Driver CPC changes greenlit by parliament
The new government has progressed the previous administration’s planned reforms to the Driver CPC scheme, the necessary legislation having now been approved by parliament.
The government tabled motions to approve a statutory instrument required to introduce the changes, the Vehicle Drivers (Certificates of Professional Competence) (Amendment) Regulations 2024, in July and October in the House of Commons and House of Lords respectively. It received parliamentary approval by both houses last week.
The changes were originally laid before parliament in the spring, but they were unable to make progress prior to prorogation for the general election.
The reforms include the introduction of a new National Driver CPC (N-DCPC) designed to provide increased flexibility within the scheme for those who do not intend to drive abroad.
The existing qualification, now known as International Driver CPC or I-DCPC, will continue to exist for UK drivers who are or intend to be engaged in continental work, but will not benefit from the same new flexibilities due to European law.
Meanwhile the new N-DCPC will enable training courses, contributing to the total required 35 hours’ periodic training, to be completed in minimum blocks of 3.5 hours rather than the current seven hours, and will decouple e-learning from trainer-led courses.
A means of speeding up the process of returning to driving in the UK for those whose Driver CPC has lapsed is also being included as part of the changes.
A draft explanatory memorandum of the effect of the statutory instrument can be found here, although it is expected that the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) in Great Britain, and the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA) in Northern Ireland, will release guidance for operators in due course.
Chris Yarsley, senior policy manager for road freight regulation at Logistics UK, said the reduction in the minimum course length “would make scheduling training less burdensome for drivers and operators, while ensuring training material is focused and relevant.”
He added: “Reforming the role of e-learning will increase flexibility for operators and the option to retain full trainer-led periodic courses means that those drivers who are not comfortable with e-learning will still have access to face-to-face training…
“Our members will welcome the decision that qualified drivers, with a lapsed DCPC, will be able to access an accelerated pathway to return to driving instead of the previous requirement of completing 35 hours of training.
“It is, however, critical that any form of ‘return to driving’ module is of the same rigorous standard as other DCPC modules to ensure returning drivers are aware of any changes in safety-critical legislation such as drivers’ hours and load security.”
Prior to the approval of the legislation, it was the subject of discussion both by MPs of the delegated legislation committee, and by peers in the Lords chamber.
Explaining the need for the changes to the committee, the transport minister Lilian Greenwood said: “Back in 2021, there was an acute shortage of lorry, bus and coach drivers, which caused significant disruption to critical supply chains. As part of its response, in 2021 the Department launched a review of DCPC that involved the industry, seeking views on ways to improve processes to increase recruitment and retention.
“Many felt that the current renewal process is inflexible and unnecessarily burdensome — in particular, the time and cost burdens of the periodic training required for the renewal of qualifications. Drivers must currently do 35 hours of training under a rigid structure, with courses being a minimum of seven hours and most being trainer led. It was identified that that contributed to drivers leaving the profession.
“In the 2021 review, drivers and former drivers stated that the burden of renewing the certificate of professional competence acted as a barrier to those considering joining or looking to renew their qualification, leading to people leaving the sector.”
She explained how a public consultation, launched in early 2023, suggested options for possible changes to the ways of demonstrating professional competence.
“That consultation, along with regular industry engagement, has informed the reforms we are proposing today to give drivers more options and greater flexibility during the renewal process, and to assist the industry in retaining and recruiting drivers…
“We are introducing a national qualification to sit alongside the existing international qualification. The national qualification, which will be valid across the UK, will still require 35 hours of training every five years, but courses can be shorter, with a minimum of three and a half hours, and there will be more e-learning available, with the introduction of new stand-alone e-learning courses.
“This flexibility was requested by many in the industry, particularly by drivers.
“We are also introducing an accelerated pathway to allow drivers to return to the workforce. If a driver’s DCPC has lapsed by more than 60 days but less than two years, the driver can take a seven-hour bespoke return to driving course to gain a one-year national DCPC.
“That window of time was chosen to avoid drivers deliberately allowing their DCPC to lapse in order to take the accelerated return pathway, and to avoid drivers who have been out of the profession for a prolonged time from rejoining without adequate retraining. Within the 12-month validity period of their national DCPC, the driver can then do the remaining 28 hours of training to gain a full five-year national or international DCPC.”
She addressed the fact that some in the industry would have liked to see DCPC abolished altogether, but said: “Although I have some sympathy with drivers who see it as a burden based on time and cost to renew, I do believe that it is necessary for road safety and driver professionalism; overall, that was supported in the consultation.
“Additionally, due to the requirements of the trade and co-operation agreement with the EU, and other international obligations, the DCPC must be kept for most commercial international road transport…
“We listened to stakeholders in all four nations while developing the amendments, and we expect these regulations to support the industry while ensuring a professional and safe workforce throughout the UK and beyond. To help the industry understand the more flexible training route, the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) in Great Britain and the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA) in Northern Ireland will issue guidance to the industry.”
Responding for the Conservatives, the shadow transport minister Greg Smith said: “Perhaps the minister will tell us why one critical element — the incentive for hauliers to push the international training programme as a viable option for drivers — has been omitted from the regulations, risking the available pool of drivers for overseas work by essentially making that training an opt-in part of the job.”
The transport minister replied: “As I am sure he will be aware, a majority of freight drivers — possibly as many as 90 per cent — operate only within the UK, so they may well choose to do the national DCPC.
“Many hauliers, though, also drive across the European Union, as those routes are very important for our supply chains and for getting exports out to Europe, including the EEA and Switzerland; of course, those drivers will want to continue to do the international DCPC.
“Flexibility exists within the courses, so if a driver completes a seven-hour course, it will count towards either the national or international DCPC — they can easily upgrade their national DCPC to an international DCPC depending on the courses they choose to undertake to make up the 35 hours.”
Liberal Democrat MP Edward Morello said his party welcomed the changes, but added: “Given the transition to e-learning, it is imperative that the quality of training is not compromised, and we urge the minister to monitor closely the outcomes of the changes to ensure that there is no negative impact on road safety.”
Ms Greenwood replied: “I reassure them that the Department [for Transport] considers 3.5 hours for stand-alone e-learning courses to be the right balance, providing increased flexibility for drivers taking their training while ensuring that the course is long enough to be meaningful.
“There will be an audit process and the DVSA will still approve all courses to make sure that they are of suitable quality.
“I raised particular concerns about how we will ensure that people are participating fully in the e-learning; I am reassured that there will be a start and end time, so drivers will not be able to scoot through the courses quickly, and that courses may include quizzes to ensure engagement and test that learning has taken place, although there are no mandatory course assessments.
“All courses are audited by the DVSA to check records and we will make sure that they deliver the safe standards that we want to see.”
In the House of Lords, Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Scott of Needham Market also raised the issue of e-learning.
“I would be interested to hear from the minister what plans there are to keep the impact of these measures under review, particularly the move to e-learning,” said Lady Scott.
“I am sure that is a sensible thing to do, but we will probably need some data just to make sure that there is no adverse impact; indeed, it may be beneficial.”
Responding, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, the Department for Transport’s minister in the Lords, confirmed that the government would indeed keep the Driver CPC changes under review.
