CPC DriverTraining is the Mercedes-Benz driving course for professional drivers.

When we at S & B Commercials Plc proudly announced in May 2010 that we would be holding CPC DriverTraining in the familiar surroundings of our Welham Green site, we had no idea what impact this would have on our community of drivers and Transport Managers.

Now, 18 months later, we thought it'd be a good idea to update you on what your compatriots around the country are saying about this training and the on-going implications of leaving it too late to get this accreditation.

There's a backlog building!

Take-up of the CPC Training has generally been slow, and we're pretty sure that unless people start to act now, there won't be enough capacity to train everyone before the 2014 deadline. And we know what that'll mean: demand will outweigh supply and some training providers may take advantage of this (not us of course!). We are urging drivers not to put it off any longer - it could work out very costly and could even be putting their jobs at risk. We're also urging Transport Managers and business owners to talk to their drivers as soon as possible about the Driver CPC, because come September 2014, if they haven't got enough qualified drivers to drive their vehicles it could work out very costly for their business and could even be putting it at serious risk.

So why haven't some drivers started their training yet?

We've talked to hundreds of drivers about their CPC requirements and whilst many are now starting to book on to courses, a number are still coming up with the same reasons why they haven't yet started their CPC training; these include:

'There's plenty of time'.
'I'm leaving it until the last minute',
'I'm going to stop driving'
'They (the Government) will roll the deadline on'.

We respond:

'There's plenty of time'… Time flies by as we all know and as we are already 2 years into the first 5 year period, we don't think that this is true any more. One day's training a year for 5 years is both manageable and shows good planning. Leaving the full 35 hours training until the last year or so compresses the absence from work and financial strain into a precariously small window. This is even more critical when a fleet of drivers needs training. Imagine that you have 20 drivers in your transport department who need training and you leave it until the last year before the deadline. That's 20 weeks you will be without your drivers in one 12 month period. Including annual holidays, that's near on half a year you will be without your drivers!

'I'm leaving it until the last minute'… We think this could be a very expensive decision for a driver or Transport Manager to take. We fear that as CPC training demand outweighs supply, training places will become fully booked up and some training providers may take advantage of this and significantly increase the prices they charge for training. A driver could even end up paying several hundred pounds for a single days training and that's if he can even find a training place.

'I'm going to stop driving'… Unless a driver is retiring, how will they earn a living other than driving? Incredibly, this is a common statement!

'They (the Government) will roll the deadline on'… Our CPC Driver Training partners were involved in a meeting recently attended by Mike Penning MP, The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport. He was very clear in his message about the future of the Driver CPC saying, "There are concerns regarding the age profile of drivers. We want to work together and get drivers fit for what they do and encourage young people to the profession. This skills shortage needs to be addressed and the Driver CPC is an important part of this". He concluded, "I want to be very clear, the Driver CPC are here to stay: it is not going anywhere and there will not be an amnesty."

So what to do next?

To book a course please contact our local CPC Associate Rob Bellamy of Mews Environmental on 07952 026577 or email him on rob@mewsenv.co.uk

CPC DriverTraining has an extensive syllabus including:

• Safe and economic driving
• Vehicle loading with regard to the safety rules and vehicle use
• Application of regulations
• Health, Road and Environmental safety
• The economic environment of Road Haulage

To learn more about CPC DriverTraining please download the CPC brochure.

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