The Freight Transport Association (FTA) is calling on the DVSA to review the delivery of the Driver CPC training programme as part of the EU-mandated changes to the legislation covering the qualification, which will see its first major amendments introduced on 23 May 2018.  These changes, which must be made in domestic law within the next two years, are the first steps to amend the legislation covering the driver CPC which must be completed by 2020,

“FTA has already made huge efforts to preserve the flexibility in Driver CPC training to ensure that it is tailored to the specific needs of drivers and operators,” says James Firth, FTA’s Head of Road Freight Regulation, “and we are confident that the impact of the changes to be implemented at this point will be limited.  However, the DVSA should be looking at all elements of the qualification and methods of implementation to ensure that they are fit for purpose – opportunities to tighten or amend legislation do not come around every day.

“Parliamentary time may be more precious than ever at the moment, but the UK’s logistics sector needs to be certain that the qualifications it needs to uphold are as up to date and appropriate as possible. DVSA must reassure the logistics sector that the CPC is future-proofed.”

According to the government’s intended approach to Brexit, all established European law in operation on 23 March 2019 will be adopted into domestic legislation:  as of today (23 May 2018), European law states that the changes to Driver CPC qualifications will be implemented after 23 May 2020, and the UK government has given no indication that the qualifications will be scrapped after Brexit.

“FTA proposed that DVSA undertook a thorough review of Driver CPC implementation in 2013 but was told that such a review would have to wait until the expected review of the European directive,” says Firth.  “That time is now upon us, and we are urging DVSA to take the opportunity to undertake a thorough review of such important legislation, to ensure that it is suitable and fit for purpose for today’s modern logistics industry.”

Efficient logistics is vital to keep Britain trading, directly having an impact on more than seven million people employed in the making, selling and moving of goods. With Brexit, new technology and other disruptive forces driving change in the way goods move across borders and through the supply chain, logistics has never been more important to UK plc.  A champion and challenger, FTA speaks to Government with one voice on behalf of the whole sector, with members from the road, rail, sea and air industries, as well as the buyers of freight services such as retailers and manufacturers.

Freight Transport Association

About the Author: John Loughran