Hi All, OK I accept there is a stay of execution. But that apart, I’m surprised every other posting isn’t about why drivers have to suffer this mind-numbing tripe of 5x7 hours of CPC every period.
It was bad enough when the 2019 deadline came around. I’m not sure I can face the tedium of going through it all again. With some spaced-out tutor high on the fact he/she is making a mint out of the poor sods before them who have to try to look interested for a full 7 hours at a time.
Financially, it is suffering a loss of earnings plus cost of courses, uploads, travel. It’s £1,000 each period, assuming modest earnings and an average course fee.
I’d be interested in which other jobs/professions have to endure such a total mistrust of their ability to do the jobs they trained and qualified for, and now with the experience to back it up.
Frankly, if I don’t know which way to put a tacho card in by now I don’t deserve to be driving. And if I mess up on the hours I’m pretty sure my line manager will have something to say about infringements. I might just have gotten to grips with walking round the truck and noting any faults, and I’m fairly confident I can drive sweetly enough to avoid the alarms going off, and I know to adhere to the speed limit and what happens if I drive an extra 5 miles per hour - cue shocking video! what I’m saying is that if the driver isn’t capable or responsible enough it is dealt with in-house, not in the theoretical space of the classroom.
I do think those basic courses are good for novice drivers - I think it is called Initial CPC - but they offer very little to experienced drivers. I recall a few years ago some of the old boys in our CPC classes saying they’ve had enough, that it (suffering these classes) was enough to tip them over the edge. I’m starting to feel that way myself. Even if I could take a pillow in, watch some YouTube, listen to some music, and squinted at the bank balance from a distance, I would still feel it’s a case of the driver has been shafted once again.
Get rid of Periodic CPC.
It’s costly, unnecessary, and unjust.
steve8311:
Hi All, OK I accept there is a stay of execution. But that apart, I’m surprised every other posting isn’t about why drivers have to suffer this mind-numbing tripe of 5x7 hours of CPC every period.
It was bad enough when the 2019 deadline came around. I’m not sure I can face the tedium of going through it all again. With some spaced-out tutor high on the fact he/she is making a mint out of the poor sods before them who have to try to look interested for a full 7 hours at a time.
Financially, it is suffering a loss of earnings plus cost of courses, uploads, travel. It’s £1,000 each period, assuming modest earnings and an average course fee.
I’d be interested in which other jobs/professions have to endure such a total mistrust of their ability to do the jobs they trained and qualified for, and now with the experience to back it up.
Frankly, if I don’t know which way to put a tacho card in by now I don’t deserve to be driving. And if I mess up on the hours I’m pretty sure my line manager will have something to say about infringements. I might just have gotten to grips with walking round the truck and noting any faults, and I’m fairly confident I can drive sweetly enough to avoid the alarms going off, and I know to adhere to the speed limit and what happens if I drive an extra 5 miles per hour - cue shocking video! what I’m saying is that if the driver isn’t capable or responsible enough it is dealt with in-house, not in the theoretical space of the classroom.
I do think those basic courses are good for novice drivers - I think it is called Initial CPC - but they offer very little to experienced drivers. I recall a few years ago some of the old boys in our CPC classes saying they’ve had enough, that it (suffering these classes) was enough to tip them over the edge. I’m starting to feel that way myself. Even if I could take a pillow in, watch some YouTube, listen to some music, and squinted at the bank balance from a distance, I would still feel it’s a case of the driver has been shafted once again.
Get rid of Periodic CPC.
It’s costly, unnecessary, and unjust.
SB
Nothing wrong with brushing up on rules and regs on a periodic basis, the only thing wrong with cpc is you can do the same module for 5 days solid and they all count towards cpc, apart from this i see nothing wrong with it.
Split it up into one module a year and it becomes much less mind numbing.
£1000 a 5 year period where are you getting that figure.Someone is mugging you. In my place i know its a day off the road. Its part of the job your company should pay. Nurses and teachers pay to renew their pin numbers.
WheelsofCardiff:
£1000 a 5 year period where are you getting that figure.Someone is mugging you. In my place i know its a day off the road. Its part of the job your company should pay. Nurses and teachers pay to renew their pin numbers.
Cheers Wheels! Last round, courses were about £80 so loss of earnings £120 makes £200 x 5. If courses are nearer £60 these days then a loss of £140 earnings would produce the same result. Who picks up the tab? I’m afraid that’s me.
ROG:
You can now do it online - no travel costs
I think you can do all 35 hours for about £250
Cheers ROG. Maybe I’ll dip my toe in with ADR which expires next month? I understand there is a deferral until December. Anyone got details of the link to the official DfT/DVSA statement that we might carry round with us?
wrighty1:
Maybe work for a company that pays for it.
Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
Cheers Wrighty. I tried that PAYE lark. It’s not for me. There’s a chance I could hitch a ride with courses for the employed guys at the current place of work. Maybe if I get a couple in this year it’ll take the sting out of it?
wrighty1:
Maybe work for a company that pays for it.
Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
Cheers Wrighty. I tried that PAYE lark. It’s not for me. There’s a chance I could hitch a ride with courses for the employed guys at the current place of work. Maybe if I get a couple in this year it’ll take the sting out of it?
Fair play, each to their own. As a suggestion maybe try the cycling course, it’s a total joy [emoji23]
steve8311:
It’s £1,000 each period, assuming modest earnings and an average course fee.
No it isn’t. Do it on a Saturday or use one day’s holiday a year. If you’re paying more than £60 per day you’re paying too much. And it’s over 5 years so even if it did cost you £1000 that’s no more than the cost of a Starbucks once a week. If that’s causing you financial distress then you’ve got real issues and need to speak to Stepchange.
Get rid of Periodic CPC.
It’s costly, unnecessary, and unjust.
If it was unnecessary then we’d not have people posting asking questions on tacho and WTD and we wouldn’t get people giving the wrong answers.
I’ll vote for getting rid of it the first week we have no questions about basic drivers hours rules and everyone posts the right answers on this and other forums and drivers aren’t losing loads. Until then I’ll call for it to be tightened even more with proper pass/fail testing brought in at the same pass rate of 75-80% that is commonplace in other jobs.
steve8311:
Cheers Wrighty. I tried that PAYE lark. It’s not for me. There’s a chance I could hitch a ride with courses for the employed guys at the current place of work. Maybe if I get a couple in this year it’ll take the sting out of it?
So how is it costing you £1000 when it’s a tax deductible business expense? Just pay for it out of all that national insurance and tax you’re avoiding.
steve8311:
It’s £1,000 each period, assuming modest earnings and an average course fee.
No it isn’t. Do it on a Saturday or use one day’s holiday a year. If you’re paying more than £60 per day you’re paying too much. And it’s over 5 years so even if it did cost you £1000 that’s no more than the cost of a Starbucks once a week. If that’s causing you financial distress then you’ve got real issues and need to speak to Stepchange.
Get rid of Periodic CPC.
It’s costly, unnecessary, and unjust.
If it was unnecessary then we’d not have people posting asking questions on tacho and WTD and we wouldn’t get people giving the wrong answers.
I’ll vote for getting rid of it the first week we have no questions about basic drivers hours rules and everyone posts the right answers on this and other forums and drivers aren’t losing loads. Until then I’ll call for it to be tightened even more with proper pass/fail testing brought in at the same pass rate of 75-80% that is commonplace in other jobs.
Seriously? Use a days holiday to do a CPC course? … your one of the reason your industry is on its knee’s.
Annual leave is for rest not to keep some cheap skate agency or employer a few richer.
discoman:
Seriously? Use a days holiday to do a CPC course? … your one of the reason your industry is on its knee’s.
I don’t use a day’s leave as my finances aren’t so screwed that the loss of a day’s income is a problem - I was pointing out to steve who is apparently broke that it’s an option if you can’t afford to lose a day’s wage. Anyway I do mine on Saturdays so it makes no odds.
As for me being one of the reasons the industry is on it’s knees I doubt that very much with the amount I get paid. I’m not the one working for £10-£11/hr or less or doing Ltd for a quid more than PAYE.
