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FAQs

If you have any questions, about Driver CPC, gaining or upgrading your driving licence, or any other Driver Hire Training services, you’re in the right place!

And if you can’t find the answer here, please do get in touch – we’re always happy to help.


 

Driver CPC – Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Since social distancing measures were introduced to help combat Coronavirus, the Government has permitted Driver CPC training to be delivered in a ‘virtual classroom’ via webinar or video conference platforms.

Driver Hire was a pioneer of this approach and our delegates love it! It’s an easy, enjoyable and convenient way to get the training you need. Find out more by watching this short video.

Prices are shown next to each course listing. Our online Driver CPC training costs just £40 Sunday to Friday, including VAT and JAUPT upload. Saturday courses are £50. Prices for classroom-based courses, when available, may vary.

A single day’s Driver CPC training must last 7 hours to count towards the mandatory 35 hours that you must take to gain your Driver Qualification Card.

Almost all Driver Hire training days are made up of two separate 3½ hour modules. This gives you a wider range of learning and will keep you interested right through the day. Find out more about all of our Driver CPC modules here.

You will receive your DQC automatically once you have completed the required 35 hours’ training and this has been uploaded to the DVSA database. Find out more on the Government website at www.gov.uk/driver-cpc-training/

There is no mandatory end-of-course test for Driver CPC training so you cannot fail a course. However some courses may have an assessment at the end to check what you have learned and to help to reinforce the most important aspects of the course.

Many of our Driver CPC courses are well suited to PCV drivers, but some are specifically targeted towards LGV drivers. if you’re a bus or coach driver, we’d recommend one of the following courses:

If you are driving a van with a maximum authorised mass (MAM) of less than 3,500kg, you can do this with a Category B licence, and would not need Driver CPC. For vehicles of 3,500kg (MAM) or above you would require a C1 licence. Therefore, when driving for commercial purposes, you must have a full Driver CPC (and carry your Driver Qualification Card – DQC).

The relevant vehicle categories for commercial vehicles are C, C1, C+E, C1+E. Drivers of passenger vehicles with 9 or more seats must also have their Driver CPC. Professional drivers of larger vehicles must obtain an initial Driver CPC and then keep this valid with 35 hours’ “periodic training” every 5 years.

There are exemptions for certain vehicles, which you can find listed online. If you do not use the vehicle for commercial purposes (for example, driving your own horsebox) then you do not need the full Driver CPC but will still need to pass any relevant driving tests for these vehicles.

Under the terms of the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations, working hours are any time that an employee is “at the employer’s disposal”. Therefore if a driver is sent on a training course such as Driver CPC by their employer, then this does count as working time.

Driver CPC is a legal requirement for all professional drivers of vehicles falling in scope of the regulations, driving for commercial purposes. If you do not complete the required training, or fail to produce your Driver Qualification Card (DQC) when required to do so, you could face a maximum fine of £1,000 for both the driver and the operator licence holder.

Failing to carry your DQC can attract a fixed penalty of £50. Offences under Driver CPC can be referred to the Traffic Commissioner, who could also suspend the driver or operator’s licence.

Currently Driver Hire Training offers 7-hour periodic training courses for £40 (including VAT and mandatory JAUPT upload fees). This price applies to all of our core weekday Driver CPC training modules, where delivered online. Prices for classroom-based training, where available, will vary.

Some courses, such as our OLAT course, which may also count towards your Driver CPC are subject to a different pricing model.

(Note – these prices are correct as of January 2023 and are subject to change without notice at any time).

‘Grandfather rights’ (or sometimes ‘acquired rights’) is a legal term that is applied in various industries when a new law or standard is introduced, so that people who were qualified before that rule was introduced are allowed to continue working as they were, rather than having to undertake fresh training.

In logistics, the term is most commonly applied in two areas – Category C1 (7.5T) driving entitlement and Driver CPC.

Driver CPC

Drivers who gained their professional LGV licence (Cat C, C1, C+E and C1+E) prior to 10th September 2009 have grandfather rights in relation to Driver CPC and so were not required to undertake a full Driver CPC to be qualified. All drivers gaining their licence after that date, on the other hand, and who wish to drive professionally, have to do the full four-module Initial CPC.

But remember – all professional drivers are obliged to meet the ongoing ‘periodic training’ requirement of 35 hours’ Driver CPC training every five years, to keep their DQC valid.

Category C1

Drivers who hold a car driving licence (Category B) issued before January 1997 automatically have ‘grandfather rights’ to drive vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes. If you gained your car licence after that date, you cannot automatically drive Category C1 vehicles, so you will require the training to upgrade your licence.

Your joining link will be emailed to you the day before your session is due to take place. If you are booked on to an evening session, the link will be sent the same morning.

Please ensure that you check your spam/junk folder for these links.

Your hours will be uploaded to your DVSA record within 5 working days upon completion of your Driver CPC training session.

Driver CPC is a legal requirement for all professional HGV drivers. CPC stands for Certificate of Professional Competencerequires that 35 hours of training are completed every five years, to keep your DQC (Driver Qualification Card) up to date. You also need to complete an initial CPC course to obtain an LGV licence if you do not have one. Find out how to complete your CPCtoday.

Licence Acquisition – Frequently Asked Questions

It usually takes around 6-7 weeks to learn to drive an HGV. This will cover everything from applying for your provisional licence to having your medical, studying the theory and learning all the practical skills you need to pass the four tests that are part of gaining a professional driver’s licence.

The cost varies depending on the licence that you are looking to acquire and where you do the training. We’ll be able to give you all the information you need about pricing when we know more about your needs.

The good news is, HGV training doesn’t have to be expensive, especially if you opt for a fast-tracked training route. This will get you on the road quickly, for a competitive price.

The amount a HGV driver in the UK can earn varies depending on employer, but typically the starting salary for a newly qualified driver is anywhere between £19-24k. If you have more experience, like multiple licence categories, then you could certainly earn up to £40k. Have a look at our driving careers page for more info.

If you’ve taken a standard driving test in the past, then you will already know how to interact with other traffic and know the rules of the road. Professional drivers are highly skilled, but if you’ve trained properly, with a good school, you should find your practical and theory tests fairly straightforward. All you need to be able to do is concentrate, stay calm, and be confident in your knowledge and experience.

Yes, you can. Traditionally you had to have a Cat. C licence (for rigid trucks) before you could take your Class 1 (Cat. C+E, or artic) test. Some people would choose to complete the training in one course, with the Cat. C taken first, followed by the C+E shortly after.

Changes introduced by the Government in November 2021 mean that it is now possible to go straight to your Cat. C+E test without first having to pass a separate Cat. C test. You will still learn to drive both rigid and articulated trucks, but those elements relating to the Cat. C will be tested by your driving school rather than by a DVSA examiner.

It is still possible to choose to train and take just the Cat. C test if you do not want to drive articulated vehicles. And remember, you need your Driver CPC for all licences of Category C1 (7.5T) and above.

Class 1 and Class 2 are two different categories of LGV vehicles. Class 1 refers to large trucks that weigh over 3,500 kg, including those above 7.5 tonnes, like national and long-haul lorries. They generally have a tractor unit and trailer, in an articulated or drawbar configuration. These are the largest vehicles that you can drive in the logistics industry, weighing up to 44 tonnes. A Class 1 HGV licence is also called a Cat C+E Licence.

Class 2, refers to smaller trucks that weigh over 3,500 kg, but no heavier than 32 tonnes. This includes a trailer weighing up to 750 kg. These vehicles are often referred to as ‘rigid’ and include fire engines, bin collection vehicles and large removal trucks. They are usually used for making local and domestic deliveries. A Class 2 HGV licence is also called a Cat C licence.

LGV Class 1, also referred to as Cat C+E, refers to a category of large vehicles that weigh over 3,500 kg, including those above 7.5 tonnes. It is the same as HGV Class 1. If you have your Class 1 licence, you can drive most national/international haulage vehicles, drawbar or artic vehicles, and tractors with a long trailer unit. It is an upgrade on the Class 2, or Category C licence.

To become a Class 1 HGV driver, you need to take a Class 1/Cat C+E training course.

The course is four days long and includes all the safety information and training that will need to be able to obtain your Class 1 licence to drive haulage vehicles weighing up to 44 tonnes.

In order to take the course, you need to already have a Cat. B (ordinary car) licence, or a Cat C1 (7.5 tonnes) licence.

If you already have a Class 2 (Cat. C) licence, you can upgrade it to a Class 1 (Cat. C+E) licence.

Class 2 drivers can earn up to £32,000 per year or £19.04 per hour. The types of vehicles you might drive with a Class 2 (Cat. C) licence include most haulage trucks, fire engines, bin collection vehicles and large removal trucks.

Find out how to get your Class 2 licence with Driver Hire today.

A PCV is a Passenger Carrying Vehicle, like a minibus or coach. Category D1 PCVs have between 9 and 16 passenger seats, whereas Category D PCVs have more than 16 seats. To be able to drive these types of vehicles professionally, you will need to obtain a PCV licence.

You can apply for a PCV licence by doing a short training course with Driver Hire. The length of the course will depend on what category of PCV licence you need, and what previous driving experience you have, but it will be no longer than 7 days. At the end of the course, you will need to take a test to qualify for your licence.

There is no difference between a PSV and a PCV licence – they are the same thing. PSV is an older term meaning Public Service Vehicle, and PCV is a newer term meaning Passenger Carrying Vehicle. Before 1992, it was called a PSV licence, but since then its name has changed and now you would get a PCV licence.

Your PCV licence must be renewed every five years, otherwise, it is not legally up to date. If you are over the age of 65, it must be renewed every year. You will also need to sign a self-declaration to confirm that you are medically and physically fit to continue driving every time your PCV licence expires.

To drive a minibus for hire and reward, i.e. you are getting paid for it, you will need a Category D1 PCV licence. This will allow you to drive PCV vehicles with 9 to 16 passenger seats. If you want to drive a passenger-carrying vehicle with over 16 passenger seats, you will need a Category D PCV licence.

If you are a driver with an existing automatic PCV licence, since 2015 you can upgrade it to a manual PCV licence, but only if you already have a manual vehicle licence. Furthermore, if you are planning to take your automatic PCV test to get your licence, you will automatically get a manual entitlement if you already hold a manual licence for another class of vehicle e.g. car or HGV. You can upgrade your licence by contacting the DVLA.

This will depend on the weight of your converted bus. If you passed your standard driving test (car) before 1997, you will be allowed to drive vehicles weighing up to 7.5 tonnes. But if you passed your driving test after 1997, you can only drive vehiclesweighing up to 3.5 tonnes.

If your vehicle weighs over 7.5 tonnes, you will need a Category C, Class 2, HGV licence, which you can obtain with a short training course. In some circumstances, it might be possible to reclassify the weight of your vehicle by contacting the DVLA, if during the conversion you have made the vehicle lighter. You will not need a PCV licence unless you are planning to use the vehicle to carry passengers commercially.

With a Category D1 licence, you can drive Passenger Carrying Vehicles (PCVs) with up to 16 passenger seats. This includes most minibuses too. Adding the ‘+E’ suffix to your Category D1 licence entitles you to tow a trailer weighing more than 750kg behind the minibus. If you want to drive a PCV with more than 16 passenger seats, you will need a Category D PCV licence.

If you are not driving a minibus for hire and reward, i.e. if there is no payment from the passengers, and it has no more than 16 passengers, then you may be able to operate it with your ordinary car licence.

 

If you want to drive a minibus commercially you will need a PCV (Passenger Carrying Vehicle) licence. There are two categories of PVC licence, Category D1 covers vehicles with between 9 and 16 passenger seats, whereas Category D covers larger buses and coaches with over 16 passenger seats.

You can get your minibus licence by doing a PCV training course with Driver Hire. We offer courses for Category D and Category D1 qualifications, the length of which will depend on your previous driving experience- but it will not be longer than seven days.

To drive a bus or a coach you need a Category D PCV licence, which covers you to drive commercial vehicles with over 16 passenger seats. It also covers you to drive smaller, Category D1 vehicles such as minibuses.

PCV licence costs vary, depending on where in the country you do your training. It can also vary depending on what qualifications you already have, e.g. an HGV licence. Get in touch with us to get a quote for PCV licence training.

Other – Frequently Asked Questions

A B1 forklift certificate covers you to operate forklift machinery weighing up to 5,000 kg. If you want to drive machinery heavier than this, then you will need a B2 licence (5,000 kg to 15,000 kg), or a B3 licence (over 15,000 kg). Find out more about Driver Hire’s forklift training courses to start earning your licence.

Specific forklift licence costs vary depending on where you want to do your training. Fill out a forklift training enquiry form today to learn more about Driver Hire’s 3-5 day, comprehensive forklift training courses.

Once you have completed your forklift training, you will be issued a copy of your forklift licence certificate. If you have lost your certificate copy, then you will need to either contact your training provider who issued the certificate, or your employer/past employer who organised the training on your behalf, to get a new copy.

A forklift is an electric or gas-powered vehicle with a metal fork platform attached, that is used to lift heavy objects in industrial settings. The different types of forklifts include articulated forklifts that can unload materials in narrow aisles, counterbalance forklifts – the most common type of forklift that can carry heavy loads, reach forklifts, Hiab/Moffett, or truck-mounted forklifts,and rough terrain forklifts that are designed to be driven over uneven ground. Most forklifts are driven by a person in a cab sitting down in the vehicle, but there are some forklifts where drivers stand up, called stand-up forklifts.

Forklift training certifications don’t technically expire, but if you are operating forklifts regularly, you should refresh your training at least every three years. A ‘refresher’ course to top up your knowledge usually lasts no longer than a day. If you plan to drive forklifts on the road, you will need a specific licence.

ITSSAR stands for the Independent Training Standards Scheme and Register, which is an accrediting body for workplace transport. It awards Mechanical Handling Equipment (MHE) certifications, e.g. for forklift trucks. They are dedicated to improving workplace standards and reducing accidents with MHE.

HIAB is a brand that makes lorry-mounted cranes, a type of vehicle that is used often in the transport industry for activities like delivering logs or other goods to domestic and industrial premises. They are also used in the construction industry to transport heavy materials. Other, brands that make similar vehicles include Atlas, Fassi and Palfinger. To drive a HIAB, you will need an ALLMI or ITSSAR qualification, which you can obtain on a short HIAB training course with Driver Hire.

There are different types of HIAB vehicles. Long-reach HIABs are designed to reach high places to perform essential maintenance or deliveries. Exactly how far they can reach depends on the load, and the exact model you are using.