Just obtaining a license and relaxing for the whole life – this may not be the case with a bus, coach or lorry driver! The permanent driving license will not suffice any more now! Under a new European Union Directive, all professional drivers need to hold a Driver CPC additionally. Now if this Driver CPC has to be kept valid lifelong, the owner has to appear for a periodic training of 35 hours.
On the other hand new drivers of such vehicles can obtain their Driver CPC by clearing Initial Driver CPC tests that consist of 4 modules: theory test, case studies, test driving ability test, practical demonstration test. Thereafter they too need to abide by the directive and undergo a 35 hours’ periodic training every five years.
Features:
- 35 hour periodic training is best when done from approved training centres.
- This training is usually in blocks of 7 hours, split into two parts, the second part must start within 24 hours of the first part ending.
- Drivers can check their Driver CPC periodic training record online to see how many hours they are done with.
- There is no pass or fail element to these tests.
- Each new five-year period will begin from the expiry date of the driver's current CPC qualification, and not from the date on which they reached the 35 hours minimum training requirement.
- Drivers of PCV vehicles prior to 10 September 2008 need to complete 35 hours of training and have their Driver Qualification Card (DQC) issued and received by 9 September 2013.
- Drivers of LGV vehicles prior to 10 September 2009 need to complete training and have their card issued and received by 9 September 2014.
- Drivers holding a vocational license for buses, coaches and lorries need to do one set of periodic training.
- The next period of training can start from 10 September 2013 for PCV drivers or 10 September 2014 for LGV drivers but must be completed before the expiry date of their Driver Qualification card.
