Now then chaps…
It seems that there’s possibly a little confusion between two different sets of Regs.
It’s all to do with the phrase “hire and reward.”
“Hire and reward” is one of the kinds of Operator’s Licence (‘O’ licence,) and has NOTHING to do with DCPC.
DCPC applies to drivers in most commercial operations, but there a few quite tightly worded exemptions.
Just to explain… there are two main types of ‘O’ licence.
1.) Hire and reward. (AKA… Standard National or Standard International.)
A hire and reward ‘O’ licence is needed by a company to operate vehicles that transport goods belonging to other people.
2.) Own Account. (AKA… Restricted.)
An Own Account ‘O’ licence is needed by a company to operate vehicles that transport goods belonging to themselves.
Memory tip: Own Account = own goods.
The drivers employed by an Own Account operator will still most probably need to do periodic DCPC because driving is their main activity whilst at work.
For example, the XYZ Widget Manufacturing Co Ltd makes and sells widgets.
They transport their own raw materials from the suppliers to their factory and then deliver finished widgets to their customers.
They do this by using their own fleet of LGV vehicles.
They never carry anybody else’s goods.
This company would only need an Own Account ‘O’ licence (because they only carry their own goods,) but their LGV drivers would all need DCPC because their main activity is driving commercially.
The ‘O’ licence system comes from: The Goods Vehicle (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995.
DCPC comes from: The Vehicle Drivers (Certificates of Professional Competence) Regulations 2007.
And so DCPC has nothing whatsoever to do with Hire and Reward. 