My ADR runs out in September (tanks and packages). So sometime very soon I need to do a refresher. I contacted two different companies for quotes (got two very different prices). I also asked both what hours it counts towards my dcpc, one said 7 and one said 14. Any of you guys know the correct answer ?
If you just do the refresher, isn’t that a 2 day course including the tests? If so, then it can only possibly count as 7.
Depending on the price difference, it might be worth doing the full lot again?
My friend just did ADR with system training and got 28 hours. (He didn’t have ADR before).
I think it varies between providers, as to what they have agreed with JAUPT … No doubt D.Dave will be along soon 
(Ssshhhh…Don’t tell Dave I told you).
Officially, ADR courses can count towards DCPC as 7hrs Refresher, and 21hrs Initial, but many providers have been able to add extras by including the un-counted sections of an ADR course (like “tankers”) as an “awareness” course. So, if someone’s offering extra DCPC time it can be correct. One small word of warning though…as an awareness course, you are forbidden to take any examination, so if you did sit a tankers exam, as well as gaining an extra 7hrs DCPC from it (even if the exam was taken after the 7hrs of recorded time), it could theoretically be revoked in the future if the training provider is found out (but a very small risk to be honest).
So, weigh up the cost, and if the one with the extra CPC is a bit more, remember you may be saving yourself a day somewhere else, and go from there.
Things change a lot over 5 years in ADR so a refresher course can be a bit full on with new info coming at you at quite a rate so many prefer to do the initial course again which is easier to digest and can count for 21 hours dcpc if its approved for such
This info obtained from DD
My ADR was a full course over a week…monday to wednesday was teaching ,which added 21 hours to DCPC,Thursday was tests only,then Friday,was the tanker module,and exam.
We were told that as the tanker day included tests,this could not count for DCPC,as it had and exam and exams aint classed as training.
I have been told by both companies that the refresher consists of two days classroom and one day tests. Now in my eyes (given that test days don’t count towards the dcpc) that amounts to 14 Hours. I know that the powers that be are not going to listen to my argument but I just thought I would make the point.
Think this depends on who supplying the course
I’ve seen other companies that state the whole ADR Course will cover the total of 28hrs so and additional 1 day has to be done on another subject to earn the total of 35hrs
We havealways had ADR for packages ( all classes except 7), and rather than do the refresher, we re-did ADR to get the full 21 hours. If you do explosives now, you can add another 7.
khdgsa:
(Ssshhhh…Don’t tell Dave I told you).
Hi khdgsa,
Nobody told me, but Dave spotted it anyway. 
I can’t really add anything to what you’ve said above, apart from reminding folks that an ADR refresher course comes at you quite quickly and most definitely assumes a prior knowledge on the part of the candidate.
The problem with that is that most companies assume that the ADR tutor will be able to get the candidates up to speed in time for the exams, but this isn’t always possible… hence the higher fail rates for refresher exams.
I’ve always said that the companies can’t always have it both ways in that they don’t keep the guys updated and then expect them to seamlessly get out of a lorry cab and into the (usually) unfamiliar environment of a classroom, which isn’t always possible.
As a driver who has been through this in the mid-90s, I remember only too well from first-hand experience.
That’s not to put a complete downer on it though, because the short sharp refresher does work for some people.