The Driver CPC became a requirement across the European Union in Septemeber 2009 to ensure and maintain high driving standards and road safety. All professional bus, coach and lorry drivers must hold a Driver CPC if they want to drive for a living and new drivers must pass an initial Driver CPC qualification before they can start.
The initial Driver CPC qualification is split into four parts:
· Part one - theory test (multiple-choice and hazard perception)
· Part two - case studies· Part three - practical test of driving ability
· Part four - vehicle safety demonstration
All four parts must be passed successfully to be able to drive professionally.
After the initial qualification is obtained drivers are also required to complete a
minimum of 35 hours periodic training every five years for as long as they wish to
continue to drive professionally.
Training
Although the responsibility to undertake training to keep their CPC lies with the driver, here at Mabey Hire we have taken the decision to assist our drivers by organising 7 hours training per year on a subject of our choosing (chosen from an approved list via the FTA) - 7 hours per year over 5 years = 35 hours.
Each 7 hour course is split into two parts and the second part must start within 24 hours of the completion of the first part.
We have entered into an agreement with the FTA to provide 5 years of this training - from 2009 until 2014 - and this training is carried out in four venues (Dewsbury/Hatfield/Glasgow/Calne) in the early part of each year.
Benefits
Administering this training ourselves provides benefits to both the company & the employee:
- We can choose the subject matter, ensuring that the subject is relevant & useful to our drivers
- Takes the hassle off the driver having to organise & arrange training themselves, which may mean having to use holiday time to attend training sessions & travel to different centres
- As a company we can keep competent & valued drivers
- This staggered method of training sessions allow training to be done in manageable chunks - companies may have not planned for this requirement & will have to get their drivers to cram 35 hours into one year. The problem with this approach is that there will not be enough approved courses to fulfil the requirement.
Ultimately we are lucky enough to be able to able to be able to support our drivers, maintain industry standard, and deliver our own bespoke training regularly thanks to our Training Academy - http://www.mhsacademy.com/
