Time is running out for any of your drivers who might need to drive C1 (7.5 tonne trucks) & D1 (minibuses) on business to complete their compulsory 35 hours Driver CPC training. Driver CPC training provides professional drivers, specifically driving passenger vehicles including minibuses, or goods vehicles over 3500kgs maximum weight, with a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence. All new PCV and LGV drivers require certificates (that they should normally undertake at the point of initial training); existing drivers must undertake periodic training, which consists of 35 hours of training every five years.

The first 5 year period runs out on 9th Sept this year/2014 and any drivers who might need to drive after this period won’t be able to do so legally.

Driver CPC provides a great opportunity for employers to improve driver knowledge and boost driving standards across their fleets. Driver CPC training has contributed enormously to the standard of professional driving in the UK.

While road safety and better qualified drivers will help reduce road casualties, effective Driver CPC training should also bring an improved professional and positive image to the profession, attracting more people who want to drive professionally. The qualification is aimed not only at improving the knowledge and skills of drivers when they start work, but also at ensuring these skills are maintained and developed throughout their working life.

Driver CPC requires all category C and D licence holders (including C1 and D1) to take part in 35 hours training every five years in order to maintain their CPC qualification. Whilst most companies will have fulfilled their training requirements over one day per year in the last five years to keep disruption to businesses to an absolute minimum, some are expected to be cramming the 35 hours training in to the next few months up to 9th September 2014.

Periodic driver training, as it is known, is designed to confirm and expand existing knowledge and skills of each driver to ensure that they continue to be safe, courteous and fuel-efficient drivers.

Only courses that have been recognised and delivered by a training organisation approved by the Joint Approvals Unit for Periodic Training (JAUPT) will count towards the periodic training requirement of 35 hours.

The Cardinus modular Driver Awareness Training course has been approved by JAUPT. The half-day modules show drivers drive how to drive as economically as possible, helping keep fuel costs down, and as safely as possible, cutting accident rates and repair/maintenance costs. Combine any 2 modules for a full-day of training.

Half-day Modules included in the course are:

• Incident Analysis Seminar
• Driver Awareness Training Seminar
• Vehicle checks and defect recording – do drivers really know what to look for?
• Fuel and Cost Saving Seminar
• Eco-Safe Driving (practical on-road Driver Awareness Training)
• Low Speed Incident Avoidance Seminar
• Drivers Hours and Tachographs (the most common offences committed unwittingly by drivers)
• Health & Safety Legislation in Road Transport

There are also full-day training courses (7 hours) on:

• Greener City Driving (helping drivers to understand and reduce the environmental impacts of goods vehicles in communities (especially in respect of air quality)
• Safer City Driving – underlining the importance of taking care around the more vulnerable road users in cities – pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists

For more information about Driver CPC and all other types of Cardinus driver training and fleet risk management programmes, please contact Cardinus by completing the online contact form or email [email protected].