Driver CPC FAQs

Any HGV driver who commutes for a living must possess a CPC card.
Thus, their primary occupation is driving (such as a delivery driver, skip driver etc)

The GOV.co.uk website states that if you’re using the vehicle for any of the following:

• the vehicle cannot be carrying passengers or goods, and the driving must be non-commercial.
• the non-commercial carriage of passengers or goods carrying material or equipment you use for your job, as long as driving is less than 30% of your rolling monthly work.
• Driving a lorry, bus, or coach cannot be your primary occupation, and you are only permitted to drive within 62 miles (100 kilometres) of your base.
• You are also only permitted to drive to and from pre-arranged appointments at official vehicle testing centres
• To provide driving lessons for anyone seeking a driver’s licence or a Driver CPC, to maintain public order
• Participate in rescue operations or other emergency situations.

Additionally, you do not require Driver CPC if the car is:

• Is being used or controlled by the armed forces, police, fire and rescue service, emergency ambulance service, prison service, or people running a prison or young offender institution.
• Being road tested for repair, maintenance, or technical development purposes.
• Whether new or rebuilt, and has not yet been taxed.
• Its top speed is 28 mph.

If you operate a professional vehicle without a Driver CPC, you might face a fine of up to £1,000.

You have “acquired rights” or “grandfather rights” if you:

• Possess a valid HGV licence (C, C1, C+E, or C1+E) as of September 10, 2009

OR

• Because you passed the UK vehicle test prior to 1997, you have C1. If so, you can sign up to complete 5 CPC modules and get your very first CPC card. No tests or exams are necessary; just sign up for your modules, and we’ll handle the rest.

If you passed your HGV after September 2009 and do not have grandfather rights for cars, you will simply need to complete a Mod 2 and Mod 4 (passed car before 1997). If you need to take both the Mod 2 and Mod 4, just schedule the Mod 2 at https://www.gov.uk/book-theory-test.

Online Driver Enquiry is referred to as ODE.

On gov.uk, you can obtain the ODE service registration form. www.gov.uk/check-your-driver-cpc-periodic-training-hours

A driver can generate a temporary password, good for 21 days, to give to a third party to grant access to their periodic training details after using the ODE service to verify how many periodic training hours they have racked up.Drivers can examine the amount of periodic training that has been recorded for them using the ODE facility.

After five working days of completing periodic training, drivers are urged to check ODE to be sure their training provider properly submitted it. A motorist can utilise the ODE service to check the date of the issuance of their subsequent Driver Qualification Card (DQC).

While you wait for your CPC card to arrive, you can still drive. According to DVSA, delivery may take up to 21 days. In the interim, be careful to set up your ODE and safeguard your credentials. Visit www.gov.uk/check-your-driver-cpc-periodic-training-hours to register for your ODE.

DVSA/Jaupt currently assert:

“Drivers are only permitted to retake the same course once every five years provided they have a valid cause to do so, such as continuing their dangerous goods training.

The DVSA has the right to revoke the course-related hours they earned if they do not have a valid excuse.

If cancelling the hours reduces their total to less than 35 hours, the driver risked losing his DQC.

The DVSA should be emailed a scanned image of the front and back of the DQC along with the driver’s GB driving licence number and address if the driver arrives for training with both a GB driving licence and a DQC issued in another country.
This will make it possible to verify the periodic training hours.

Although we strive to post within 24 hours, all training providers have up to 5 working days to upload drivers CPC courses. If you need it uploaded right away, please let us know and we’ll do it right after the session.

Possibly… If you have a second C licence or grandfather rights, our courses are acceptable for D licence holders (C1). Our courses are not valid for you if you do not own any C licences.

Yes. Driver CPC applies to all drivers who transport products or passengers for income. This covers Cat D1 vehicles with 9-16 passenger seats and a top speed of 80 km/h (50 mph). As a current license holder on the date of implementation (10 September 2008), you will not be required to complete the initial qualification for new drivers, but you will be required to complete 35 hours of Periodic Training.

Once your digital tachograph manual entries have been confirmed, they cannot be altered.

The DVLA, DVLA Local Offices, and DVSA Testing Stations will all have application forms. Send the form back to DVLA, Swansea, SA99 1ST, along with the fee and necessary paperwork, if any.

Download a form to apply for a driver’s card here.

Download a form to apply for a company card here.

To facilitate filling out the application form, we have included a guide with instructions.

Go to the DVLA Digital Tachograph webpages for more details.

The Vehicle Unit should be downloaded at least once every 56 days, and your Digital Tachograph Driver Card should be downloaded at least once every 28 days.

No, you must use your card to drive the vehicle.

Yes, but only for a period of 15 days.

All digital tachograph entries must be in UTC time, which is minus one hour in the summer and local time in the winter.

On a digital tachograph, using the mode switch is even more important and necessary than on an analogue one. Unless you change the mode switch to “Break” or “POA,” your card will always record “drive” when you’re moving and “work” when you’re stopped.

After you insert your card, the vehicle unit may take more than a minute to process it. You will receive this infraction if you drive before complete processing has occurred.

Speed is not recorded on the driver’s card.

See why does my driver’s licence only say “drive” and “work” for more information.

The paper feed rollers should be cleaned once a week or when 2,000 sheets or more are fed into the unit, whichever comes first. It is recommended that the paper feed rollers be cleaned every day in a place where NCR paper is used. Non-carbon reproduction paper (NCR) and other treated papers contain chemicals that cause the rollers to wear out faster than expected. This means that the rollers need to be replaced much sooner than planned. In this harsh environment, it will help the paper feed rollers last longer if they are cleaned every day with isopropyl alcohol.