The process for the legislation to be laid in Parliament has been restarted by Gov’t for the reforms to the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (DCPC).  The date the debate will take place is still to be confirmed.

At this point there is nothing for trainers to do, but DVSA has advised they will update on progress, including details on new National Driver CPC courses and when and where to access them if the reforms go ahead.

What are the reforms?

The reforms were recommended following a consultation with the vocational driver and training industry, you can read more details about the recommended reforms on GOV.UK.

The reforms include:

•            introducing a National Driver CPC that will cover driving a lorry,  bus or coach in the UK

•            allowing training courses to be done in blocks of 3.5 hours rather than the current 7 hours to allow greater flexibility

•            decoupling e-learning from trainer led courses

•            speeding up the process for drivers whose Driver CPC has run out to return to driving a lorry of bus coach in the UK.

This work is still ongoing; these changes aim to be introduced in late 2024 or early 2025.

Introducing a periodic test

The results from the 2023 consultation on introduction of a test were mixed. DVSA will continue to keep under review the possibility of the introduction of a test.