Eavesway Travel News

ALL EAVESWAY DRIVERS COMPLETE DRIVERS CPC

WHAT IS THE DRIVER CPC? The EU passed the Driver CPC EU Directive in 2003. This will affect all professional LGV and PCV drivers. For new drivers it introduces a new initial qualification, the Driver CPC, which increases the amount of knowledge that drivers need before they can drive. When combined with licence acquisition tests, the initial qualification includes a four hour theory test and a two hour driving and practical test. All drivers, new and existing, will then have to undertake 35 hours of training every five years to ensure that their Driver CPC is current. This is known as Periodic Training. Only courses that have been approved - and are being delivered by a training centre that has been approved - by the Joint Approvals Unit for Periodic Training (JAUPT) will count towards the Periodic Training requirement. Periodic Training is designed to confirm, and expand on, the existing knowledge and skills of each driver to ensure that they continue to be safe, courteous and fuel-efficient drivers. This will also enable drivers to keep up-to-date with ever changing regulations and to benefit from training throughout their whole career. This Directive became effective on 10 September 2008 for the PCV sector and will come into effect on 10 September 2009 for the LGV sector. For further information on Periodic Training please contact the Joint Approvals Unit for Periodic Training advice line.

When it became apparent that the DRIVER cpc was to be introduced and the date of its introduction confirmed we made the decision to ensure our driving force gained the full qualification at the earliest opportunity. We have now achieved this, all our full time and seasonal drivers having completed the full 35 hours periodic training necessary. They have now received their Driver Qualification Cards from the DVLA

Mike Eaves, Managing Director, also comments that the training held no fears for our drivers as they were already undertaking the necessary courses as part of our longstanding, regular ongoing driver training programme, which will continue, much of it organised by Transtech Training, part of The Manchester College who we had no hesitation in appointing as our DRIVER cpc training provider

All of the drivers, have, from the start been enthusiastic about taking and gaining the cpc and feel their status as drivers has been raised in gaining this European wide recognised professional qualification. We as a company are confident that when mentioning their achievement as part of our marketing this will be a great advantage to us in the current volatile market place and into the future, particularly when dealing with current and potential cruise, sporting and corporate customers