Category: News

New National Driver CPC: What You Need to Know

A new type of National Driver CPC has now been introduced following the UK government consultation to reform the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (Driver CPC) requirements, aiming to address the ongoing shortage of drivers and improve retention. The consultation explored ways to make the training requirements less of a barrier to the industry.

Under EU regulations, professional drivers of Large Goods Vehicles (LGVs) and Passenger Carrying Vehicles (PCVs) — essentially trucks, coaches, and buses — must complete 35 hours of periodic training every five years to maintain their Driver CPC qualification, with training delivered in 7-hour blocks.

So, what’s changed?

• Reduced the minimum course length to 3.5 hours. Drivers can now complete 10 x 3.5-hour courses instead of 5 x 7-hour courses. (You still need to complete 35 hours in total every 5 years).
• Allowance for up to 12 hours of training to be completed online through e-learning.
• More flexibility for returning drivers, enabling them to return to the industry without completing all 35 hours (please check out our “Return to Driving” course).

A potential option for drivers requiring National CPC to pass a test instead of undergoing periodic training was also discussed, but remains under consideration.

The New Reality: More Flexibility, but More Confusion?

Whilst these changes sound promising on the surface, their implementation introduces a complex set of challenges.

Two types of driver CPC. National CPC vs International

A significant complication stems from the fact that the UK can only amend Driver CPC rules for domestic drivers, not those driving internationally. Consequently, two separate qualifications are being introduced: the National Driver CPC and the International Driver CPC.

• International Drivers: Those who require an EU or international Driver CPC must continue to complete the standard 35 hours of training as before. However, from February 2025, returning drivers can complete a 1-day “returning to driving” course to get back on the road, with the remaining 4 days to be completed within a year.
• National Drivers: UK-only drivers will benefit from the reduced course lengths and the ability to take 12 hours of e-learning. However, they still need to complete 35 hours of training over five years, but they can now attend shorter sessions

The Key Problem: Different CPCs

Here’s where the confusion lies. The National and International Driver CPCs are now treated as separate qualifications. This means drivers can’t mix and match between the two different courses to meet their 35-hour requirement. A driver who completes some international courses cannot later combine them with the shorter National courses to make up their hours — a critical point that has not been made clear!

For example, if a driver has been keeping their qualification up to date with 7-hour courses, they can’t simply switch to 3.5-hour National courses to meet the 35-hour requirement. Drivers must commit to one or the other for the entire five-year period.

This is a potential ticking bomb for drivers who inadvertently mix the two types of training, with the issue not becoming apparent until their qualification expires!

The Bigger Picture

Whilst the Driver CPC reforms do offer more flexibility, the National CPC may not address the root cause of the previous challenges. The tendency for drivers to leave their training until the last minute could still undermine the benefits of shorter courses. According to DVSA

“Data shows that lots of drivers leave their training until the last 6 months. In 2019, there were, on average, 5 times more training hours done a month compared to the same time in the previous year.”

The reality is that many drivers wait until their qualification has reached expiration and then attend a full five-day course — meaning the flexibility of 3.5-hour sessions with National CPC will have little impact for this majority.

Additionally, the issue of poor-quality training remains unresolved. The reforms don’t raise the bar for course providers, leaving drivers more focused on box-ticking exercise as opposed to developing meaningful knowledge and skills.

You can check out the government guidance here

How can Traxion Training help navigate the new National CPC requirements?

We’re committed to providing high-quality CPC training, ensuring our drivers benefit from relevant course content which is only delivered by experienced Transport Managers and industry experts.

We’ve made the decision to stick to the international system that everyone is used to for now and all of our courses are accredited for International CPC. We don’t have any plans to introduce National CPC courses as they’re not relevant to the majority of our clients. Check out our range of top-rated courses here

Please note that this information is correct at the time of writing, DVSA may move the goalposts again in the near future.

Will Driver CPC be scrapped? Proposed changes to Driver CPC in 2024!

In short, no, it won’t. The government have recently reviewed the Driver CPC requirements following the perceived Driver shortage in 2021. There were concerns that the CPC was a barrier to entry into the industry, leading some to speculate about the potential for Driver CPC to be entirely scrapped.

It has now been made clear that Driver CPC will not be scrapped. It will, however, be changing, and hopefully, Drivers will be given more flexibility in the future.

The proposals to reform the DCPC revolve around the idea of creating a more flexible national CPC, as well as continuing with the current international version. Drivers who wish to drive in the EU will not see any changes and will need to continue with the current 35-hour periodic training requirement. But if you only wish to be able to drive in the UK, then you will likely soon see more flexibility in the Driver CPC requirements, which calms fears of Driver CPC being scrapped.

The first change that we are likely to see is a reduction in the minimum course length. Currently, DCPC must be delivered in 7-hour “modules”. It is widely agreed (including by us at Traxion Training) that this is simply too long! The current proposal is to reduce this to a minimum of 3.5 hours, although Drivers will still have to complete 35 hours in total over 5 years, they will be able to do it in shorter “modules”. This would make it easier to fit training in around work and other commitments. All good in our opinion!

The next change, instead of Driver CPC being scrapped, is the likely introduction of E-learning in order to make up some of the hours. So instead of having to sit live, tutor-led sessions, Drivers will have the option to make up some of their requirements by sitting online courses at times to suit them. This will likely be useful to drivers who are more comfortable using online platforms, but probably won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.

Update 13th November 2024

The government has now confirmed that Driver CPC will not be scrapped, but the above changes will come into effect on the 03rd December 2024. This is relatively short notice after such a long wait, and it’s likely that there will be a lot of confusion from drivers and companies. Traxion will be continuing to deliver the standard 7-hour modules throughout 2024, and all of our courses will be accredited for both international and the new national CPC. You can check our course schedule and book on the home page here.

You can read the latest update here.

Test Option

There is also ongoing consultation about introducing a test option as part of the changes to Driver CPC, instead of periodic training (there’s no suggestion that mandatory tests will become part of the periodic training). Driver CPC will not be scrapped, but Drivers could sit an onscreen test, similar to a Theory Test, and if they pass, then they will not need to undergo any training. There’s no suggestion that the tests will be mandatory, and periodic training will always be an alternative option. This proposal will not be introduced in 2024, and no definite decisions have been made on whether it will ever actually be introduced, so the Driver CPC scrapping concerns are unfounded.