According to research, the number of Driver CPC Periodic Training attendees is lagging compared to the previous 5-year training cycle.
The DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) recently shared that, from January to June 2018, the Driver CPC Periodic Training market is reported to have had 20% fewer attendees than the previous cycle, equating to more than 100,000 drivers. It was only up until February 2018, that there were fewer attendees compared to the previous cycle, after which the shortfall increased.
While some organisations may think that the transport and logistics sector is dismissing Driver CPC in the hope that the requirements will disappear due to Brexit, there could be other significant reasons for this shortfall.
As the festive season approaches, the road transport industry is busier than ever, so perhaps haulage operators are simply too stretched delivering goods rather than sending drivers on training. If this is the case, we could expect to see the shortage in attendees made up later in the cycle – although this may be cause for concern as transport operations could lose weeks in 2019 making up for lost training hours.
Driver CPC Periodic Training, which launched in 2009, is intended to maintain high driving standards to improve road and vehicle safety, and requires existing, qualified drivers to complete 35 hours of training across a 5-year cycle. New drivers from 2009 entering the industry must take the Initial Driver CPC Qualification. They must also complete continued training hours, though they are not tired into the same cycle with their 5-year period starting at the time of qualification.
It’s worrying that new drivers will not have a September 2019 deadline for their Driver CPC hours which poses important considerations for employers as they must ensure that they have plans in place to recruit talent to fill this skills gap.
If planned and used correctly, Driver CPC can be a valuable and professional development opportunity that employers can use to attract new LGV drivers – plus retaining existing professionals. Driver CPC is set to continue in its current format after Brexit, so appointing safe, skilled drivers has to be a priority for the industry.
Our Master Driver CPC Consortium provides employers and training providers with access to a vast collection of high-quality training topics, all deliverable without the use of PowerPoint! To find out more about how Driver CPC Periodic Training can prevent your organisation from falling behind in the training cycle, or to enquire about joining the Master Driver CPC Consortium, contact us on +44 (0) 01952 520207 or learn more here.