Management urged to pay heed to driver CPC training deadline

Those of us engaged in the management of lorry drivers or, as in my case, writing about the subject, have to one degree or another been aware of the subject of the Driver Certificate of Competence, better known as the Driver CPC, for almost ten years. It was in 2003 that a European Union directive was adopted which would require licensed and qualified drivers of commercial vehicles to undergo an additional period of 35 hours training during every five year period. The regulations were introduced in the cause of improved road safety across Europe.

For bus and coach drivers the clock started ticking on this additional requirement from 10 September 2008. And for lorry drivers from 10 September 2009. Thus PSV drivers are required to complete the so called ‘periodic’ training by September this year, 2013, and HGV drivers by September next year, 2014.

I mention these dates very specifically because over recent weeks there seems to have been considerable confusion regarding precisely what they are, who they apply to, and what they represent.  I have seen press releases from highly reputable companies recalled because they have quoted the wrong dates and/or the wrong categories. And I have had a bit of my own work amended to the wrong dates before, luckily, I had the chance to put them back to the right ones. A lot of misunderstanding. 

So if training suppliers and the printed word is confused then it is not surprising if drivers and operators are themselves getting it wrong. Just to confirm for readers of HSS, with overwhelming priorities to HGV drivers rather than PSV drivers, the due date for completion of the first cycle of periodic training is 10 September 2014. Trust me! That’s the date. And, just to discount another rumour that was flying round a few months ago, there will be no amnesty, no late extension to the date, no dilution of the requirement. The Department for Transport and its ministers have spoken!

Predictably, the plans for this additional training, bringing with them unwelcome costs, operational problems, and extra administration, have been, over the last ten years, greeted with a very wide range of opinions stretching from those thinking them totally unnecessary and a big pain, through to others regarding them as no trouble at all.

Red tape and regulation is never welcome and the road transport industry has always had more than its fair share in the interest of promoting safe operation in a sector that unavoidably carries out its work alongside other road users and the general public. And in fact nobody could deny that the consequence of this increased regulation has been a dramatic improvement in lorry safety over the last 40 years.

The Driver CPC was designed to further improve that situation. But, of course, in 2003 few would have predicted the length and depth of the economic recession coinciding almost exactly with the first cycle of the periodic training requirement and putting yet another stress on hard pressed transport operators.

Aside from the requirement for training to be in minimum packages of seven hours, the regulations are very flexible. Although training providers need to be approved, the content of the programme is at the discretion of the operator and driver, there is no test or exam at the end of the process, and the 35 hours could or can be taken at any moment throughout the five years – perhaps one day per year, or all 35 in one week on the very deadline. And, let’s face it, a company that cannot spare the time and money to train key operatives for just one day each year, is probably not going far!

As such, not surprisingly, a more than popular subject for driver training at a time when the world price of oil and UK diesel prices have gone through the roof, has been economic driving and fuel efficiency. With some trainers claiming that there is scope for an astonishing reduction in fuel consumption of 25 per cent between bad drivers and good drivers such training pays for itself and better in a day!

But, with the driver playing such a vital role in the whole logistics operation, there are many more subjects which will deliver a worthwhile pay-off for the operator. Safe vehicles, legal compliance, customer care, first aid, tachographs and record keeping, operator licensing, dangerous goods and so much more. Just check the internet to discover some innovative options designed to enhance driver skills for the benefit of himself and his boss.

Despite initial concerns, three and a half years into the first cycle it does seem that the industry is keeping pace with the scheduled requirement and that the vast majority of drivers will complete the process on time. However, the smart operator will not want to delay things until the last minute, bringing with it the prospect of stressed availability of courses, higher prices, possibly lower standards, and drivers being put off the road for more days than is operationally desirable.

The advice for those already into the process must be to keep up to date and plan carefully for the next eighteen months. For those that have not started yet – well, get going as soon as possible.

But the best advice of all is not to treat these regulations as an unwelcome piece of boring obligation, but as an opportunity to fine tune and improve the performance of drivers to the benefit of the operator and his customers. Smarter drivers improve reputation, reduce costs and enhance efficiency. The fact that the extra training is compulsory should be neither here nor there.