual circumstances will determine how you acquire the Driver CPC. New drivers acquiring a vocational entitlement (C1, C1+E, C or C+E licence) after the 10th September 2009 will have to obtain an initial CPC in addition to their licence. Existing drivers who already hold a vocational licence on the 10th September 2009 are exempt from the initial CPC. This is known as "acquired rights". What will happen once I have my Driver CPC? Irrespective of when or how a driver obtains the Driver CPC, he/she must complete a total of 35 hours Periodic Training within the following five years to keep the Driver CPC valid. LGV Drivers acquiring the Driver CPC via acquired rights will have to complete their periodic Driver CPC by September 2014. The story so far... Skills for Logistics has been involved in all the working groups that have been meeting, normally on a monthly basis, over the last year. These working groups also have representatives from a number of different stakeholders who have an interest in the Driver CPC, including the RHA, FTA and the trade unions. Extensive development work has been required for the extra testing that is required by the Initial Driver CPC. This has included increasing the bank of theory test questions to allow for the increase to 100 multiple choice questions, developing new hazard perception clips and developing the case studies that are part of the initial qualification. For the practical test and extra 10 minutes has been added on, plus a new 30 minute ‘show me, tell me’ module had to be developed to meet the requirements of the initial driver CPC. Another strand to the work as been to develop the process for approving training providers and courses for the delivery of Periodic Training. The Periodic Training working group put together a document called the ‘Guide to Periodic Training for Employers and Training Providers’, designed to inform all those organisations who are interested in becoming approved to deliver Periodic Training. This includes organisations who wish to deliver periodic training ‘in house’ to their own employees as well as those who are selling training to third parties. This document was first published in February 2007. The two sector skills councils, Skills for Logistics and GoSkills are working in partnership and have been tasked by the DSA to develop and administer the approvals process. A jointly run organisation, the Joint Approvals Unit for Periodic Training (JAUPT), was set up in February 2007, and became registered company in August 2007. This organisation is managed jointly by the 2 SSC’s, and has been approving training centres and courses over the last few months. As of August 2007 there are 8 LGV centres, 15 LGV & PCV centres and 21 PCV centres, along with 16 LGV courses, 5 LGV & PCV courses and 28 PCV courses approved. What happens next? Work is still ongoing with developing case studies and the extra practical test module. All of these strands of work are being led by the Driving Standards Agency with input from a variety of stakeholders. The theory test questions were increased from 35 to 60 in April 2007, and will be increased to 100 in July 2008. The number of hazard perception clips in the theory test will be increase from 14 to 19 in April 2008. This theory test, along with the appropriate practical test, will have to be taken by both PCV and LGV drivers from this date. From the 10th September 2009 LGV drivers will also have to do the 3 case studies and the half hour extra practical test module that constitute the initial Driver CPC. The Joint Approvals Unit for Periodic Training (JAUPT), has completed a major review of the ‘Guide to Periodic Training for Training Providers and Employers’ taking into account all the feedback that has been received from providers who have submitted applications for centre and course approvals. This revised Guide was published in October 2007. They are also finalising the details of the course review and centre audit processes so these will be in place for the implementation date. All this is ongoing development that is constantly being reviewed in the light of experience Approval for training centres will last 5 years, although if applications are made before September 2009 (LGV) the initial approval period will actually last until September 2014 (LGV). Approval for courses will be annually – courses will have to be reviewed by the JAUPT to ensure they are kept up to date and to monitor the quality of their delivery. Courses must be at least 7 hours long (excluding breaks), and up to a maximum of 35 hours. The start date for course approval will be September 2009 (LGV) whenever the course is actually approved prior to this date, although any courses that are approved during 2007 will need to be resubmitted in September 2009 (LGV) (without additional charge) to ensure they are still current. For more information and a copy of the ‘Guide to Periodic Training for Training Providers and Employers’ please go to For more information and a copy of the ‘Guide to Periodic Training for Training Providers and Employers’ please go to www.drivercpc-periodictraining.org
	26/02/2008 10:18:34