Following a major consultation with over 1,000 industry professionals, new driver CPC rules will come into practice from summer 2024. In this post we’ll discuss what these new rules will entail, and what they might mean for your fleet.
If you’re a fleet manager and you’ve got any questions about risk management and compliance, our friendly experts are always on hand to help. Call us on 020 8290 9099 or email us at commercial.motor@anthonyjones.com.
Current Driver CPC Rules
Currently, getting a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) involves taking four tests: a theory test, a case study test, a driving ability test, and a practical demonstration. Once you’ve got your CPC, it lasts for five years. You can keep it renewed through taking 35 hours of CPC training across this five-year period.
What Are the New Driver CPC Rules for 2024?
The new changes are all about increasing flexibility, giving drivers and fleet managers more control over how and when they do their training. We’ll look at each of the incoming changes in turn below.
New Reduced Minimum Course Length
Under the new CPC rules, the minimum length of a training course will drop from seven hours to three and a half hours.
At the moment, training modules may be as short as three and a half hours. But drivers must take two modules together, with no more than 24 hours elapsing between the courses. During the consultation, many trainees reported that they’ve struggled to stay focused for the duration of their courses, even with a day’s break between modules.
The new rules allow for shorter courses, without the requirement that they need to be completed within 24 hours of each other.
While this will make things more flexible for both trainers and trainees, the need for 35 hours of total CPC training every five years will still stand. So if trainees choose to take shorter three and a half hour courses, they’ll have to take more courses overall to satisfy the full 35 hour requirement.
Following further consultation, the 35-hour training requirement could be replaced by a periodic pass/fail CPC test. But on this front, nothing’s set in stone yet.
More Flexible e-Learning
Under the new rules, e-learning modules will be decoupled from trainer-led courses. This means that trainees can complete the trainer-led part of a course, before completing the e-learning component in their own time, at a later date.
Currently, trainees can take online e-learning courses as part of their CPC training requirements. However, any module with e-learning components must be completed on consecutive days following a trainer-led course.
Digital Driver Qualification Cards
Under the current rules, drivers must have their CPC driver qualification cards (DQCs) on them at all times.
Though there’s currently no timeframe for this change to come into play, there are plans to create a digital version of the DQCs. This will be particularly convenient for international drivers, as it will be quicker and easier for authorities to recognise the foreign equivalents to the CPC.
When Do the New CPC Rules Come In?
The new CPC rules will replace certain inherited EU laws. As a result, they’ll come into play through the Retained EU Law Revocation and Reform Act, which is due to take effect in summer 2024. Though as we’ve seen, some of the proposed changes – including the introduction of a new periodic CPC test, and digitised DQCs – are pending further consultation. These changes may not take effect until 2025.
New Rules for Drivers Returning to Work in 2025
Also coming in 2025 will be a new fast-pass seven-hour course to make it easier for drivers to return to work. Returning drivers will still have to complete an additional 28 hours of CPC training within 12 months of the seven-hour return module. But through making it significantly more straightforward for drivers to return to work, this change could help mitigate any future driver shortages.
What Does This Mean For Fleet Managers?
For the foreseeable future, drivers must still commit to 35 hours of periodic CPC training to stay qualified. So for fleet managers, not much will change. Your drivers will simply have greater flexibility in choosing when and how they complete their modules.
If you’re a fleet manager and you’ve got any questions about risk management and compliance, our friendly experts are always on hand to help. Call us on 020 8290 9099 or email us at commercial.motor@anthonyjones.com.
