If you have a Driver CPC qualification, odds are you know exactly what it takes to get it. You probably also know that it doesn’t last forever. If you want to keep your qualification, you will need to complete refresher training at regular 5-year intervals. And the next 5-year deadline is fast approaching. This time 5 years ago, the HGV industry was booming with new drivers all going through their training, so most HGV drivers will need to have completed their Driver CPC refresh by the 19th of September this year, or risk losing their licence and their livelihood. But so far, barely any have completed the mandatory training hours required for the qualification. So today we ask, why? And what can we do to change things?
Well, there are a lot of reasons for this. But experts did some interviews and talked to a lot of haulage companies and drivers, and they narrowed the delay in training down to 4 reasons:
Of course, budgets get cut, time is short and there are many other pressures and priorities in the haulage industry. But none of them are a good enough reason to avoid re-doing training, or miss the deadline and risk losing your CPC license.
Let’s start with the first one. Yes, there is a chance that Brexit could change things in the future. But that is a very long term future. The government has already stated that no matter what the results of the Brexit discussions (deal or no deal), no changes will be made to the Driver CPC laws for at least 1-2 years. So even if Brexit goes through as a no-deal option, you will need to complete your Driver CPC retraining. The rules aren’t going to change by the 19th of September, so you should act as though they aren’t going to change.
The Driver CPC is there to ensure all HGV drivers on the road meet a certain basic standard of professional competency. And because we’re all prone to picking up bad habits or forgetting things, every 5 years the government requires you to re-take the training and prove that you still meet those standards. So if your CPC is nearing the 5-year limit (as thousand’s of drivers are), then you need to re-do the training, and soon. We say soon because we know that spaces in training courses will fill up fast, and the closer you get to the deadline the harder it will be to find a place. When you do, it will likely be with a second-rate trainer that will cost you twice as much. Plus, it could cause more problems for your employer (and yourself), since you will have to be off the road for several days in one go to complete it. If you don’t manage to get everything done before the deadline, then your licence will expire and you won’t be able to drive professionally again.
So, if you’re one of the drivers out there who has been delaying re-doing their 5-year Driver CPC, we have a message for you. Don’t put it off any longer. Get yourself booked on to a course at a decent training centre (like us) and take your time in redoing your qualification. That way you can plan the time in an effective way, get everything done way ahead of schedule and avoid all the stress of the last-minute rush.
At The LGV Training centre, we work with drivers and haulage firms to help ensure all drivers have up to date qualifications. Whether that’s starting out your first driving qualification, or re-doing your CPC for the third time in your career, we’re here to help. If you’d like to get your Driver CPC done and out of the way before the deadline on the 19th of September, just get in touch with our team today.