I’ve only just passed my hazard perception test but am aiming to get my C + E licence and CPC. Is there any merit in also doing ADR at this point as well?
Jeffrey32:
I’ve only just passed my hazard perception test but am aiming to get my C + E licence and CPC. Is there any merit in also doing ADR at this point as well?
Do you have a pre 1997 car licence 
If yes then you can get many of the 35 hours needed from doing ADR if the provider had it JAUPT approved
If not then get the initial cpc done first then go for a dcpc hours approved ADR course where the hours will count towards your next DQC
Thanks for the advice - I passed my car licence in 1986 so think I qualify on that count at least!
Jeffrey32:
Thanks for the advice - I passed my car licence in 1986 so think I qualify on that count at least!
Go for the ADR but make sure you will get driver cpc hours for it first - the provider can tell you
I think the forum sponsor - Peter Smythe - does ADR with dcpc hours … or at least they used to…
They still do
petersmythe.co.uk/adr/
FREE 28 hours of CPC can be uploaded on completion of a full week ADR, where applicable.
Personally, I would do the initial CPC, so the theory test and the practical. That gives you 5 years.
Once you have the card, for those 5 years which takes a couple of weeks to come through, do your ADR, which will credit you for most of the next set of CPC hours.
So in theory you could almost be sorted for 10 years. 
There are pros and cons to doing your ADR now. Firstly, as has already been said, it can count towards your CPC, most places will give you either 21 or 28 hours towards it. Secondly, it can make it easier to find work. Once you first start out, you might find yourself having to rely on agency work for a while, both to keep money coming in, but also while you gain experience. Agencies often struggle to find ADR drivers (especially class C), so this might work in your favour.
Having said that, you might want to make sure you have 2 different CV’s for when you start looking for permanent work, one with details of your ADR qualification and one without, as companies who don’t do ADR work might not consider taking you on as they would expect you to leave once an ADR opportunity comes up.
The other issue you might have is that if you don’t use your ADR for a while then you might end up forgetting a lot of the stuff you’ve learned as you aren’t regularly putting it into practice.
Don’t forget that the qualification only lasts for 5 years. If you do get it, but then not use it for a year or two then it’s a bit like wasted money due to the lost time.
Overall, it depends what your priorities are and what you want to use it for long term. I did my ADR a year after passing class 2. Doing ADR work had been a long term goal of mine, but I didn’t expect the opportunity until I had a decent amount of experience.
I went to register with a new agency and told them about this goal and they told me they had an ADR position they hadn’t been able to fill. I got them to agree (in writing) that that job was mine once I got ADR qualified. A month later, the job was mine.
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Out of interest, the next ADR course starts Monday 22nd with exams on the Friday. Cost, taking into account Trucknet discount, £540 all in. This even includes accommodation if you live more than 70 miles from NG17 3FW.
A quick call to 01623 555661 gets it all sorted.
Pete 