I’ve been over this for hours, searching online etc with differing views/options on many many websites.
Passed my “B” driving test in 1994 so automatically have C1 on my lic. I’m looking to do my C in early 2016 & have booked my med for December. I’ve got two instructors in mind, however I still can’t get my head around the CPC.
Initial CPC (new driver route) - about £250 ish including my medical
or
CPC 35 hours - upto about £500
Is there any logical reason why I would not go the initial route ?
Help appreciated
Also, ive been considering driver training at Scania Milton Keynes, professional set up, anyone with any experience of them ?
I contacted scania in Worksop when I was looking to do my C. I didn’t find them overly helpful to be honest. They were very quick to send me a price list which was good but always waited for calls back or emails etc and seemed to not be too concerned as I assume they get a lot of Calls. In the end I went with my nose and used Peter Smythe’s. Very glad I did.
Whatever you decide to do have a couple of meets and assessment drives and avoid the brokers
£250 for initial cpc and medical is very inexpensive. £500 for 35 hours is very expensive. You seem to have two extremes there.
A better extreme is FREE with a full C or CE course booked with me. Total for the practical, including VAT, test fee and free accommodation PLUS free cpc is just £1215. Call the office and quote your user name.
Truthfully, I don’t think there’s a better like for like deal to be had in the UK.
Pete, you have a great deal on offer & i’m very tempted especially with the option of the accomodation as there’s not a great deal of choice locally for me. I might be in touch.
The only down side for me is I’m trying to do it over a few months bit at a time (due to lack of spare funds).
Thanks for the advice though
wilky423:
Pete, you have a great deal on offer & i’m very tempted especially with the option of the accomodation as there’s not a great deal of choice locally for me. I might be in touch.
The only down side for me is I’m trying to do it over a few months bit at a time (due to lack of spare funds).
Thanks for the advice though
One question: How much advancement do you think you will make, with a lesson a month?
Some of the periodic hours can be gained by choosing a provider who has the practical C and CE training approved for driver cpc hours at just a little extra cost (or free with PSTT)
Doing 1 to 1 half day training you could get 14 hours for C and 14 hours for CE leaving 7 to gain which could be done by taking a 7 hours driver hours course
I don’t know where you got your prices from but from what I’ve seen the difference between the cost of 35 hours periodic training and the initial DCPC is generally nowhere near £250, I suppose it depends how much shopping around you do.
Having said that as has been pointed out you can get some of the periodic training by selecting a training company for the cat C carefully.
wilky423:
Pete, you have a great deal on offer & i’m very tempted especially with the option of the accomodation as there’s not a great deal of choice locally for me. I might be in touch.
The only down side for me is I’m trying to do it over a few months bit at a time (due to lack of spare funds).
Thanks for the advice though
One question: How much advancement do you think you will make, with a lesson a month?
Just a thought…
Dont know where lesson a month came from, I intend doing the practical in one hit like most do, it’s the other bits that I intend to do over a period of time.
That’s much clearer now. If you intend spreading the “prep” over a few months there’s no issue with that at all. The theory tests have a life of 2 years during which period you need to pass your practical driving test. So unless you put in an enormous gap between passing theories and doing practical, it’s no problem.
Be aware that charging fees tend to creep up. Ours will rise in the New Year. But anyone placing £150 deposit will secure their course at the current rates. (Course must be taken during 2016).
As I understand it if you do mod2 & 4 you can then drive for the years ? Providing you do 35 hrs before the end of the five years you get another?
If you do the 35hrs to get you car then you still have to do a further 35 by the end of 5 years to renew the next?
Have I got this correct?
spacemanZ10:
As I understand it if you do mod2 & 4 you can then drive for the years ? Providing you do 35 hrs before the end of the five years you get another?
If you do the 35hrs to get you car then you still have to do a further 35 by the end of 5 years to renew the next?
Have I got this correct?
When you’ve completed mods 2 and 4 you can drive for 5 years from the date you pass mod 4, to continue to driving after that 5 years you will need to complete 35 hours periodic training before the 5 years is up.
If you do the 35 hours periodic training instead of mods 2 and 4 you can drive for 5 years from the date you complete the 35 hours periodic training, to continue driving after that 5 year period you will need to complete another 35 hours periodic training before the 5 years is up.
Regardless of whether you do the initial DCPC or the 35 hours periodic training they both last for 5 years and you will have to do 35 hours periodic training every 5 years to continue driving commercially.
Thanks Tacho, that’s helped me too. I was quoted about 200 to get some hours cpc from my training but would still have needed a further 14hrs I believe, seeing as I can do mod2 for 28.00 mod4 came out cheaper than th cpc route even if there is a fail risk, and I will only need to give up a further hour or so to do it and get on the road. Mind you a practical test tomorrow to think about first!!
spacemanZ10 I agree, much better way of doing it mods 2 & 4 with the risk of fail, one question though I have C1 already so does that mean I can do mod 4 in a C1 vehicle ? do I provide the vehicle or will they be available at the test centre ?
wilky423:
spacemanZ10 I agree, much better way of doing it mods 2 & 4 with the risk of fail, one question though I have C1 already so does that mean I can do mod 4 in a C1 vehicle ? do I provide the vehicle or will they be available at the test centre ?
The test centre doesn’t provide a vehicle, I believe most people use a training companies vehicle for mod 4 but you can provide your own vehicle as long as it complies with the required DVSA specifications.
Many providers do the mod 4 during the LGV C training as it cuts down on the time and price for Mod 4
Much of the mod 4 training can be done during the daily pre drive checks so it ‘kills two birds with one stone’ then during the C training about 45 mins is taken out of the day to do the mod 4 test or the day is extended by that time so that none of the practical C training is missed
Thanks Rog for the info about the Mod 4, however I’m not yet looking to book my training.
I’m looking to do Mods 2 & 4 so I can get my CPC to do some 7.5 work (to save for my C training), so doing mod 4 this way is going to be a problem for me I think, any ideas ?
You won’t be able to do the mod 2 and 4 to get your CPC unless you are doing the C as well. As the practical test counts as mod 3, therefore you would need to do the 35 hour route if you wanted CPC first. I’m assuming you had 7.5t grandfather rights?
NickW88:
You won’t be able to do the mod 2 and 4 to get your CPC unless you are doing the C as well. As the practical test counts as mod 3, therefore you would need to do the 35 hour route if you wanted CPC first. I’m assuming you had 7.5t grandfather rights?
As the OP had a car licence before 1997 he has acquired DCPC rights, he hasn’t yet held a DQC so he can choose whether to do mods 2 and 4 or the 35 hours of periodic training.
Because he has acquired rights he doesn’t need to do the practical driving test to get a DQC.
