Run a Driver CPC training course

How to run and manage a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) periodic training course.

Who can provide courses

You must be an approved training centre to provide Driver CPC periodic training courses.

You have to apply to get approval for:

your training centre
any courses you want to provide

Find out how to set up a Driver CPC training centre.

Provide privacy information when drivers book your course

You must provide privacy information to drivers at the time you collect their personal data from them.

You can do this using a privacy notice. This must be easy to understand and easily accessible.

You can download a template of a privacy notice to use. As a data controller, you’re legally responsible for making sure your actual privacy notice is accurate and explains how you collect and use data.

Check the Information Commissioner’s Office guidance on the right to be informed for more information about what you must include.

Privacy notice (example)

ODT, 11.3KB

This file is in an OpenDocument format

Send joining instructions

You should send joining instructions to each driver before the course takes place. These should include:

the course’s start and end times

the length of the course (for example, 7 hours excluding breaks)

details of your cancellation policy

whether lunch is provided

a contact number so drivers can tell you about any special requirements

You can download an example of joining instructions.

Joining instructions (example)

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This file is in an OpenDocument format

Register delegates and check their identities

It’s the centre’s responsibility to record attendance and ID checks. If you want to use the example above, this guidance will help you complete it.

You can download a template of a registration sheet to use.

Attendance register (example)

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This file is in an OpenDocument format

Comments section

It should include a comments section to note if the course was not delivered to a delegate because:

their licence was not valid

the delegate did not finish the course because they were unwell

of other reasons, for example, the driver was late for the course and was turned away

Write the details of an identity check the comments section.

Write ‘Do not upload’ if the delegate did not finish the course and cross through the record.

The attendance record should show when your course runs over 2 consecutive days or if 2 modules are taken each day.

Check the identity of drivers

You must check the identity of all drivers using one of these forms of photo ID:

a photocard driving licence

a valid passport

a digital tachograph card

a driver qualification card (DQC)

Check the driving licence entitlement

You must check that all drivers have the right entitlement on their licence. Only drivers with large goods vehicle (LGV) or passenger carrying vehicle (PCV) entitlement can have periodic training recorded for them.

Introduce the course

You should set enough time for a welcome and introduction session. This should include:

a health and safety briefing

information about welfare facilities

the course aims and objectives

an opportunity for drivers to share their experiences and knowledge

timings for the course

the conduct expected, such as:
- use of mobile phones
- mutual respect and confidentiality

Train the drivers using your approved course

Drivers should complete 7 hours of training a year and aim to cover a range of subjects. They should not repeat the same course unless there is a specific need. If DVSA believe you have knowingly allowed a driver to repeat courses, they may revoke the driver’s periodic training hours, or their Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) card. DVSA may also take action against you for knowingly delivering repeat training.

You must:

link the course content to the syllabus - training requirements are contained in Annex 1 in Directive 2003/59 EU, amended by the Annex in the revised Directive 2018/645 EU
be up-to-date with current legislation

You do not have to cover the full content of the syllabus - you can focus on parts of it.

You can include content that goes beyond the content in the Directive (2003/59 EU) and the revised Directive (2018/645 EU) as long as it’s linked to the syllabus and is an expansion on a Directive topic.

Course content rules

Your course content must be equivalent to at least a level 2 vocational qualification.

The UK qualifications regulator defines a level 2 as:

Competence which involves the application of knowledge and skills in a significant range of varied work activities, performed in a variety of contexts. Some of the activities are complex or non-routine, and there is some individual responsibility and autonomy. Collaboration with others, perhaps through membership of a work group or team, may often be a requirement.

Training should:

have specific emphasis on road safety, health and safety at work, and the reduction of the environmental impact of driving
cover a variety of subjects including one road safety-related subject
take into account developments in relevant legislation and technology
consider the specific training needs of the driver

Training can be delivered:

as classroom teaching
as practical training
as e-learning (this should not exceed 2 hours in each 7 hour course)
on top-of-the-range simulators

E-learning

You can apply to have e-learning included in your Driver CPC course. Drivers attending your course can access this training before classroom training. E-learning is limited to a maximum of 2 hours per 7 hour course with the other 5 hours being delivered in a classroom setting.

If you want to deliver training this way you will need to:

make sure the standard of training is the same level as classroom-based training (at least a level 2 vocational qualification)
only select subjects that can be taught digitally
be able to verify the identity of the trainee and prove they have participated and keep evidence of this for audit purposes
provide devices on-site for those who do not have their own
monitor start and finish times and be able to show the e-learning module was completed in full

Courses for LGV or PCV drivers or both

Your course content should apply to the LGV or PCV sector, or it can be for both. The course content can be very different for each.

You can run the course to a mixed group of drivers and extend the course time if you need to, so that both LGV and PCV drivers get full training.

Example - You can send the LGV drivers on a break while the PCV drivers get specific training, or the other way around.

Course length

Your periodic training course must:

be delivered in periods of at least 7 hours, which may be split over 2 consecutive days
last for the required time - short delivery is not allowed
be delivered as approved

You need to make sure there’s enough approved content to fill the course.

Only direct contact time with a trainer counts toward periodic training unless the course contains an element of e-learning. You can use more than one trainer to make sure the drivers have enough contact time.

Modular courses

A modular course is a 7-hour course made up of 2 separate modules.

You could have 4 3½-hour modules approved (A, B, C, D). You can run these in any combination to make a 7-hour course, for example, AB, CD, BC, AD, AC, or BD.

A modular course can be split into 2 sessions, which must be taken on consecutive days. There’s no limit on how many modules can be in a modular course.

Practical activities

You can include practical activities in your course. If only one driver is doing the practical activity the other drivers must be doing learning activities so they get at least 7 hours of training.

Uploading other courses to the training record

Drivers will need to email DVSA [email protected] if they have done a course that they want uploading, or if they want to check if DVSA will recognise a course as periodic training. They need to include:

the date they completed the training
their driving license number, date of birth and address
evidence that they have completed a relevant course, for example a training certificate

DVDs and video clips

You can use DVDs within the content of the course.

Plan for problems with running your course

Make sure that you have plans in place to deal with problems when you’re running your course.

Computer failure

You can use paper copies of slides if you have a computer problem.

Bad weather

You can:

change the running order on the day to avoid bad weather
use a classroom session if it’s not possible to have a practical session outside

Running ahead of schedule

You can use standby material if you think your periodic training course might finish early.

This can be more in-depth but must be relevant to the approved course content.

Delegates who need more help

Check the knowledge of delegates at the start of the course to work out which sections you might need to spend more time on. This could mean you reduce the time spent on other sections.

Collect feedback and evaluate the course

Evaluate approved training courses:

for their quality
so that improvements can be made

Get feedback from:

drivers attending the course
the operators who paid for the course

Give course evaluation forms to drivers to fill in if they want to. You can download a template form to use.

Driver feedback form (example)

ODT, 9.23KB

This file is in an OpenDocument format

The form should include:

the course title
the date it was run
a specific trainer’s name
a space for the driver’s details which they can optionally give

Other ways to evaluate the course

You can:

check how effective the training was
use a short question and answer session or quiz paper that is reviewed as a group

You cannot:

have formal exams and tests within periodic training
issue a pass or fail for the evaluation session

Review your course

Reviews should look at the content of the course so you know if delegates:

found the information useful
thought the course was engaging and pitched at the right level

Your review should:

identify opportunities for continual improvement
look at the performance of your trainers and whether some were more effective than others
consider if the right number of attendees were on the course so you can make changes in future

You should keep evaluation records and they should be available if you’re audited.

Give a certificate of attendance

Give a certificate of attendance to the driver. Drivers need evidence of completing periodic training to be able to continue working.

You can download a template of a certificate to use.

Certificate of attendance (example)

ODT, 5.42KB

This file is in an OpenDocument format

What the certificate needs to include

The certificate needs to include the:

driver’s full name
course name and number (as they appear on your certificate of approval)
centre name and number (as they appear on your certificate of approval)
length of the course in hours
date the course was completed
signature of the trainer or senior person responsible (this can be handwritten or electronic)
Driver CPC logo (you need to get permission to use this and follow the rules)
website address - www.gov.uk/checkdrivercpc (the service to check how many hours of periodic training the driver’s done)

You can also include your company logo.

Record the training you provide

You must record the training within 5 working days of the course ending.

You need to keep a separate record of the date you record the training. You can use the service to print a receipt of the details you’ve recorded. These records can be used as proof of training in the event of:

an enquiry
a complaint
a system failure

Keep your records in accordance with:

your Driver CPC approval
data protection laws

The lead centre in a consortium should keep the records.

Your records must be available for inspection by auditors. Uploaded training can be cancelled if you do not have good enough records of it.

Your approval can be suspended or withdrawn if there are continuing issues with record-keeping.

From: Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency

Published 27 October 2015

Last updated 23 July 2020

23 July 2020

Updated due to change in legislation.

26 June 2019

Updated the guidance about the privacy information you must provide to drivers at the time you collect their personal data from them.

29 November 2018

Updated information about how you should keep training records.

24 November 2018

Updated the example about running a course with a mix of theory and practical sessions.

29 May 2018

Removed the rule about including the driver's driving licence number on the certificate of attendance, and updated the example certificate of attendance.

20 July 2016

Added information about including content about vulnerable road users where it's appropriate.

11 May 2016

A new version of the Joining instructions (example) has been published.

27 October 2015

First published.