FTA slams CPC approval change •
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By Chris Druck.: THE FREIGHT TRANSPORT Association (FTA) has slammed JAUPT's unilateral decision to change the procedure governing Driver CPC course approval. It said the new diktat will not improve the standard of training but will drive up the cost to hauliers.
The association has gone on the offensive after course approvals body JAUPT wrote to training providers, stating copies of all presentations and documents used to deliver Driver CPC courses would, effective immediately, now need to be sent to it at the course approval stage.
Previously training providers only had to send a list of resources used in Driver CPC courses.
However, they are now required to email the syllabus or send it via memory stick, DVD or print-out on a no-returns basis.
James Firth, the FTA head of road freight and enforcement policy, warned the new rules would create additional time and costs pressures, which trainers would have to swallow or pass on to hauliers via increased course fees. "There are also operators that were training employees preDriver CPC that adapted courses to suit on the basis that they could keep the associated administration involved to a minimum. They now face this extra burden," said Firth.
The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) said audits carried out by itself and JAUPT had highlighted some approved training courses were not up to scratch. "As a result, the approvals process has been reviewed. The revised process will ensure that all approved training courses meet the required standard and help ensure that trainees and employers get the most benefit from the training undertaken," it said in a statement.
The DSA does not believe the change will place additional burden or increase the cost for trainers.
Firth will raise the issue at a meeting with JAUPT on 28 January. "While the FTA welcomes any attempt to boost the overall quality of Driver CPC provision, we don't think this will achieve that," he said.