great93:
Can I apply for my digi tacho card any time? Is it costly…
It’s £40 for the first five years and £20 to renew for a further five years.
You can apply at any time, but there’s no point having it until you need it. On the other hand, you can drive with your pass certificate whilst you’re waiting to have your licence back, but you can’t drive a digital tachograph equipped vehicle if you’ve never had a driver card. I’m 99% sure you can’t drive on printouts from a digital tachograph vehicle unit for 14 days whilst you wait for your first card (or a replacement for an expired card), as I believe this concession only applies to those with faulty cards to allow them enough time to apply for a replacement.
Maybe the best compromise is to apply for your driver card somewhere around ten days to a fortnight before your test date. That way, you should have your card by test day.
You do not need a driver card whilst you’re learning (unless you’re carrying a load, which will only be the case if you’re driving a company vehicle with an accompanying driver - this won’t be the case at an LGV driving school) or to take your test.
Once you have a driver card, you must carry it when driving any vehicle on tachograph rules, even if you are driving an analogue tachograph vehicle.
great93:
I passed my car test a year and half ago so :/…
Also what’s the CPC and what do I have to do about this. Will my trainer sort this all out once I’ve passed my practical?
So I need to do DCPC, digi tacho after I’ve passed practical before I can go on agencies or apply for jobs 
It is an offence to drive LGVs commercially if you do not have DCPC. As you don’t have ‘acquired rights’, you need to take the Module 2 theory and Module 4 practical tests to get your initial DCPC for five years. During that five years, you need to take 5 days’ worth of periodic DCPC training to renew your DCPC for a further five years.
So, you need to take:* Module 1 - LGV theory
- theory test
- hazard perception test
[/*:m]
- Module 2 - LGV DCPC theory (the case studies)[/*:m]
- Module 3 - LGV driving test[/*:m]
- Module 4 - LGV DCPC practical[/*:m][/list:u]
The hazard perception test is the same one as you took for your car theory test, but with a higher pass mark. You can take it at the same time as the LGV theory or separately. If you fail one, you retake just the part you passed (yes, this is different to the car theory test where you have to pass both parts in a single attempt).
You can take the Module 2 case study test at the same time as your other theory tests if you want. It is based on the same books.
For Module 4, you’re recommended to take some tuition from a trainer. A good ‘filtering question’ on how seriously the trainer takes Module 4 is to ask if they have a load securing trolley. This is the same trolley that you will have to demonstrate the use of load securing devices on during your Module 4 test, so it’s best to choose a trainer who has a trolley you can practise with.
The Module 4 test is taken at an LGV driving test centre and you need a vehicle to take it with. You can take it at the same time as your LGV driving test (Module 3) or at a different time.
Once you’ve passed Modules 1 and 3, your driving licence needs to be sent away to have your full category C added. Usually it is best to let the examiner send off your licence. Until you receive your driving licence back, you should carry your LGV test pass certificate.
Once you’ve passed Modules 2 and 4, you are sent a Driver Qualification Card which has your DCPC expiry date on it (well, it may have two expiry dates if you have LGV DCPC and PCV DCPC). You must carry this card when driving LGVs commercially. Until you receive it, you should carry your Module 4 pass certificate.
very quick I know haha…
cheers for the help mate