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Ready or not.. •
Page 28
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here it comes
With the Driver CPC just five months away, we asked our readers' panel how ready they are, and whether they think the new qualification will raise standards or just add an extra burden to the industry.
Words; Pat Hagan With just five months to go before the introduction of the new Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (Driver CPC), opinions remain divided over what impact it will have on the UK road transport industry.
Many in road haulage still feel it is little more than window-dressing, an exercise rooted in ticking boxes rather than actually transforming drivers' standards.
In contrast, there are those who see it is as a genuine opportunity to convince, once and for all, those outside of road transport that the industry is capable of not only maintaining high standards, but also proving it can do so. Under the new regulations, from September, all new drivers must complete a Driver CPC on top of their theory and practical LGV tests before they will be allowed to take to the roads.
All existing drivers then have until 2014 to complete a total of 35 hours of training, made up of 'blocks' of at least seven hours long and delivered by accredited providers. That can either be via external training firms. or in-house trainers accredited to do the job.
Finally, VOSA and the Driving Standards Agency must be notified how much periodic training each driver has done. A driver without a CPC, or who fails to carry their CPC qualification card while driving, faces a £.1,000 fine.
For smaller companies with no more than a couple of dozen drivers, there seems to be no great urgency But for larger hauliers faced with organising training for hundreds of drivers, while causing minimal disruption to business, there will be little time to waste.
CM's Operator Panel members give us their views on the forthcoming regulations and tell us how they are planning to accommodate them. I