The DCPC stinks

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
21

The problem, as I see it with dcpc, is that its just not valued as a qualification. You only have to attend, no exam, no jeopody as to wether you’ll qualify, no percieved value, and thats why that boring disintrested muppet has been getting away with delivering the coarse in the manner you describe, He’s been delivering it to bored disintrested drivers, many off whom probably dont give a toss about a single word he’s uttered. Many will be just as ignorant when they leave as when the went in, if your not intrested, then being made to attend a classroom, possibly at your own expence wont raise your attension levels, especialy if you have the “been doing this 20 years what can he teach me” attitude. So muppet ploughs on getting his chegue, and nobody is any the wiser because he hasnt had to prove that he can dissenimate information, because there is no TEST :unamused:

I like You (luke) and probably 99% off the users on this forum are intrested, and as such we had allready made it part off our ethos to keep up to speed with changes in/to this industry, through this forum, industry press, trade union publications, word off mouth and other ways that I cant think off, but we were allready doing what the cpc has set out to do, but now we have to pay. and with no way to prove that we have engaged, we have learnt, and we are more knowledgeble, because there is no test :unamused:

A valueless piece off burocracy,and an opportunity missed. Though had there been exams, then that really would have made a driver shortage, and the Government dont want that, I mean gad forbid we might actually be able to wave a card to prove why we’re worht a pay rise :wink:

ps I’m not employed for my spelling or grammer thank god :wink:

22

How hard would it be to liven it up a bit■■? Take a load security course for example, how much would it cost to mock a table up like a trailer? So you could get the drivers in the room to demonstrate some of the skills they do have?

Those skills you have might not be in the set of the guy sitting next to you. And vice versa.

I’m sure there would be no end of drivers queuing up to show everyone in the room how they used to rope and sheet :wink:

What these DCPC trainers are missing, is that lorry drivers are natural show offs! How quickly would 7 hours go if you arguing over something physical, rather than a power point slide…

23

The problem is the many factors (all can be firmly laid with the haulage bosses themselves) that make youngsters take one look and say ‘■■■■ that’, no amount of DCPC or anything else will resolve the issue, in fact its another reason for youngsters NOT to come into the industry.

Further point the kids likely to consider driving are not the ones who come out of school with lots of bits of paper, they’re the kids who can’t get out of a classroom quick enough and never want to see one again.

I did HIAB, FLT, SAFED, ADR/Tankers for my DCPC, all well run and worthwhile courses as I wanted to give myself the best chance of getting work. If I decide to keep driving past 2019 (very unlikely) then 1st aid/1st on scene would be one module I’d do and maybe HIAB after that I have no idea other than revise tacho/WTD in case something had got past me.

24

Blimey, am I missing something with the kitchen roll?! Why would anyone even notice it’s on the bed let alone care?! Were you told on a DCPC course that is illegal to put kitchen rolls on the bunk?! :smiley:

25

switchlogic:
Blimey, am I missing something with the kitchen roll?! Why would anyone even notice it’s on the bed let alone care?! Were you told on a DCPC course that is illegal to put kitchen rolls on the bunk?! :smiley:

I think in their lives paper tissue products are only used for one purpose unrelated to cooking. :laughing:

26

Own Account Driver:

switchlogic:
Blimey, am I missing something with the kitchen roll?! Why would anyone even notice it’s on the bed let alone care?! Were you told on a DCPC course that is illegal to put kitchen rolls on the bunk?! :smiley:

I think in their lives paper tissue products are only used for one purpose unrelated to cooking. :laughing:

yeah but they’re just a bunch of onanists :laughing:

27

Ohhhhhh, I see.

28

Own Account Driver:

switchlogic:
Blimey, am I missing something with the kitchen roll?! Why would anyone even notice it’s on the bed let alone care?! Were you told on a DCPC course that is illegal to put kitchen rolls on the bunk?! :smiley:

I think in their lives paper tissue products are only used for one purpose unrelated to cooking. :laughing:

Me?? Nah, sod that, I’d just use the curtain’s. :laughing:

29

I agree with Nick, for the training to have any real value, there should be a threshold we can show we’ve reached, and that our instructor can show he’s taught to. (If he consistently has a roomful of drivers all failing to achieve the relevant pass grade…)

Our company used the same company throughout, the MD of the training company was first up, excellent, had never driven anything other than a car. But he could put over the driving hours really well. The rest of the instructors were all Class 1 lads who were of very, very, variable quality and interest. The MD of the training company was the ONLY one who asked us questions… After that first and only experience, (where he showed himself to be a total ignoramus), our “been there done that, there’s now’t some desk driver can tell me…” longest serving driver, announced he’d retire before the DCPC came into force, and he has. So he never attended another DCPC day.

My opinion is, that in the years to come, this qualification will become tested, and, those that fail will lose their licence. (Suspension until they achieve a pass.) If you look around you, so many jobs that you could go into straight from school, without even a CSE, (remember those?) have now become subject to qualified entry.

What is needed, IMHO again, is a massive improvement in the calibre of the instructors, and I agree that using more hands on practical training would benefit all involved. E.g. most our training took place in the offices of the depot, not once did we do any “show me don’t tell me” whilst 20+ vehicles, ranging from 7.5t to 44t, stood mere metres away. So as F-reds says, we could have done loads of practical training, complete with all the banter and mickey-take that would have gone with it, but we would all have benefitted, and the day would have flown.

As this thread seems to be wandering slightly off the serious part of the topic, can I just say, who knows, we might even have covered all the uses for a kitchen roll? We do have a female class 1 driver, who could have given us all a few tips… Couldn’t she?

30

As someone who went through the Initial CPC, its just as much of a farce. Module 2 isn’t so bad in such that its not really useful in any shape or form aside form learning the driving hours. It fails to mention duty time and the WTD rules though. Module 4 is even worse. Its basically a extended vehicle check with questions of looking for drugs and illegals. The load security part is a joke. They ask you to use a metal cage to demo 4 different types of load securing devices. Not once was I asked to put this into practice to actual secure a load.

The next thing that came to bite my in the backside once I had passed was as many of you know, the tachograph. For something that forms the very basis of what the EU driving hours are regulated with, I find it mind boggling that they don’t test you on this. I get that you may not need it as back of your actual driving test but if you are doing CPC then you are going to be earning whilst you drive so you are going to be bound by the EU law. Its not just me being an idiot, I’ve spoken to a few newbie drivers in the same boat and everyone has a similar story to tell.

31

What a shambles, but they can’t all be like that, I have been on training days in various industries. It is a shame as you can learn some good stuff from things like this, but if the guy is a teacher that has never worked in the sector you are learning,he needs a certain flare to impart his textbook lessons.

I have lived in France for number of years, (OK I can see that will create comments :smiley: ) This initial training FIMO (147 hours?) and 5 year periodic FCOS (35 hrs (now) it was 21hrs ie 3 days) has been in place here since the late 1990’s 97?. It was the biggest hurdle I arrived to living here, I couldn’t get a job with a french firm because I didn’t the ‘FIMO’ formation initial minimum obligatoire. Passed my test too late to do the short periodic course.

Got a job eventually (did other things in the meantime?) transporting the clay for a local factory, because it was ram material it was exempt :slight_smile:

Anyway I will get to the point, Last year that exemption was changed so we all had to go on the course, it turned out that as I was already working for a company I could do the periodic ‘result’!

I can’t put my hand on my heart here, but all of the drivers I know here, do this training with LGV driving schools, the lecturers were all ex-drivers, all done in one week! none of this module crap. Even better your firm has to pay for it :slight_smile: Down side, because it was conducted by drivers things went off on tangents a bit and I felt that some things were missed out. Too much gassing. Got my card though that’s what counted at the end of the day.

Ex-driver teachers, good points, ex-florist teachers, follow the syllabus just depends on the teacher I guess! bon chance mes amis! roulez bien!

32

Teachers should have relevant experience.

Case in point… My first ADR teacher had spent 20 years in the military as a aircraft refueler and 15 years on the road as a class 1 fuel tanker driver.
He told us stories and real world examples of the job, and although it was a 3 day course and over a weekend and a 30 mile journey each way to attend I really enjoyed it and learnt a lot.

My CPC was sat in a dingy old room in our yard, by someone who had never driven an HGV and had no license to do so and just read words off a PowerPoint presentation with no personal insight or enthusiasm.

It felt like a complete waste of a day, I learnt very little and couldn’t wait to get out of there.

Make the CPC like my first ADR and the whole thing would be so much better and drivers might actually get something out of it.

33

I did 4 out of 5, along with my ADR, at novadata at Braintree, and can’t praise them enough, their trainers are first class, enthusiastic, knowledgable, and entertaining, and the premises are conducive to learning.

The last one was done in Colchester, and I don’t think I’d hurry back - can’t put my finger on it, but it just wasn’t that captivating, and felt like a struggle to get through -bit too much padding.

In my previous life, I regularly had to undergo training to keep up with the reg changes, so don’t have a problem with periodic training, but agree with most on here that the way it’s been implemented is a classic example of government lip service to a EU directive.

I’d like to see drivers hours and first aid modules being compulsory (I’d like to see first aid being taught in schools as well), with the other 3 modules being something of value. I’ve mentioned it before, but would like to see DVSA get in on the act and do a module on load security, with access to a real trailer and load examples, and show how they expect it done, with chance for feedback of real-world problems and solutions. Might help to improve compliance, and heal some of the perceived rifts between ‘us and them’

34

switchlogic:
And I said I went to a random place because it was cheap where exactly? And did you watch the vid or just write this based on what you think it contains? Because if you watched it you would have seen me say I think the concept of periodic training is a good idea and I’m ready and willing to learn new things and get my moneys worth…so maybe you should have watched it eh?

I assumed you merely posted a youtube video of a halfwit. I was just making a general comment of why people think it was a waste of time.

tommyt:
But why would anyone spend more than they have to on this crock of [zb], called dcpc ? so matter how much you spend you are still going to have to endure 7hrs of mind numbing babble, unless you do your forklift course or hiab or adr, but if you don’t want or need them why pay more and be out of pocket ?

I paid £60. The course was run by the commercial training arm of Craven College and the training was delivered by people who were experienced in what they were teaching and were good at running a training session. For example the guy who ran the bad weather driving course drove snow ploughs for the council, the guy who did basic first aid was a former fireman and ambulance service first responder.

So good training does not mean it has to cost more.

Edit: Oh…switchlogic is the halfwit in the video. :blush:

35

It Does me laugh how many people on Trucknet write posts based on nothing but assumptions! Ever heard the phrase knowledge is power people?! Being informed is a very powerful tool in any debate.

36

So people who actually watch the video are frowned upon because they notice (due to their highly tuned observational skills) the remnants of your ■■■■■■■■■■■■ session… and people who don’t watch the video are derided for their ignorance.

Jeez, you can’t win. :laughing:

37

Conor:

switchlogic:
And I said I went to a random place because it was cheap where exactly? And did you watch the vid or just write this based on what you think it contains? Because if you watched it you would have seen me say I think the concept of periodic training is a good idea and I’m ready and willing to learn new things and get my moneys worth…so maybe you should have watched it eh?

I assumed you merely posted a youtube video of a halfwit. I was just making a general comment of why people think it was a waste of time.

tommyt:
But why would anyone spend more than they have to on this crock of [zb], called dcpc ? so matter how much you spend you are still going to have to endure 7hrs of mind numbing babble, unless you do your forklift course or hiab or adr, but if you don’t want or need them why pay more and be out of pocket ?

Im glad that i didn’t spend £60 per module for it, I paid far less and will do the same again

I paid £60. The course was run by the commercial training arm of Craven College and the training was delivered by people who were experienced in what they were teaching and were good at running a training session. For example the guy who ran the bad weather driving course drove snow ploughs for the council, the guy who did basic first aid was a former fireman and ambulance service first responder.

So good training does not mean it has to cost more.

Edit: Oh…switchlogic is the halfwit in the video. :blush:

38

Contraflow:
So people who actually watch the video are frowned upon because they notice (due to their highly tuned observational skills) the remnants of your ■■■■■■■■■■■■ session… and people who don’t watch the video are derided for their ignorance.

Jeez, you can’t win. :laughing:

Strange mind you have if the first thing you think of is ■■■■■■■■■■■■ upon seeing a kitchen roll. Have you some weird kitchen fetish going on?

39

It’s not just kitchen roll though… it’s kitchen roll on the bunk. #tnukcsi

40

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