The only qualification you need to get behind the wheel of a truck is a driving licence for that class of vehicle. But this will change on 10 September 2009, when the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence takes effect.
To date, the CPC has been the territory of the transport manager. Three years from now, however, LGV drivers will be required to train for their own CPCs. David Shepherd, the E-assessment new development manager at the Driving Standards Agency, says the driver CPC will
be the equivalent of a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) level 2 or 3.
Its main aim, he explains, will be to minimise accidents. Every year there are about 3,500 fatalities on UK roads. Trucks are involved in only a small proportion of road traffic accidents: in 2003, he says, 480 people died in accidents involving LGVs.
But there's plenty of room for improvement. "Road safety is a key issue," he says. "The Driver CPC is one way to improve the skill and knowledge of drivers, to cut down on the dead and seriously injured on the roads."
Drivers pick up a wealth of experience, but this knowledge is difficult to quantify. It's not a tangible commodity. The forthcoming CPC, however, has been designed to incorporate tried-and-tested road transport skills. "The CPC will formalise whatever is good practice," says Shepherd.
The Driver CPC will also allow 18-year-olds to drive trucks (see panel, Openings for Teenagers).
A driver who gains
his heavy goods licence on or after 10 September 2009 must train for the Initial Qualification. LGV drivers who already hold a heavy goods licence will automatically be granted grandfather rights, and will not need to take the Initial Qualification.
But they will still have to undergo the Periodic Training. There will be no written tests for the established drivers, but the DSA will have a database showing the training that they have received.
Candidates who take the Initial Qualification will have to work through a series of case studies, and answer a series of multiple-choice questions. "The case studies will allow us to delve a bit deeper into the candidate's knowledge of the subject," he says (see panel).
The Driver CPC really gets into its stride with the Periodic Training. All drivers will be required to undertake this.
"It will be 35 hours' training over a five year period," Shepherd explains. "This can be done in one week, or a day at a time, in a seven-hour block". There will be a combination of theory and practical training: "It certainly covers a wide range of skills that a professional driver must have." Legally, it will be the responsibility of the driver to earn the CPC, although operators will have a duty to check that this has been done. Training can be handled in-house or externally; but in either case it must be done by accredited trainers.
Shepherd moves onto the syllabus, stressing "the importance of balanced, healthy eating". By this he is referring to the holistic training approach that is central to the Driver CPC. The right skills balance makes for a well-rounded modern LGV driver, and the training will be equally far-reaching, from safe and efficient driving to first aid and environmental issues. The Periodic Training will be comprehensive, but Shepherd stresses "the training will be suited to the needs of the driver" so candidates will be able to adapt the information to their line of work.
The Driver CPC is a far reaching slice of legislation, and Shepherd says the powers-that-be will keen to see that the industry complies: "The message we are getting from Vosa is that it will be enforced from day one."
Contact: http://www.dsa.gov.uk/
The second CM Compulsory Training Conference will take place on 28 September.
Contact: Shiva Hobson on 020 8652 3094
It will be possible to take a series of four modular tests to integrate existing heavy goods vehicle driving licences with the new driver CPCs.
Candidates will be able to take these courses at the same time to help develop their truck driving careers.
Unlike the existing transport manager CPC, the driver CPC will not require candidates to write essays; instead they will take multiple-choice tests.
The Initial Qualification will have to be taken by all LGV drivers who gain their licences on or after 10 September 2009. It will come in two parts:
Two parts, four hours in total: Multiple-choice questions and a series of hazard perception clips, 2 hours; and case studies, 1 hour.
Again, two parts, two hours in total: A driving test with "show me, tell me" - for example how to check your tyre pressures - lasting 1 hour; and a 30-minute practical test on vehicle safety and understanding the vehicle.
Fitters drive LGVs in the course of their work, but they will not be required to gain the Driver CPC for these brief test runs.
Drivers in the emergency services will be exempt too, as are what Shepherd describes as "incidental drivers" - builders, and the like.
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