Thousands driving without CPC card
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steve.hobson@rbi.co.uk A NUMBER of HGV drivers who have taken their test since September 2009 are breaking the law as they do not have the necessary initial Driver CPC qualiication. It also appears that VOSA is turning a blind eye to enforcement, according to Sean Pargeter, owner of website hgvlgvtraining.co.uk.
Using igures obtained from the Driving Standards Agency under the Freedom of Information Act, Pargeter warns that thousands of drivers are driving illegally as they have not obtained their initial Driver CPC qualiication.
Yet in the 12 months to September 2010, VOSA only issued three ixed penalty notices to drivers for failing to hold an initial Driver CPC qualiication card.
From 10 September 2009, EU Directive 2003/59 requires all new entrants (drivers obtaining an HGV licence cat C1 and C), who wish to drive professionally, must have obtained the Driver CPC initial qualiication. However, the number of initial Driver CPC qualiications attained by new drivers in the year to September 2010 was just 3,075, and Pargeter points out there would have been roughly 50,000 people taking HGV tests in that 12-month period.
“About 10,000-15,000 would be C+E tests and the initial Driver CPC is not relevant or required,” he says. “This still leaves 35,00040,000 tests, so less than one 10th of new entrants between September 2009 and September 2010 took the initial Driver CPC.
“Even allowing for the fact that some drivers will be exempt from initial Driver CPC that still leaves many who don’t have it. There must be between 5,000 and 10,000 new HGV drivers working illegally.” VOSA tells CM: “Very few encounters are with new entrants at this stage.”