With the transport industry having now operated the drivers CPC system for several years, and with the remit of the courses targeted at showing the HGV drivers of Europe as professionals, I thought I would type down my worries.
Since the inception of these courses, we have seen a steady decline of drivers available to run our Lorries. This has come about through several reasons, from the stress levels on the roads and the constant congestion, through to long working hours, poor working conditions and low pay. In theory, the CPC courses should have increased the pay structures of drivers, due to the professional courses showing a desire for the drivers to do a responsible job. But instead the trade has shown no sign of increasing wages, and drivers have in fact lost money as most companies tend to charge the courses to the drivers.
Part of the issue lies in the nature of these courses, and the fact that the industry as a whole has seen very little improvement in driver’s knowledge when it comes to the course subjects. This has come about through the basic set up of the training days, where a driver can arrive and pay no attention to the poor guy holding the course, it is basically a course without any defining activity. So all the CPC shows, is that the driver can sit still for 35 hours.
I do feel that as a result of its shortfalls, the CPC courses either need to be rethought and adjusted to include a test at the end of each section, or the course should be scrapped so as to save the waste of time and effort for all involved. I know as a TM that my views on the Drivers CPC is a disbelief that there aren’t any course tests, and as a result I look upon it as a complete joke. I have drivers that don’t understand Tachographs, Driving hours, Breaks, Walk-around checks etc… All covered by the DCPC, but due to them not needing to pay attention for any kind of test at the end, they’ll just sit there in a semi-comatose state until the instructor says they can go home.
While we are asking drivers to take these courses, they don’t give the driver any accreditation worth the effort, and as such should we not be looking at taking one of the two routes described above? I know this will not bring those disenchanted drivers that have already left the industry back, but it might at least offer new drivers a certificate that is worth paying for and possibly make the industry realise that these are professionals, and deserve to be paid accordingly.
It’s nothing but a money making scam for the government,end of!!
I did 3 days on manual handling which had absolutely nothing to do with driving HGVS whatsoever…the course was exactly the same on all 3 occasions which my company sent me too just to get the hours required.
1st day back after 2 days of DCPC madness. One of my modules was about ethnic diversity and gender something or other. All very good I’m sure, but not throwing stones at the guy in the wheelchair is something I’d imagine that ones parents would I still into one from a young age. I’m not too sure that this course will have made me a more professional driver tbh.
Depends who’s doing the training, chap who has been taking us concentrates on keeping us, and the company, out of trouble.
Company pays for the course and pays us to attend, this bod gives fair value for money IMHO, the mob they originally used the first (and only) module was hopeless, we didn’t go back.
What the hell does anyone need to understand about a walk around check, it should be obvious, if you’ve got people who can’t prepare and check their lorry out without a ■■■■■■■ clip board or app (FFS) telling them what to look at next, you’re employing someone who will never be a lorry driver as long as they have a hole in their arse.
The DCPC might have been the straw that broke a few camel’s backs, but you arn’t going to attract the old school back into the lorry by treating them with the disrespect of assuming they are at idiot level, and that unfortunately is what so many operators do now, they dumb the job down to idiot level and sure enough along come the idiots who amazingly do what idiots do, and instead of training them up to the level of lorry drivers, everyone has to be trained down to the lowest common denominator.
Pay the right money, treat driver’s like intelligent lorry drivers should be (unless they prove themselves idiots, in which case boot them out) and let them get on with the bloody job.
Oh and if they want one, give them a lorry that’s up to the job in hand which requires more input than selecting D and pressing the loud pedal, and provide facilities such as decent wash downs etc bulbs and suzies in stock and tools to maintain minor running repairs on their motor, so they can once more take a pride in their job.
Spot on there Juddian…
It’s a shame what has happened to the industry over the last couple of decades, and just how far down the “lowest common denominator” is from where we used to be. Sure there have always been a population within the driving industry that didn’t reach the standard needed, but they were usually found out quickly, and circulated around the agencies… now of course, these are employed, simple due to the fact that there aren’t enough quality drivers to fill the posts.
The longer this goes on, the harder it will be to get drivers that are able to think for themselves as was the norm not that long ago.
We are lucky in our firm that we have a large percentage of old school drivers, but the vast majority of those under 35 years old are simply steering wheel attendants, unable to plan a route without satnavs, can’t do walk-around checks without a check list to work to, and think they can drive until they fall asleep every day.
I’m scared what will happen once the good few decide to leave, and leave the new school bunch to take the steering wheel. What will happen to this industry when that happens■■?
I view it as a days work lost not some new knowledge gained, absolute waste of time
I agree with most of the above.
But, It is truly depressing the amount of drivers that cannot complete manual entries, and don’t understand the need to show other work at the beginning of a shift to prove the walkround check has taken place. This after doing 3 sessions on drivers hours and tachographs.
There are drivers I have had to show numerous times how to do it. And it cuts across all age ranges.
Sadly the more drivers publicize the fact they just sit there, not learning and in a comatose state, the more an exam beckons.
But will an exam ever happen■■?
I doubt it. 
Crackoff:
… as most companies tend to charge the courses to the drivers.
Sorry mate, but your thinking is somewhat flawed at this point…
DCPC has been a driver’s responsibility from day #1. (Sept 2009)
I share the same view as your other comments, but in all fairness, there are a lot of companies who organise, book AND pay for their drivers to attend DCPC.
IMHO, those drivers can count themselves as fortunate.
I tend to get a fair split TBH
Some of my attendees are booked and paid for by their company. One regular lot are booked and paid for by their AGENCY (rare but it happens) and the rest are individuals who pay for themselves.
They all get, and are supposed to get, a certificate at the end of the course. I can’t honestly say that it proves anything other than they turned up on the day but they do get one.
good_friend:
…They all get, and are supposed to get, a certificate at the end of the course. I can’t honestly say that it proves anything other than they turned up on the day but they do get one.
There is a possible further use of a DCPC certificate because it can be used to kill two birds with one stone.
As you know, a driver who carries dangerous goods in an amount equal to, or less than the relevant ADR Transport Category load limit is required (by ADR) to have had ‘dangerous goods awareness’ training. This training is required to be documented.
Some suggested reading:
ADR 8.2.3 including the reference to ADR 1.3 ( = ADR 1.3.1 - 1.3.3 inclusive)
Day #1 of an ADR course that is accredited for DCPC fits the bill AND the DCPC certificate actually has a value. 
There is also a benefit to an instructor who would like to become an ADR instructor. 
dieseldave:
Crackoff:
… as most companies tend to charge the courses to the drivers.Sorry mate, but your thinking is somewhat flawed at this point…
DCPC has been a driver’s responsibility from day #1. (Sept 2009)
I share the same view as your other comments, but in all fairness, there are a lot of companies who organise, book AND pay for their drivers to attend DCPC.
IMHO, those drivers can count themselves as fortunate.
Two weeks ago I paid for 8 drivers to do 28 hours of DCPC - full disclosure they also got ADR1-9 (excl. 7). Because I have a preference on my trainer, (the lads say that he makes the course interesting) , I put him up in a hotel for a week, booked the room for the course and paid the drivers to attend. I also sent one of my Manchester lads down to do the course whilst we had the room space and paid for his hotel. All in with room, hotels x 2, training and pay to the drivers the total bill exceeded £9000.00.
So yes if your boss pays for your courses, count it as a real plus point.
My main trainer is ex-army trainer who is qualified to teach everything that I can think of. Judging by the laughter coming out of his courses from time to time, he makes it fun too
That, to me, makes him worth whatever I can get him to accept as he’s popular and I never have trouble filling his courses. Just wish I could lay my hands on a clone of him
dieseldave:
Great news as I have been teaching ADR awareness recently. A new string to our course list