The DCPC is an E.U. directive we can moan and toss our toys out but we will only be hurting ourselves.Technology has made vehicles of all types much easier to drive ,but politicians have made acquiring a driving licence much more difficult.When I was out of a job nearly 20 years ago I decided to try my hand at trucking it was not easy but possible.In relative terms its just so much more expensive and time consuming to train for a vocational licence.
My dcpc is all done, paid for by the company. However, I’d have paid for it myself if I’d had to because, strange though this might sound, I actually enjoy my job 
. As well as playing with a hiab, I get to see the entire UK, I meet some great people, I see some great sights, and best of all, I get paid for it!!!
The dcpc is certainly not perfect in its’ current form but it’s here to stay, so I for one am happy to give up a few hours a year in order to earn a good living doing something I enjoy.
desypete:
chicane:
Latest figures I can find for C, C+E, C1, C1+E tests passed is 2012/13, total tests passed was 24,498 but that doesn’t detail how many candidates sat 2nd or 3rd categories, so the 9,000 new driver figure might not be far out.Figures show there was a dramatic (@30%) fall in the number of both sits and passes from 2009/10 onwards compared to previous years
i made my mind up when this cpc card was introduced that come sept 14 i am finally quitting this game for good or unless wages go up to make me want to come back again : ) which i am hoping will happen, but then by me making a stand and refusing to get a card means i am also going to help the spineless hgv drivers who have already rushed out to get there’s as they have no metal to stand up to the powers that be.
they say there worried that drivers will come from elsewhere to take there well paid 8.50 p/hour jobs : ) so they dare not risk it. and its because of this sort of mentality that hgv industry is in such a poor state. get some back bone would be my message to all drivers who have rushed out to get there new shiny card.
25 years i have been an hgv driver and i earned more over 10 years ago when i could get hourly rate and overtime after 8 hours than i could ever make today and yet the cost of living has gone up so it all works out i am on much less
on top of this i now would have to pay out for this new card and they will enforce it if i dont have it and its this that i am not going to do not unless the job starts paying higher wages
so for those of you who have your card and are saying good get out of the job it means more money for yourselves. it just shows me what a spineless bunch of whimps you people are and if by my actions and many others who are also refusing to get a card we manage to get more money for hgvs then i hope you guys would hold your hands up and admit you didnt do anything to improve things but just went along with it all like sheep
sorry but it makes my blood boil
25 years i have been in the game, i can drive anything, any gear box you care to mention. i dont need a sat nav to get around. been there done that and got the tshirt. so replace us drivers with the new sat nav automatic drivers who have a nice card to match and who dont mind having spy cams in there cabs along with the spy cards ( tachos ) and all manner of high tech trackers. and pay them 8.50 an hour and of course if they get anything wrong then throw the book at them. make sure car insurance increases for these types of drivers as they must be loonys and give cheaper car insurances to the boss who doesnt drive artics
there really isnt much good to say about the industry and the standards its expects from hgv drivers and yet this card is going to make us all much safer ■■ is it hell its a rip off and all the drivers agree on it but not many have the real guts to stand up and be countedrant over : )
I agree with you 100% but i’m sorry to say i have got my card. I started driving trucks with log books in 1973 and i still enjoy it, so i felt i had to have the card.
smalltrucker:
desypete:
chicane:
Latest figures I can find for C, C+E, C1, C1+E tests passed is 2012/13, total tests passed was 24,498 but that doesn’t detail how many candidates sat 2nd or 3rd categories, so the 9,000 new driver figure might not be far out.Figures show there was a dramatic (@30%) fall in the number of both sits and passes from 2009/10 onwards compared to previous years
i made my mind up when this cpc card was introduced that come sept 14 i am finally quitting this game for good or unless wages go up to make me want to come back again : ) which i am hoping will happen, but then by me making a stand and refusing to get a card means i am also going to help the spineless hgv drivers who have already rushed out to get there’s as they have no metal to stand up to the powers that be.
they say there worried that drivers will come from elsewhere to take there well paid 8.50 p/hour jobs : ) so they dare not risk it. and its because of this sort of mentality that hgv industry is in such a poor state. get some back bone would be my message to all drivers who have rushed out to get there new shiny card.
25 years i have been an hgv driver and i earned more over 10 years ago when i could get hourly rate and overtime after 8 hours than i could ever make today and yet the cost of living has gone up so it all works out i am on much less
on top of this i now would have to pay out for this new card and they will enforce it if i dont have it and its this that i am not going to do not unless the job starts paying higher wages
so for those of you who have your card and are saying good get out of the job it means more money for yourselves. it just shows me what a spineless bunch of whimps you people are and if by my actions and many others who are also refusing to get a card we manage to get more money for hgvs then i hope you guys would hold your hands up and admit you didnt do anything to improve things but just went along with it all like sheep
sorry but it makes my blood boil
25 years i have been in the game, i can drive anything, any gear box you care to mention. i dont need a sat nav to get around. been there done that and got the tshirt. so replace us drivers with the new sat nav automatic drivers who have a nice card to match and who dont mind having spy cams in there cabs along with the spy cards ( tachos ) and all manner of high tech trackers. and pay them 8.50 an hour and of course if they get anything wrong then throw the book at them. make sure car insurance increases for these types of drivers as they must be loonys and give cheaper car insurances to the boss who doesnt drive artics
there really isnt much good to say about the industry and the standards its expects from hgv drivers and yet this card is going to make us all much safer ■■ is it hell its a rip off and all the drivers agree on it but not many have the real guts to stand up and be countedrant over : )
I agree with you 100% but i’m sorry to say i have got my card. I started driving trucks with log books in 1973 and i still enjoy it, so i felt i had to have the card.
The daft thing is, we’ll probably have those such as yourself to thank for wages finally rising - because there might actually be a REAL shortage of drivers come October, and those who’ve left have not changed their minds at the last minute, and come back because “They’re a bit short this month”… 
Don’t forget to factor in those who will still drive after the deadline without a DCPC.
It’s only a game of odds before they are found, and how big is the punishment also? Big enough to force everyone to play the same game despite the divide?
How will this be policed come the deadline?
It’s okay bringing in new rules on paper, but in practice, policing them is a different ball game altogether.
I reckon we won’t see a shortage of drivers come October and I reckon some with the grandfather right will keep driving until they are caught…
Batmann:
Don’t forget to factor in those who will still drive after the deadline without a DCPC.It’s only a game of odds before they are found, and how big is the punishment also? Big enough to force everyone to play the same game despite the divide?
How will this be policed come the deadline?
It’s okay bringing in new rules on paper, but in practice, policing them is a different ball game altogether.
I reckon we won’t see a shortage of drivers come October and I reckon some with the grandfather right will keep driving until they are caught…
As has been said many times it ain’t just going to be about getting caught…Operators and companies also have a responsibility to not employ any driver (current employees and future employees) without a current DCPC qualification - it will usually form part of licence check procedure. Already agencies/firms are starting to ask for Driver Qualification Card…no card = no interview…regardless of experience & suitability for job role. Come September those without DCPC will become as good as unemployable!!!
I’m paying to work and I’m only doing it to keep newbies from getting a start! 
Every company that i do shifts for have already paid for their drivers to get their cpc !!
and im sure if you were working full time for a company that wasnt going to pay, you would still do it to keep your job ( unless you hated it )
so i cant see there being loads of full time jobs available in Sept because drivers dont have their cpc ?
but i can see alot of agencies being short of cpc qualified drivers, so they might start putting more drivers on their books who dont have the " 2 years experience needed " malarky
Tooz:
Every company that i do shifts for have already paid for their drivers to get their cpc !!and im sure if you were working full time for a company that wasnt going to pay, you would still do it to keep your job ( unless you hated it )
so i cant see there being loads of full time jobs available in Sept because drivers dont have their cpc ?
but i can see alot of agencies being short of cpc qualified drivers, so they might start putting more drivers on their books who dont have the " 2 years experience needed " malarky
This is correct. Most companies worth working for will have assisted their drivers to get the CPC because they won’t want to lose them. The only people really worrying about driver shortages in September are agencies, the idea that September will see a load of great full time jobs crop up is fantasy. Any old timers who have told their companies they have had enough and intend to retire (and I see little evidence that these are in great numbers), will surely have their replacement sorted beforehand.
The issue I have is the poor value for my money that the courses represent.
We HAVE to do it, so it seems it’s perfectly ok to be trained by an utter moron as long as we do the hours.
At the last one I was taught that for every 1000ltrs(say 1tonne-ish)of diesel burnt produces 2.6 tonnes of Co2! I’m no particle physicist but I know that’s hardly possible! I loved the comment earlier that you can come out less informed than you were before you went in…it’s true!
It bothers me that it’s just so pith poor in terms of value for money/time.
the maoster:
^^^^^^^ Spineless HGV drivers? Withdraw your labour when they brought medicals in at 45 did you? Withdraw your labour when they brought digi cards out did you? No, I thought not.You don’t agree with the DCPC, well I’ve got news for you, many more don’t either, but they aren’t cutting their noses off to spite their faces, no they need to work to put food on the table and whilst they may not like it they live in the real world. By all means be my guest and make your stand if it makes you feel better, but don’t dare call anyone who has done their DCPC a spineless coward just because your teddies are out of the pram.
You missed the fact that they were all going to quit when the limiters and 48hr rule and god knows what else came out too 
I’m no agency driver and I’ve had all the time in the world to get my DCPC don’t over the past few years but due to my back injury its not been physically possible…
Come August I will be doing all 35hrs at a cost of £400 and that’s just the way it is…if I want to retain the right to haul goods when I return to work…
Personally I cant see what the issue is… Its one day a year, so don’t ppl get days off or cant you do it on the weekend■■?
Cost approx. £50… so what’s the issue…it works out less than £1 a week…
Do you really think that there’s gonna be a U - turn on DCPC’s come September< I don’t think so… in fact wages / hourly rates might go up if there’s this so called shortage
PS Job centre wont fund the DCPC as it wont guarantee a job…and with the job centre that’s a whole can of worms again…ie if you don’t apply for enough jobs per week, they stop ya money etc etc
Swampey2418:
I’m no agency driver and I’ve had all the time in the world to get my DCPC don’t over the past few years but due to my back injury its not been physically possible…Come August I will be doing all 35hrs at a cost of £400 and that’s just the way it is…if I want to retain the right to haul goods when I return to work…
Personally I cant see what the issue is… Its one day a year, so don’t ppl get days off or cant you do it on the weekend■■?
Cost approx. £50… so what’s the issue…it works out less than £1 a week…Do you really think that there’s gonna be a U - turn on DCPC’s come September< I don’t think so… in fact wages / hourly rates might go up if there’s this so called shortage
I agree that you might as well get on and do it because the DCPC is not going away, but there is an issue and a very important one, drivers are having to pay to keep working, and to make it worse, on the whole neither individual drivers nor the road transport industry are getting [zb] all in return.
Paying for something worthwhile is one thing, but paying for some useless none qualification is taking the ■■■■
It is an insult having to pay for something that they call a qualification… thought the qualification was earned by getting the class 1 or 2 licence in the first place.
But all the ■■■■■■■■ by drivers in the world wont change the facts that its here to stay…just wait and find out what the next instalment is from the Transport commissioner
What’s the betting that “come august” the remaining intstructors will suddenly hike their 35 hour course rate upto a grand?
Supply and demand works best when the law DEMANDS you have to pay up by a certain date - or else.
There’s no upper limit as to how high it can go - if drivers are desperate enough to keep their jobs, and have not done it yet. 
There is no chance of the DCPC not happening . if someone wants to throw away there right to drive commercially then thats their affair. Its been on the cards for at least 7 yrs so everyone has had ample time to get it sorted. I done the PCV one over 3 years ago and the checks from VOSA have been constant i recon i have been asked for mine at least 10 times.
If you havnt done your modules then i have no sympathy whatsoever.
In scotland we have a thing called ILA individual learning account which pays you £250 towards a training coarse and it includes the DCPC Im sure there is an English /Welsh /NI equivilent.
Swampey2418:
I’m no agency driver and I’ve had all the time in the world to get my DCPC don’t over the past few years but due to my back injury its not been physically possible…
I did the DCPC, I agree that it was completely pointless but I cannot imagine under what circumstances a back injury would make it impossible to do. All you do is sit there and try not to fall asleep. 
cheekymonkey:
At the last one I was taught that for every 1000ltrs(say 1tonne-ish)of diesel burnt produces 2.6 tonnes of Co2! I’m no particle physicist but I know that’s hardly possible!
Shows just how wrong a truck driver can be, doesn’t it ?
A litre of diesel fuel is mostly carbon (roughly 87%) which works out at around 720g of carbon per litre. Each carbon atom (atomic weight 12) combines with two oxygen atoms from the air (each with an atomic weight of 16) to produce CO2 (atomic weight 44 - i.e. almost 3.7 times the weight of the carbon). So yes, you really do get 2.6 tonnes of CO2 when you burn 1000 litres of diesel.
dessy:
I’m paying to work and I’m only doing it to keep newbies from getting a start!
Is this what it means to be a “grass roots supporter”?
Roymondo:
cheekymonkey:
At the last one I was taught that for every 1000ltrs(say 1tonne-ish)of diesel burnt produces 2.6 tonnes of Co2! I’m no particle physicist but I know that’s hardly possible!Shows just how wrong a truck driver can be, doesn’t it ?
A litre of diesel fuel is mostly carbon (roughly 87%) which works out at around 720g of carbon per litre. Each carbon atom (atomic weight 12) combines with two oxygen atoms from the air (each with an atomic weight of 16) to produce CO2 (atomic weight 44 - i.e. almost 3.7 times the weight of the carbon). So yes, you really do get 2.6 tonnes of CO2 when you burn 1000 litres of diesel.
I think the concept being struggled with here is the way a “gas” can weigh anything at all.
12g of carbon burned will produce 24,000 cc of CO2.
The O2 came from the atmosphere, so the weight should not really be counted - you’ve taken some weight out of the atmosphere and replaced it with a gas that’s about twice as heavy as Oxygen. 24 litres of CO2 weighs 44g but it’s displaced 32g by weight of Oxygen in the air as well. Just ask someone who’s fallen into a grain silo about just how heavier than Oxygen CO2 actually is…
Now compare all this Co2 production with an average man with lung capacity 6 litres breathing in and out 10 times per minute, 60 minutes per hour, 24 hours per day…
6x10x60x24 = 86400litres. of exhaled breath, which also contains some unused nitrogen. (some nitrogen gets absorbed, and comes out as ■■■■, so it’s not correct to say that 78% of exhaled breath is N2 just because 78% of the atmosphere is Nitrogen!)
If we, anywhere in the world wish to SERIOUSLY cut down on Co2 emmissions therefore, then perhaps we should start by introducing compulsary birth control for people on benefits, living in third-world countries, and for every adult child beyond a 50:50 balance of male to female children.
On the other hand, it should also be compulsary for millionaires to have ten children each, and laws that permit each millionaire to have as many spouses as the spouses income divides into the millionaire’s income…
Eg. I can marry 40 girlfriends on 25k a year each IF my income is a million per year myself. 
Businesswomen can have 40 drones themselves as well… I believe in equal opportunities, me.
How about that for solving the eternal “world poverty” problem?
Next generation, ALL the kids will be going to public school. (because they’ve all got wealthy parents!) and the benefits offices will be empty, because Spike Keys and his ten kids by different women on benefits won’t have had any more kids come their adulthood - because they’ve all been steralized. 
Cameron can stick his “big Society” - I’ve got a much better solution!