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What is the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence?


There are numerous abbreviations and acronyms used in the driving industry – and it is important that they are understood and the relevant regulations adhered to. In the case of the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC), those who drive a large goods vehicle (LGV) over 3.5 tons professionally must ensure adherence to a number of legal obligations that can directly affect the individual driver and the company that they are employed by. CPC is required for those persons driving


professionally in the UK and EU when operating an LGV for hire or reward. In addition, the driver is required to hold the correct licence entitlements to the vehicle that he or she is driving. Lorry (LGV) drivers who obtained their licence


(C, C1, C+E and C1+E) before 10 September 2009 do not need to take the initial CPC qualification. This is because they are deemed to hold ‘acquired rights’. However, these drivers still have to undertake


and complete periodic training in order to keep their Driver CPC. Drivers are required to undertake 35 hours of


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periodic training every five years in order to keep their Driver CPC. This is normally done by attending a training course for one day (seven hours) a year for five years, or attending the whole 35 hours’ training in one week. It should be remembered that related training, for instance the two-day ADR Refresher which may be taken in the last year of the life of the certificate, can contribute 14 hours’ [two days’] training to the award of the CPC. The individual driver and/or his/her employer


has flexibility, but the second cycle of training for drivers with ‘acquired rights’ has to be completed by 9 September 2019.


Periodic training Periodic training is delivered through courses that drivers must attend over the five-year period for which their current Driver CPC is valid. There is no pass or fail element for these tests; however, the minimum length of a training course is seven hours. This is referred to as an attended course. Each new five-year period will begin from the


expiry date of the driver’s current Driver CPC qualification, and not from the date on which the


35 hours’ minimum training requirement was reached. Drivers of large goods vehicles prior to 10


September 2009 had to complete 35 hours of training and have their Driver Qualification Card (DQC) issued by 9 September 2014. The deadline for drivers to complete their second periodic training cycle to retain their driver CPC is 9 September 2019. LGV drivers only need to undertake one set of periodic training every five years.


Initial qualification An individual, who wishes to drive in order to earn a living as an LGV driver needs to pass all four of the elements detailed below within the relevant timeframes. These include both the theory and practical tests that drivers need to successfully complete before they can gain their full vocational driving licence. The two theory modules are:


Part one – theory test The theory test is made up of two parts, one consisting of a multiple-choice test, and a hazard perception test. A driver must take both tests


November 2018


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