TBH job prospects aren’t great. It would be mean to pretend they were. However, there are jobs about although few and far between. Problem is lots of drivers are looking for work at the minute and many will have more experience.
Main thing is to not give up. Oh, and despite what some folk think, working for free is rarely (if ever) a good idea. Put simply, any company that will let you, has naff all respect for it’s workforce and they will eventually shaft you one way or another…
Just be persistent and knock on doors and you will get something…best of luck with the training…don’t forget to put the clip in on the fifth wheel on artics…!!
Thanks for all the advice people. I wasnt aware of the cpc thing. I have paid an extra £200 for a rha course and it states it counts as 14 hours periodic cpc training. Are you saying that after passing all of the tests ect that I still have to do additonal training? If so then that ■■■■■!
ANd yes I am aware of the gap in between the two different licenses, god damm the dvla!
Please be aware that you have to have an initial DCPC completed BEFORE you do any periodic DCPC, otherwise the periodic hours won’t be counted towards your 35hr periodic requirement.
sprouty:
Thanks for all the advice people. I wasnt aware of the cpc thing. I have paid an extra £200 for a rha course and it states it counts as 14 hours periodic cpc training. Are you saying that after passing all of the tests ect that I still have to do additonal training? If so then that ■■■■■!
ANd yes I am aware of the gap in between the two different licenses, god damm the dvla!
Thanks!
That’s the problem with going through brokers and not directly to a training school.
A training school would have explained everything face to face and made sure you understood what was required
TESTS/modules to be passed
1a theory
1b HPT
2 dcpc theory
3 practical drive etc
4 dcpc practical
DQC automatically issued on passing of all of those tests
DQC has 5 year expiry date
THEN - not before this point
35 hours of dcpc periodic training (no tests) to be completed if driver wishes to drive commercially after that DQC expiry date
Periodic dcpc modules are in 7 hour blocks and are at the choice of the driver (or the employer if they are paying)
Plenty of different 7 hour dcpc periodic modules but if the driver is paying then they usually opt for the cheapest or for those other qualifications like ADR which are also APPROVED for dcpc hours - not all are so check first
When something like an ADR course is approved for dcpc then there will be an extra cost on top of the ADR course to cover the dcpc hours approval fee, upload fees, admin etc
The periodic dcpc needs renewing every 5 years until you decide not to drive commercially any more
Put simply, you’re gonna have to shell out a lot of cash just to be in a position to be told ‘sorry mate, no experience, no jobs’…don’t be too disheartened though, if you wanna do it enough, it’ll come together. The RHA course they’ve told you about will be something like LGV essentials - it’s interesting enough for a newbie (if the trainer is decent) but it won’t be any use for the modules you need for the test. It’s really a post test thing.
It’s why drivers are P off about the whole CPC — it stinks as it is…
WARNING
Do not do any periodic dcpc training until you have a DQC by passing all 4 initial modules because the system will not allow those periodic hours to be counted or saved until after all the initial ones are passed
NOTE:- this does not apply to those with dcpc aquired rights
… which is the reason our tutor on a course with 20 very experience band bus drivers for the entire week was given a card signed by them all, a bottle of very good wine and a round of applause.
So clearly it’s all a load of rubbish.
Think not, don’t tar us all with the same brush. Driver cpc, properly constructed and delivered according to the current experience and knowledge of the attendees, is extremely worthwhile.
Anyway, back to the thread - I can’t believe that anyone would pay out all that money to a broker before they’ve got their provisional . Heaven only knows what any refund would look like if the licence is refused.
Hope that’s not the case and I wish you all the best with it. Pete
Now that you know the 14 hours fasttrack RHA training will not count towards the CPC (unless you have passed Mod 2 and Mod 4 before taking the RHA training) why not ask if they would exchange that for the Mod 2 and 4 training and tests. Mod 2 test is £30 and Mod 4 test is £55 so the extra £200 you paid should more than cover it.
If they agree to it you will surprise a lot of people on here and perhaps shed a bit of good light on a broker.
Peter Smythe:
Heaven only knows what any refund would look like if the licence is refused.
(taken directly from their Terms) “4.5 In the event that the trainee fails his/her medical a full refund will be given upon receipt of proof of failure. Such proof of failure must be from the DVLA. No other sources are acceptable”
I might also point out another of their terms you have signed for 3.6 You obtain your services from us. You are not entitled to go direct to any of our suppliers at any point until at least 6 months after your training is over.
Now I must admit I have not come across this little gem before.
Thanks for the advice I will contact my trainer on Monday to discuss this option. Very informative video there. I did my research on the companies in my area and they had a good rep and were recomended by the rha so I hope it all works out.
sprouty:
Thanks for the advice I will contact my trainer on Monday to discuss this option. Very informative video there. I did my research on the companies in my area and they had a good rep and were recomended by the rha so I hope it all works out.
As far as I am aware the RHA do not recommend LGV training companies
sprouty:
Thanks for the advice I will contact my trainer on Monday to discuss this option. Very informative video there. I did my research on the companies in my area and they had a good rep and were recomended by the rha so I hope it all works out.
As far as I am aware the RHA do not recommend LGV training companies
If they did I would just assume it was because they had contributed to an RHA soiree or two and avoid the training company at all costs.
sprouty:
Thanks for the advice I will contact my trainer on Monday to discuss this option. Very informative video there. I did my research on the companies in my area and they had a good rep and were recomended by the rha so I hope it all works out.
As far as I am aware the RHA do not recommend LGV training companies
AFAIK, the RHA offer training companies that they can ‘affiliate’ to the RHA, but any training company can affiliate upon payment of the correct fee. RHA affiliation isn’t the same as RHA ‘approved,’ or RHA ‘recommended’ though.
Now that you know the 14 hours fasttrack RHA training will not count towards the CPC (unless you have passed Mod 2 and Mod 4 before taking the RHA training) why not ask if they would exchange that for the Mod 2 and 4 training and tests. Mod 2 test is £30 and Mod 4 test is £55 so the extra £200 you paid should more than cover it.
If they agree to it you will surprise a lot of people on here and perhaps shed a bit of good light on a broker.
After speaking with my trainer, he was under the impression I passed before 1997, and after a friendly chat, he said he will swap the rha course for the cpc modules needed instead. Very happy with the service so far, just have to wait for the dvla to sort their lives out then theory test time!
