Driver Certificate of Professional Competence

What is driver CPC?

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has introduced the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence for all category C and D licence holders (including C1 and D1), with limited exemptions. Holders will need to take part in 35 hours training every 5 years in order to maintain their CPC.

Members will need to make sure that any employees holding a category C and D driving licence who are moving goods vehicles and minibuses in connection to the rental business, e.g. delivery and collection, annual test and inter-branch movements, would need to complete their periodic training within 5 years of the introduction of CPC - category D by September 2013, category C by September 2014. New drivers' obtaining category C and D on their driving licence will have to obtain a driver CPC before being awarded this category on their licence.

What does the training cover?

The training has a series of objectives including:

Knowledge of the technical characteristics and operation of the safety controls in order to control the vehicle, minimise wear and tear and prevent dis-functioning.
Ability to optimise fuel consumption.
Awareness of the risks of the road and of accidents at work.
Ability to prevent criminality and trafficking in illegal immigrants.
Ability to prevent physical risks.
Ability to assess emergency situations.

How do I get further information?

Our fact sheet provides a full overview of the driver CPC and can be accessed by clicking here.

If members would like information on driver CPC training the following links should be able to assist:
Driving Standards Agency

Approved training providers

Exemption for members' employees

We have been lobbying extensively for member's employees to be exempt from driver CPC through demonstrating that this legislation places a disproportionate cost on our industry as movement of goods or passenger vehicles is incidental to the majority of our employees duties. The estimated cost for affected members completing the periodic training for all employees who may be driving commercial vehicles or minibuses is calculated to be around £5 million per annum. The cost of training just one new driver with the relevant category on their driving licence is estimated to be around £1700. This investment in a new driver is particularly burdensome especially when related back to the fact that only 50% of what they are learning is relevant.

We have therefore asked that the sector is exempt under the incidental use clause, which for example allows a builder who moving bricks from a builders yard to site to not comply with the legislation.

Both DfT and DSA have argued that the Directive exists to improve the professionalism of those who drive affected vehicles as part of their work to protect road safety. There view is that the exemption relating to incidental use does not seem relevant in a scenario of someone who valets a vehicle then returns it to the client. This is because the vehicle is not carrying material or equipment for use in the course of the driver's work, which is the foundation of the exemption clause rather than the percentage of time someone is employed to drive.

What are the next steps?

We are currently looking at how we can lobby in Europe to change this interpretation as it is clear from our research that other Member States are not requiring rental companies to comply with the legislation and therefore the UK is gold-plating the implementation of the directive.