Government announces major review into Driver CPC training

Drivers currently need to undergo 5 days of periodic training every 5 years to ensure they remain fully qualified to drive heavy goods vehicles and buses professionally and up to date with road safety standards.

The review will look at how the process can be updated to reduce the burden on drivers – both returning and new – whilst keeping standards high, and ensure it doesn’t act as a barrier to working in the sector, as the government continues to bolster supply chains and tackle the global driver shortage here in the UK.

The review will explore whether:

• different training requirements should apply for more seasoned drivers   
• the current requirement for 35 hours’ (5 working days’) periodic training should be more evenly spread over the 5-year period, advice is already to even it out   
• drivers new to Driver CPC should cover a specific range of topics    
• durations for each training course are rigid as they currently last a minimum of 7 hours (or split into 3.5 hour session across 2 days) 
• the scope of Driver CPC including where it includes non-professional drivers  
• there should be more of an obligation for employers to support drivers with the cost of training
• Driver CPC qualifications obtained in the EU should continue to be recognised in the UK for drivers moving to live and work here   

Recommendations from the review are expected to be made by the end of the year.