News and Updates
We have new two day Transport Manager refresher courses starting in 2022.Watch this space for more details
We have new two day Transport Manager refresher courses starting in 2022.
Watch this space for more details
Can I work as a HGV/ PCV driver in a second job?
If you or your drivers perform other work during their off-driving hours, it’s considered working duties and does not count as rest.
This includes self-employed work, community service, Driver CPC training, and emergency service activities. The EU’s HGV working time directives take precedence over other break requirements.
- The HGV working time directive requires drivers completing other work to take a 30 minute break if their work is between 6 and 9 hours, or 45 minutes if work totals over 9 hours.
Sign up to a 35 hour Driver CPC course to find out more.
If you only need 7 hours make it the Driver Essentials to gain full training on this law and legislation.
Any use of hand-held mobile phone while driving to become illegal
Prosecution regulations tightened on the use of hand-held mobile phones at the wheel.
- government strengthening existing laws making it illegal to use a hand-held mobile phone while driving under virtually any circumstance
- follows public consultation which found that 81% of people supported such a move
- highway code will change making it clear that hand-held phone use at traffic lights or in traffic jams is illegal
Police will soon be able to more easily prosecute drivers using a hand-held mobile phone at the wheel after the government strengthens existing laws to further improve road safety.
It is already illegal to text or make a phone call (other than in an emergency) using a hand-held device while driving. Next year, laws will go further to ban drivers from using their phones to take photos or videos, scroll through playlists or play games.
This will mean anyone caught using their hand-held device while driving will face a £200 fixed penalty notice and 6 points on their licence.
Drivers will still be able to continue using a device ‘hands-free’ while driving, such as a sat-nav, if it’s secured in a cradle. They must, however, always take responsibility for their driving and can be charged with an offence if the police find them not to be in proper control of their vehicle.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:
Too many deaths and injuries occur while mobile phones are being held.
By making it easier to prosecute people illegally using their phone at the wheel, we are ensuring the law is brought into the 21st century while further protecting all road users.
While our roads remain among the safest in the world, we will continue working tirelessly to make them safer.
Driver CPC Grandfather Rights
Depending on your age and industry, you may not be familiar with the term ‘grandfather rights’. It’s a legal term that goes across multiple industries, and essentially means that when a new standard or law is brought in around skills needed for a job, people already doing that job are protected and considered qualified, rather than forced to down tools and train to meet the new standard. It’s designed to keep things moving smoothly and allow change to happen at a reasonable pace. Today, we want to talk about how grandfather rights apply to the HGV industry, particularly in terms of the Driver CPC qualification.
What Is The Driver CPC?
CPC stands for “Driver Certificate of Professional Competence”. It is a qualification for professional drivers of goods and passenger vehicles and was developed as a result of EU Directive 2003/59, which requires drivers to be continuously trained throughout their working lives. Drivers must only be trained using approved training courses and should complete 35 hours of approved training in every period of five years.
How do Grandfather Rights affect me?
If grandfather rights weren’t applied when the Driver CPC was introduced, the haulage industry may not have survived. Think about it – in 2009 the Driver CPC was created, stating that all HGV and LGV drivers needed to hold the qualification in order to legally work as professional drivers. This would have meant that all drivers currently working would have had to stop, immediately, and go through training and testing. This would have meant the whole industry ground to a halt, goods didn’t get moved around the country and general pandemonium.
Grandfather rights mean those drivers who were already working didn’t need to stop working – they were protected and considered qualified under the new law. The Driver CPC only needed to be earned by any new drivers moving into the industry. This means haulage could continue, and new drivers simply had a bit more training to do before they could start work.
Who needs a current Drivers CPC card?
*Everyone who wants to drive a HGV professionally, in one way or another.
If you’re a large goods vehicle driver and you gained your licence prior to 10th September 2009, then you have Grandfather/acquired rights. This applies to Cat C, C1, C+E and C1+E licences. If you gained a bus or coach driver and gained your licence D, D1, D+E or D1+E before 10th September 2008, you also apply for Grandfather/acquired rights. This means you don’t have to do the full Driver CPC, but you are still fully qualified. But don’t think you’re completely off the hook! You still have to complete your 35 hours of training every 5 years in order to keep that status up.
Everybody else, especially new drivers after this date, needs to fulfil the requirements for a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence to legally be allowed on the road as a professional driver of goods and passenger vehicles. This means training, medical exams, tests and regular ongoing training to gain your license.
What if my Drivers CPC expires?
If you are a new driver looking to take your first steps into the world of HGV driving, then the Driver CPC is your first port of call. If you try to do any other kind of training without it, then you will be turned away. The Driver CPC is the baseline that all other training is built on, so you can’t do anything without one. If you do get a job as a professional driver without doing one, you are committing a crime, and opening yourself up to some pretty hefty fines and maybe even prison time.
If you’ve been driving since before the Driver CPC implementation date, then you don’t have to go and do your Driver CPC, and you can still stay on the road. However, you will need to apply for grandfather rights (since they are not granted automatically), and make sure you complete your 35 hours of training every 5 years to stay qualified. If this lapses, then you may have to go and do the Driver CPC after all!!
Which seasons are the worst for road accidents?
Every motorist will feel a certain amount of stress and anxiety when they get behind the wheel in winter. The conditions can make this a dangerous time to drive, but interestingly this is not actually the season when most accidents occur. Although accidents are common in winter, you will find that most actually take place in May, June and July. So, why is it that late spring and summer are more dangerous than winter?
New Drivers
One of the primary reasons that accidents are more common during the warmer months of the year is the fact that there are more new drivers on the road than in winter. People will usually take their driving test during warmer weather, plus schools are out so the roads are filled with inexperienced drivers. Statistics show that young and inexperienced drivers are more likely to be involved in accidents and this is a major factor why this time of year can be dangerous.
Longer Journeys
During winter, people try to spend as little time on the road as possible. It is a different story in late spring and summer when people are often out and about and travelling longer distances. People might be driving for holidays, road trips, weddings and family events that see them spending more time on the road. The more time that people spend driving – the more likely an accident is to happen.
Increase in Other Road Users
Another reason why there are more recorded accidents during the warmer months is that the roads will be filled with many different types of users. The warm and dry weather allows for cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians, which increases traffic and increases the number of vulnerable people that are out and about.
Most would assume that winter is the most driving season but – although it is dangerous – it is actually the warmer months that you are more likely to have an accident and why you must be cautious all year round.
Is your satnav fit for purpose?
The number of bridge strike incidents in the UK remains alarmingly high. In 2020/21 there were 1624 incidences on the Network Rail infrastructure alone. There are many more incidences of commercial vehicles using inappropriate routes, including not complying with weight limits, which results in damage to roads, congestion and risks the safety of other road users.
In addition to the potentially catastrophic road safety issues, there are serious financial implications to these incidences. The impact on drivers and operators can also be significant. Following a bridge strike in St. Helens, the traffic commissioner held a public inquiry and concluded that the primary cause of the incident was the driver’s failure to carry out his responsibilities in a professional manner. His HGV driver’s licence was revoked, and he was disqualified from holding an HGV licence for six months.
However, the traffic commissioner also found that the operator could have done more to prevent the incident and the operator found their licence permanently curtailed.
One of the reasons for these incidences occurring is poor route planning and the reliance on inappropriate satnav systems, which lack commercial functionality to warn the driver of all the critical points on routes.
Whilst satnav technology can be employed effectively and efficiently, the devices used must be fit for a commercial role. Good satnav devices will regularly be updated with up-to-date information on the road network, including height restrictions.
Having suitable satnav equipment is not a substitute for effective route planning, but it may assist the driver to avoid some of these incidences, especially when routes change during a journey.
The traffic commissioners expect operators and drivers to treat this issue seriously and take responsibility. Any failure to do so could lead to an operator or driver having to appear before a traffic commissioner.
To minimise the risk of poor road choices always:
- Make sure your satnav is a commercial vehicle satnav, not one designed for a car! Planning a route on a device that thinks you are driving a car has too many risks. Make sure your device is up to date. Roads and maps are constantly changing. It is your responsibility to plan correctly.
- Make sure that if satnavs are provided to drivers, they are trained to use them and, importantly, the correct checks and procedures are in place to ensure they do! They must know how to set the alarm if they run close to an obstacle.
- Have a satnav policy within your operation. Set rules for use of personal satnavs and ensure they are fit for purpose.
- Don’t assume you know the restrictions on a road, check first!
- Double check on an up-to-date map. You could use Google Street Views to get a sight of an unfamiliar route or junction, including delivery or pick up points. Operators should establish whether there are any localised issues that impact on routes and include this in customer information notes for drivers.
- Know your vehicle height, width and weight, and ensure your drivers do – provide height conversion charts.
- Even when your vehicle is ‘not in service’ your route must still be planned. Taking unsuitable shortcuts back to the depot or when going for maintenance is a risk.Say something interesting about your business here.
Driver CPC training for qualified drivers
If you miss your training deadline
If you miss your deadline, you cannot drive professionally until you’ve finished your training.
You can be fined up to £1,000 for driving professionally without Driver CPC.
Your next deadline will be set for 5 years after the date you finish your training.
How long training counts for
Any training you’ve already done counts for 5 years from the date you took the course. You do not lose it because you’ve passed your deadline.
The training will not count towards the 35 hours total if you took it more than 5 years ago.
If you have acquired rights
If you have acquired rights you can either:
- complete 35 hours of Driver CPC periodic training by finding and taking training courses
- take and pass the Driver CPC part 2 (case studies) and part 4 (practical demonstration) tests
You can only choose the test option once. After that, you must take periodic training to keep your qualification in the future.
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