You must do 35 hours of periodic training every 5 years to keep your Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) to drive a lorry over 3.5 ton, a mini bus or coach.
You can be fined up to £1,000 for driving professionally Without Driver CPC.
You do not need the driver CPC for social or domestic driving; there are exemptions, refer to the government website for further details.
To check how many hours of training you have completed visit the DVSA website >>
You only need to complete one set of training every 5 years if you drive both lorries and buses professionally. To keep your Driver CPC, you need to do 35 hours of training before your next 5-year deadline, which is shown on your Driver Qualification Card.
It’s illegal to drive professionally if you have not completed the 35 hrs within the deadline. Once the deadline has passed you just need to attend the 35 hr course to be able to use your license for work again.
Drivers with ‘acquired’ or ‘grandfather’ rights means you didn’t have to take the Driver CPC initial qualification (part 2 & part 4 of the driving test) check how many hours of training you’ve done.
You have acquired rights if you got your vocational licence before the dates shown in the table.
*You have 6 years to do your second block of training if you have acquired rights for both lorries and buses and finished your first block of training by 9 September 2013.
If you have acquired rights
If you have acquired rights you can either:
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Complete 35 hours of Driver CPC periodic training
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Take and pass the Driver CPC part 2 (case studies) and part 4 (practical demonstration) tests
You can only choose the test option once. After that, you must take periodic training to keep your qualification in the future.
Now we have completed the first 5 years of training our courses have been changed to be more of a refresher of subject matter rather than a lecture on a specific area. The classroom based course is compiled of a series of multiple choice questions; there is a brief storyline giving the case scenario and then 7 or 8 questions which are approached as a group. The instructor will explain a subject area where there is a need before proceeding to the next question.
We also provide an in cab driving cpc which can be incorporated into a refresher course or driving course.
Training sessions are run on a regular basis in Norfolk, Essex, Hertfordshire and London.
Training can also be provided on site where facilities are suitable.