The Government has announced reforms to the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (DCPC), the continual professional development which is carried out throughout a professional HGV driver’s career. Currently, drivers must undertake a block of 35 hours’ training every five years.
The Government proposals include the following reforms for drivers operating in the UK to be introduced in the summer of 2024:
1. Reducing the minimum course length from 7 hours to 3.5 hours. The total of 35 hours every five years remains.
2. Decoupling e-learning from trainer-led courses to allow more at-home learning.
3. In spring 2025, introducing a fast route for drivers to return to the workforce through a 7-hour course.
4. The existing qualification will remain for drivers who operate internationally.
Chris Yarsley, Senior Policy Manager, Road Freight Regulation at Logistics UK said the new regulations will introduce more flexibility and better targeted training for the businesses on which the whole of the economy relies:
He explained: “Road safety is the bedrock on which professional drivers operate and the Driver CPC regime is at the heart of this commitment. As we enter the next five-year cycle of training and qualifications for the nation’s HGV drivers, Logistics UK is heartened to see that government’s new legislation will provide more flexibility for professional drivers to undertake training in smaller blocks of time (35 hours in blocks of 3.5 hours is now permitted, rather than blocks of 7hrs) while still attaining the standards required.
“The increased flexibility that the new legislation will permit will enable logistics businesses to keep goods moving through the supply chain, while ensuring that their drivers remain up to date on key professional driving legislation.”
Yarsley said the changes will also provide more e-learning opportunities (12 hours of training will be permitted in the total of 35 hours) to give drivers time to complete training away from the classroom, and enable lapsed drivers to return to the sector more easily via a seven hour access course, which will help to ease the pressure on driver vacancies
He continued: “Under the new legislation, to be laid before Parliament in the spring, lapsed drivers will be able to start their return to the workforce with a seven hour course which will provide driving rights for one year while they complete their full CPC qualification.
“This is good news for businesses still finding it hard to recruit new drivers to the sector, and ease the passage back into the workforce for those returning to the industry – with time available for them to undertake their full CPC training.”
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) said it has long campaigned for reform of Driver CPC to increase its flexibility whilst acknowledging the importance of continuous training to ensure professionalism and safety standards are maintained.
Declan Pang, RHA Director of Public Affairs and Policy, England, said: “We support the proposals for greater flexibility in how the 35 hours of training is delivered, greater use of e-learning and a fast route for returning drivers.”
However, RHA and Logistics UK both cautioned the government over another of the proposed reforms to Driver CPC legislation, which would replace training with a periodic test, of around 50 questions.
Yarsley said: “HGV driving is, by its nature, one of the most heavily regulated industries in the economy for a reason – the risks involved for drivers and other road users cannot be overlooked. The industry remains concerned by this proposal, which would replace training with a periodic test – in the opinion of our members, this will not provide sufficient assessment and evaluation to ensure drivers’ abilities are fully tested and should simply be discounted now.
“The safety of all road users is of paramount importance, and along with the rest of the industry, Logistics UK will maintain the logistics sector’s pressure on government to ensure that professional drivers can continue to move goods both in the UK and overseas safely and effectively.”
Pang added: “We believe the periodic test alone is not in line with maintaining safety standards unless it is combined with mandatory training. Therefore, if a test option was to be introduced, it can only be alongside formal training.”
The reforms will effectively create two DCPC routes in 2024 – national and international. The Department for Infrastructure (DFI) in Northern Ireland has confirmed they will replicate these reforms in the region.
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