Changes to Driver CPC

Following an industry consultation in 2023, the government has announced changes to Driver CPC will come into effect on 3 December 2024. The changes introduce an International and a National Driver CPC Qualification – the latter allows UK domestic drivers to undertake shorter 3.5 hour training courses to meet the 35 hour five year total.

To ensure drivers are fully aware of these changes we have updated the standard content within The Driver Handbook and published an additional Toolbox Talk.

The Toolbox Talk explains the changes that are relevant to currently qualified drivers and covers:

• An overview of the new regime effective from 3 December 2024
• International Driver CPC and its renaming from the previous Driver CPC regime
• National Driver CPC and the more flexible way UK domestic drivers can achieve the qualification
• The rules around carrying Driver CPC cards (Driver Qualification Card or DQC)

The revisions to Driver CPC and the introduction of the domestic qualification bring much needed flexibility to the industry whilst maintaining the same focus on road safety. Drivers need to be aware of which qualification is relevant to them and what their options are, but more importantly they need to know what competence requirements are laid down by their employers.