Hi guys, I’m going to be leaving trucking and moving on to another job.
I’m just wondering if it is worth renewing my CPC before it expires in July (Incase the new job doesn’t work out) or is it easy enough to renew after it’s expired for some time. My transport manager suggests getting it renewed because it’s a pain but I can’t find any evidence online of what I would need to do. Is it just a case of doing the hours later or do I need to reapply and start again?
Thanks.
You can renew your DCPC anytime by doing the 35 hours of periodic training, the only advantage of keeping your DCPC up to date would be if you want to do a bit of HGV driving on your days off.
I’ve no idea whether or not DCPC courses tend to get booked up or not but given that you can now do the courses online I can’t see it being much of a problem.
Getting it renewed is easy. As said above its simply a case of getting 35hrs in, waiting until its been uploaded and you get your new DCPC card in the post and then you’re away.
I’d do it. As tachograph said it means you can still do the odd bit of driving on your days off should you want a bit more money.
Speaking from personal experience I tried to leave driving in 2017 for what would be the fourth or fifth time now. Got a job at a software company doing something I enjoyed. Lasted 10 months before the monotony of working in the same place staring at the same views out the window, starting at the same time, having the same inane conversations with the same people, having dinner at the same time, finishing at the same time being able to predict with high level of accuracy how any working day would go at any point in the future drove me mad. Several months in I ended up doing some onsite installations typically 4-5hrs drive away and it was the enjoying the driving more than the job which finally tipped it for me. 10 months after leaving i was back in a truck.
People who have been doing this job for any length of time tend to not be the kind of people who get on well with doing 9 to 5 in a fixed spot doing the same thing day in, day out.
Thanks for the replys, I’ve only been driving for 15 months or so and I’ve had enough of the poor quality drivers on the road. And then you get people who don’t seem to understand how to give out addresses, I just find it all so frustrating and being behind the wheel is not a good place to be frustrated. I’m actually moving over to the railway so I will be stuck adhering to working hours on there and won’t be able to drive at the same time really. I just wanted to know how easy it is to redo the CPC if the worst does happen and I get made redundant or something.
tachograph:
I’ve no idea whether or not DCPC courses tend to get booked up or not but given that you can now do the courses online I can’t see it being much of a problem.
No problem getting guys on courses, either classroom or online. Quite a few places run them on Saturdays. It’ll only become more of a problem the closer we get to the 09/09/24, ie the mass renewal date. Last mass renewal date (09/09/19) was a debacle, but I don’t imagine it will be as bad this time around.
No problem getting it renewed, but as has been said, the new job might not be all you wish for. If you wanted a worst case scenario, where you needed to renew it asap after July, bank on two weeks.
You’d need a full five days (assume Mon to Fri), all the uploads would be done by the following Monday, and you’d most likely have your card by the Friday of that week, potentially sooner. DVSA supply the DQC cards, and historically they’re very quick, much quicker than DVLA tend to be.
Zac_A:
tachograph:
I’ve no idea whether or not DCPC courses tend to get booked up or not but given that you can now do the courses online I can’t see it being much of a problem.No problem getting guys on courses, either classroom or online. Quite a few places run them on Saturdays. It’ll only become more of a problem the closer we get to the 09/09/24, ie the mass renewal date. Last mass renewal date (09/09/19) was a debacle, but I don’t imagine it will be as bad this time around.
No problem getting it renewed, but as has been said, the new job might not be all you wish for. If you wanted a worst case scenario, where you needed to renew it asap after July, bank on two weeks.
You’d need a full five days (assume Mon to Fri), all the uploads would be done by the following Monday, and you’d most likely have your card by the Friday of that week, potentially sooner. DVSA supply the DQC cards, and historically they’re very quick, much quicker than DVLA tend to be.
Useful info.Am i right in thinking you need an unexpired driving licence and a successful medical pass squared away in order to pursue the wretched cpc Asking for a friend ?
manalishi:
Useful info.Am i right in thinking you need an unexpired driving licence and a successful medical pass squared away in order to pursue the wretched cpc Asking for a friend ?
You need valid ID containing your driving licence number, so if “your friend’s” licence is expired, they could use their DQC or Tacho Card as valid ID. A pre-1997 licence will still show the C1 entitlement (7.5 tonner) even if a medical is lacking.
It doesn’t have to be too wretched, some places do courses which are actually interesting and with good trainers. “Your friend” could choose to do standard ADR plus tanks to get 28 hours of it in, and I personally think ADR is very interesting - but I am of course very biased, as I teach it.
I’m expecting we’re due a thread on “Here’s a petition to the government to get DCPC scrapped” sometime around now, it’s been a whole year since the last one was knocked back by the government.
Mine expires September 2024, by then I shall be 71 so I intend to wait to see if I pass the medical before I book DCPC courses and renew it. Could be a bit of a waste of money otherwise.
alex17595:
Thanks for the replys, I’ve only been driving for 15 months or so and I’ve had enough of the poor quality drivers on the road. And then you get people who don’t seem to understand how to give out addresses, I just find it all so frustrating and being behind the wheel is not a good place to be frustrated. I’m actually moving over to the railway so I will be stuck adhering to working hours on there and won’t be able to drive at the same time really. I just wanted to know how easy it is to redo the CPC if the worst does happen and I get made redundant or something.
Congrats and welcome to the Railway !!! don`t bother renewing your DCPC as you will never go back!!
I did think of renewing my DCPC when I joined the railway but said ■■■■ it !!!.
Good luck in your new railway career and join the Union !!!
Zac_A:
manalishi:
Useful info.Am i right in thinking you need an unexpired driving licence and a successful medical pass squared away in order to pursue the wretched cpc Asking for a friend ?You need valid ID containing your driving licence number, so if “your friend’s” licence is expired, they could use their DQC or Tacho Card as valid ID. A pre-1997 licence will still show the C1 entitlement (7.5 tonner) even if a medical is lacking.
It doesn’t have to be too wretched, some places do courses which are actually interesting and with good trainers. “Your friend” could choose to do standard ADR plus tanks to get 28 hours of it in, and I personally think ADR is very interesting - but I am of course very biased, as I teach it.
I’m expecting we’re due a thread on “Here’s a petition to the government to get DCPC scrapped” sometime around now, it’s been a whole year since the last one was knocked back by the government.
Thanks pilgrim,he’ll appreciate this sage counsel but don’t see him going the ADR route somehow what with those nasty chemicals and attendant aggravations’ therein.
If your current company are paying for it then do it , you have 5 years then just in case and it saves you paying if you change your mind and doing it in your own free time!
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alex17595:
Thanks for the replys, I’ve only been driving for 15 months or so and I’ve had enough of the poor quality drivers on the road. And then you get people who don’t seem to understand how to give out addresses, I just find it all so frustrating and being behind the wheel is not a good place to be frustrated. I’m actually moving over to the railway
Out of the frying pan into the fire comes to mind. Hope you don’t mind not getting full pay for a while, looks like the strikes are going to be going on til May at least.
Conor:
alex17595:
Thanks for the replys, I’ve only been driving for 15 months or so and I’ve had enough of the poor quality drivers on the road. And then you get people who don’t seem to understand how to give out addresses, I just find it all so frustrating and being behind the wheel is not a good place to be frustrated. I’m actually moving over to the railwayOut of the frying pan into the fire comes to mind. Hope you don’t mind not getting full pay for a while, looks like the strikes are going to be going on til May at least.
LMAO 
Not all train companies are on strike. No one on the freight side. We have all had our pay deals sorted months ago !!! cos the ■■■■ tory government didn`t try and block the deals.
No idea where the OP will be working… But you can easily make up lost strike pay by doing rest day work(aka OT) There is loads of it cos the railway is so short staffed.
Oh and every time there is a strike day. I sit at home on full pay
I’ve already worked on track on the railway before. Being on strike can’t be any worse than a zero hours contract! When I started I was literally only doing Saturday or Sunday nights.