The Driver CPC regulations require all HGV and bus drivers to undergo 35 hours of training within every five year period. The first phase of this process will be completed by bus drivers in September 2013, and HGV drivers in September 2014.
Current statistics indicate that the training process is on schedule for completion as required. This is vital since, without completing the required training, a driver will not be permitted to work.
Steve Agg, Chief Executive, The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in the UK (CILT) says: 'HGV and bus drivers are amongst only a very few group of workers required to undertake compulsory continuous professional development in order to retain their ability to work. At the same time, their driving behaviour is continuously monitored by in-cab technology including the tachograph, which measures speed, distance and driving times. These drivers carry out essential work which is to the benefit of the entire population of the UK - all goods, and most services, are required to be delivered by lorry or van, and millions of people travel by bus and coach every day.
'In the UK we are fortunate to have a group of professional drivers who are highly trained, conscientious and experienced and who can operate effectively in all weathers and traffic conditions. The professional operating standards of HGV and bus drivers place them as the most skilled and best qualified drivers on UK roads. The demands of the driving tests applicable to vocational drivers means that the training they undergo, and the skills they are required to exhibit in order to obtain qualification, are at the highest level. The introduction of the Driver CPC - in effect their 'licence to practice' - which requires compulsory on-going training has ensured that their skills continue to be updated and refreshed in order to ensure safe and efficient operations.
'Every road user - car drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians - should be aware of the special care required when sharing the highway with large vehicles including HGVs, coaches and buses. However, they can take comfort from knowing that the drivers of these vehicles have undergone a comprehensive and continuous programme of training designed to make them as safe and efficient as possible.'