bigr250:
Here’s one to throw the cat amongst the pigeons, any truck above 7.5 ton GVW must have an operators licence, I know this to be true as I have one I use as a race transporter & when I recently took an 18 tonner for test it was noticed that the 6yr tacho test was out of date so I made up the story that it was exempt as it was going to be a race transporter. I shouldn’t have bothered!!! At Bromborough test station there’s a VOSA office so the examiner called one of them out and he told me catagorically that ONLY vehicles up to 7.5 ton GVW can be used privately for carrying stuff. (ie race bikes, horses etc) So, walk through the paddock at BSB & all the artics should have ‘O’ licence discs, so I recon the private use of your class 1 would be out the window!!
Ross.
They should, but it is amazing how many run them with magnetic “Not for Hire or Reward” signs
Wheel Nut:
They should, but it is amazing how many run them with magnetic “Not for Hire or Reward” signs
Eh Malc, I’d bet that VOSA will set up outside Stetterton (they like it there due to all the land between the circuit gate & the road) & pull everything over 7.5 ton & give them 30 days to get an ‘O’ licence sorted. They’d probably love to seize them all but as it’s a new change to the licencing regulations they have to give a little leeway!!!
Wheel Nut:
They should, but it is amazing how many run them with magnetic “Not for Hire or Reward” signs
Eh Malc, I’d bet that VOSA will set up outside Stetterton (they like it there due to all the land between the circuit gate & the road) & pull everything over 7.5 ton & give them 30 days to get an ‘O’ licence sorted. They’d probably love to seize them all but as it’s a new change to the licencing regulations they have to give a little leeway!!!
Ross.
There was some whispered threat to make restricted licence holders have an operators CPC, but when I approached VOSA about it, they agreed it was only a discussion that came to nothing.
I was looking forward to getting my CV into Williams or Red Bull and do a spot check on the lorry at Monza or Jerez
The take up of the CPC has been 49% so far I am reliably informed, and the fear is that by 2014 it might only be 75% which is going to cause real problems for the industry, the department of transport is well aware of these figures and is using bully boy tactics in an effort to scare people into taking the CPC, but if your like me and have packed it in or you have only a few years to go no amount of scare tactics will work, I saw a figure a few years ago that there is 300,000 active HGV drivers if you lose 75,000 your supermarkets will empty very quickly.
Blunder Man:
The take up of the CPC has been 49% so far I am reliably informed, and the fear is that by 2014 it might only be 75% which is going to cause real problems for the industry, the department of transport is well aware of these figures and is using bully boy tactics in an effort to scare people into taking the CPC, but if your like me and have packed it in or you have only a few years to go no amount of scare tactics will work, I saw a figure a few years ago that there is 300,000 active HGV drivers if you lose 75,000 your supermarkets will empty very quickly.
If that 49% is correct then what is the problem?
From 2009 to 2014, they have trained half of the people, plus the initial CPC. We still have just over 2 years before it is due to be enforced. 1 month and two years to be exact.
Wheel Nut:
They should, but it is amazing how many run them with magnetic “Not for Hire or Reward” signs
Eh Malc, I’d bet that VOSA will set up outside Stetterton (they like it there due to all the land between the circuit gate & the road) & pull everything over 7.5 ton & give them 30 days to get an ‘O’ licence sorted. They’d probably love to seize them all but as it’s a new change to the licencing regulations they have to give a little leeway!!!
Ross.
There was some whispered threat to make restricted licence holders have an operators CPC, but when I approached VOSA about it, they agreed it was only a discussion that came to nothing.
I was looking forward to getting my CV into Williams or Red Bull and do a spot check on the lorry at Monza or Jerez
Sorry Malc I’m 99% sure that you’ll find that not only do Williams and Red Bull run on a Restricted O licence, they will actually have a CPC holder running the operation. Most of professional race teams I know have an O licence.
VOSA have sat outside circuits waiting for trucks, normally smaller meetings. Having seen some of the trucks at these meetings it’s not a bad thing,
some teams will think nothing of spending thousands on a piece of kit for the cars, but skimp on basics for the vehicle that gets the car to the track.
They’ve also been outside some country shows waiting for the horse boxes and 4x4 and trailers. They also like to check them for red diesel. I remember following a horse trailer through Norwich a few years ago when one of the wheels came off, it was a twin axle and the driver didn’t even notice.
Paul:
I thought this DCPC was so that everyone knows excactly the same.
Hi Paul,
The part I’ve quoted is the part that’s not correct.
There are a large number of courses that have been approved for DCPC, so there’s actually quite a lot of choice.
The idea is that it’s up to the driver to choose the courses that are of relevant interest.
As I said Dave I haven’t done any of the courses and to be honest haven’t given it any real thought, I will decide nearer the time. If the price goes up because of supply and demand then so be it, I will have to take my chances. My point is though that if for arguments sake there are 100,000 drivers in the UK and 95,000 decide to do the ADR course as 28 hours towards their DCPC and the other 5000 take a course on tacho rules, road safety and fuel efficiency, which of those drivers will be classed as a better safer driver ? At the end of the day isn’t that what the DCPC is supposed to be for " making us safer better drivers " otherwise WHY do we need it ? If it is, that you can do the same 7 hour course 5 times and that will be enough to qualify then thats excactly what I will do, which 7 hours I haven’t decided yet . I am all for making us all better safer drivers and keeping us up to date with rules and regs as they change and for the DCPC but not in its current form, its just joke and while it is I will keep laughing at it
Blunder Man:
The take up of the CPC has been 49% so far I am reliably informed, and the fear is that by 2014 it might only be 75% which is going to cause real problems for the industry, the department of transport is well aware of these figures and is using bully boy tactics in an effort to scare people into taking the CPC, but if your like me and have packed it in or you have only a few years to go no amount of scare tactics will work, I saw a figure a few years ago that there is 300,000 active HGV drivers if you lose 75,000 your supermarkets will empty very quickly.
If that 49% is correct then what is the problem?
From 2009 to 2014, they have trained half of the people, plus the initial CPC. We still have just over 2 years before it is due to be enforced. 1 month and two years to be exact.
Blunder Man:
The take up of the CPC has been 49% so far I am reliably informed, and the fear is that by 2014 it might only be 75% which is going to cause real problems for the industry, the department of transport is well aware of these figures and is using bully boy tactics in an effort to scare people into taking the CPC, but if your like me and have packed it in or you have only a few years to go no amount of scare tactics will work, I saw a figure a few years ago that there is 300,000 active HGV drivers if you lose 75,000 your supermarkets will empty very quickly.
If that 49% is correct then what is the problem?
From 2009 to 2014, they have trained half of the people, plus the initial CPC. We still have just over 2 years before it is due to be enforced. 1 month and two years to be exact.
Read it all.
I did and I read the recent report from DSA. I think there are closer to 900,000 licence holders, maybe some will read the agency adverts on busy roundabouts and come out of semi retirement
neilf:
My point was trying to illustrate to all of the “the Greek/Spanish/polish won’t bother” merchants that it’s irrelevant.
…especially that we do have kind of CPC in Poland for 15 years if not more.
The funny thing is that the old Polish one actually made sense, it was made together with your driving license (so driving course was actually teaching you to driving only while this CPC was about everything else - tacho, paperwork, law, everything). Now we were forced to scrap our own system and replace it with the very same crap you have here in UK.
Armagedon:
It is ‘claimed’ that the Spanish have a complete lack of interest in the CPC and I can understand why,it would probably help if they learnt to drive first but that is something else,imagine a ferry arriving from Spain October 2014 fully laden with Spanish lorries carrying supermarket produce,non with a CPC does anyone believe Vosa would even try to send them back,upset Tesco et al,I am sure Vosa would not even be seen near that ferry or a Spanish truck least until it was unloaded and on it’s way somewhere else…
As you used Tesco, VOSA would park the Spanish trucks, and get Some of Steady Eddies crew in to shift those loads.
As has been said the ADR course does count towards the CPC so you could have covered pretty much nothing that’s in the proper, normal “dcpc” course that most will be doing and still get the ticket after one additional day of boredom.
Also has has been said you could do a days course in something silly like load restraint and repeat the same course over and over for 5 days and your in the club as well!
Total waste of time.
I’m not against the course for people who have just passed the artic licence but making blokes who have been doing the job for years complete the training is just plain stupid.
There may be 900,000 licence holders, BUT there are only 300,000 active, working drivers, the estimated take up of the CPC by 2014 on the present rate is 75% leaving a shortfall of 75,000 drivers, Princess Anne has an HGV but I don’t think we will see her coming out of Jct 41 at 03.00 on a Monday morning will we, and why would somebody whose got an HGV and doesn’t use it, all of a sudden jump up and pay £400/500 quid for a CPC they wont use?
You only have to read a large amount of the topics on this forum to realise why drivers need the DCPC
The amount of questions asked which most people should know the answers to is one thing but the amount of wrong answers given is another thing entirely.
It is not wrong to want to find an answer or to ask for help and neither should somebody be blamed for giving an answer that may be wrong but which they genuinely believe to be correct, but it is wrong to barrack them for seeking help.
The DCPC is probably not the answer in itself but better training is needed and until a lot more drivers are prepared to accept that they “DONT KNOW IT ALL” and be prepared to listen and learn and maybe help the course providers improve their offerings then not a lot is going to change.
The belief that it will all “Go Away” is nonsense as drivers from other parts of Europe will be brought in to do your jobs.
annitram:
You only have to read a large amount of the topics on this forum to realise why drivers need the DCPC
The amount of questions asked which most people should know the answers to is one thing but the amount of wrong answers given is another thing entirely.
It is not wrong to want to find an answer or to ask for help and neither should somebody be blamed for giving an answer that may be wrong but which they genuinely believe to be correct, but it is wrong to barrack them for seeking help.
The DCPC is probably not the answer in itself but better training is needed and until a lot more drivers are prepared to accept that they “DONT KNOW IT ALL” and be prepared to listen and learn and maybe help the course providers improve their offerings then not a lot is going to change.
The belief that it will all “Go Away” is nonsense as drivers from other parts of Europe will be brought in to do your jobs.
1.Assuming the “Drivers from other parts of Europe” have got a CPC.
If the take up is bad in other European countries, there might not be any drivers spare.
The Coca Cola Kid:
I think the point the OP is trying to make is that come the cut off point,there will be a shortage of Drivers with the DCPC therefore creating a lot of head scratching.
There won’t be a driver shortage because there will be a queue of eastern European’s with their DCPC to take their place. Which is a shame, because given the amount of drivers threatening not to do the CPC and therefore giving up their entitlement to drive commercially may have a left a rate improving environment for the rest of us to work in.
You can complain all you like but can you seriously see it going away?
But here’s the sting, lots of companies are putting driver’s through CPC and asking them to sign to say they’ll cough for it if they leave within 12 months. I’m 4 days in with my employer already and if I walk tomorrow, i’ll owe them. And on top of that, many employers are now asking for drivers with “up to date” CPC i.e a day a year since 2009, before they’ll take them on.
Back in 2000 when we had fuel protests and truckers blockaded terminals the government lost money in not being able to introduce planned further rises!
That’s why they introduced CPC, to get their own back!
As for the driver shortage and all the vacancies being filled by eastern european drivers in 2014, surely everybody by then would have voted BNP and there won’t be any over here!
In an ideal world!
Paul:
I thought this DCPC was so that everyone knows excactly the same.
Hi Paul,
The part I’ve quoted is the part that’s not correct.
There are a large number of courses that have been approved for DCPC, so there’s actually quite a lot of choice.
The idea is that it’s up to the driver to choose the courses that are of relevant interest.
As I said Dave I haven’t done any of the courses and to be honest haven’t given it any real thought, I will decide nearer the time. If the price goes up because of supply and demand then so be it, I will have to take my chances. My point is though that if for arguments sake there are 100,000 drivers in the UK and 95,000 decide to do the ADR course as 28 hours towards their DCPC and the other 5000 take a course on tacho rules, road safety and fuel efficiency, which of those drivers will be classed as a better safer driver ? At the end of the day isn’t that what the DCPC is supposed to be for " making us safer better drivers " otherwise WHY do we need it ? If it is, that you can do the same 7 hour course 5 times and that will be enough to qualify then thats excactly what I will do, which 7 hours I haven’t decided yet . I am all for making us all better safer drivers and keeping us up to date with rules and regs as they change and for the DCPC but not in its current form, its just joke and while it is I will keep laughing at it
Hi Paul,
They’re all fair points mate.
A number of ADR providers thought it would be a good idea to register their courses with JAUPT for DCPC as a service to those drivers who actually need ADR. That way, those drivers get to kill two birds with one stone.
Just to give you an insight to the other side of that coin… those providers are actually somewhat up-in-arms about that because they are actually effectively paying the DfT TWICE for permission to run the same course.
There are also some other courses that can attract DCPC hours, such as FLT and HIAB, but depending on how a driver chooses to approach DCPC, it can be advantagous and not just a box ticking exercise.
