No let up on Driver CPC under new DVSA, warns Novadata
Transport training provider Novadata has warned that the merger of VOSA with the old Driving Standards Agency (DSA) to form the new Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) will not affect the need to obtain a Driver Qualification Card (DQC).
LGV drivers who have not yet begun their Driver CPC training should waste no time in completing their 35 hours of training, the company urged.
“We noticed that last year, when PCV drivers were required to complete their Driver CPC, there was a sudden rush after the deadline, because some drivers had hoped that in the end the DQC simply wouldn’t happen,” said Novadata’s managing director, Su Winch (pictured).
“This year, we fear that some LGV drivers may have put off their training in the hope that the new DVSA would rethink the DQC and they might not have to do the training. This isn’t the case, and in the meantime, it is getting increasingly difficult to book a course in time to complete all 35 hours required.”
Drivers with some acquired rights – those who gained a vocational licence before 10 September 2009 – only need to attend training. Novadata provides this at its JAUPT-approved training centre and, when required, at customers’ own premises. New professional drivers already have to complete Initial Driver CPC, for which Novadata also provides training courses.
Places for Driver CPC are in great demand at present, the company says, and it has introduced additional Saturday and Sunday courses in order to help drivers who are finding it difficult to fit in training before the deadline.
“There is also some demand still from PCV drivers,” said Su Winch. “Although their deadline was last September, some coach drivers in particular delayed deciding whether to carry on driving this year, and so have delayed training until the start of this new season.
“Those who have made the decision to drive again this year are catching up now before the holiday season starts in earnest. That puts added pressure on places, so our advice is to book into your courses now, as your livelihood could be at risk if you don’t obtain a DQC before the deadline.”
