News

Motor Transport has learnt of a potentially cost-cutting loophole in the Driver CPC regulations.

An existing driver automatically receives their CPC in September 2009, giving them until September 2014 to complete their required 35 hours of periodic training. But this could be condensed in the first week of the new regulations, and in the next five-year round, from 2014 to 2019, could be carried out in the last week of August 2019.

So a driver can go almost 10 years without  periodic training – and operators who experience a high turnover of drivers could attempt to get away without providing driving if they suspect drivers will stay for less than five years. The DSA has confirmed that “the Directive would allow such a schedule of training”.

But FTA head of road freight policy Joan Williams says the FTA supports the leniency of timing the Directive gives operators. She points out that timing restrictions mean any extra training given to drivers in any one period would not count towards Driver CPC, and therefore could bring more cost to compliant operators.