I´ve done a lot of searching threads, posts, but not found a definitive answer. Mainly because they were about coming from EU with whatever country´s DCPC to work in UK.
I want to go the other way, back to Spain.
Is the UK DCPC valid in Spain as an equivalent to their CAP?
Also, while I think about it…
Do I need any other documentation to work as a Cat C or Cat C+E over there?
Or is it enough that I can stun prospective employers with my “Dos cervezas and chips” Spanish 
Thanks all.
steviespain:
I´ve done a lot of searching threads, posts, but not found a definitive answer. Mainly because they were about coming from EU with whatever country´s DCPC to work in UK.
I want to go the other way, back to Spain.Is the UK DCPC valid in Spain as an equivalent to their CAP?
Also, while I think about it…
Do I need any other documentation to work as a Cat C or Cat C+E over there?Or is it enough that I can stun prospective employers with my “Dos cervezas and chips” Spanish
Thanks all.
I believe the DCPC is valid across the EU as it was an EU Directive to have it. I don’t know about other documents, I shouldn’t think there are though.
Spain still has quite high unemployment, 16% according to google research, to put it in perspective in the darkest days of the 1980’s it reached about 12% in the UK, (although there could be variations on what counts as unemployment, between the Countries,16% is still high)
And finally, despite the high unemployment rate it from what I’ve seen it seems more and more Spanish transport operations are using Bulgarian and Romanian haulage companies to pull their trailers.
Why would you do it in the UK then?
milodon:
Why would you do it in the UK then?
First, thanks for the info. Appreciated 
Second…I´ll try and keep this short…
(Bear in mind I have a Class 2 from 1979, but I let the medical expire and moved on to other things)
Moved out to Spain in 2005.
Had a Mrs, and a daughter 8 yrs old.
Worked as pro musicians for a year, had a couple of houses built,
Mrs decided to eff off, leaving me with daughter (No problems with that at all )
Worked as solo guitar singer for a while. Great money. 1200 a week, every week, no probs.
8 years back the crunch really started to bite. Musicians/entertainers are very much a luxury item, and as such the first to be binned.
Work gradually died away.
Skint, moved back to UK.
Living in my Sis´house.
Job centre suggests I do a CPC, I agree. He heheh, they suggested I do a NVQ L1 in Health & Social Care as well. I did it, yeah, I did.
Was just having a general info chat with the boss of the course, which was mainly aimed at prospective bus drivers, mentioned my HGV 2 from years ago, she says" You can get that back, all you need is a medical, which we provide. Oh, and we do you a CPC as well"
After I got up off the floor I started to plan me return to Spain, as a driver.
I aim to work for while here, UK, then visit Mr SMythe for a CE. And them I am a dot!
Hence my recent posts about going back there and what do I need to do to be able to drive, professionally, out there.
Sorry for going on a bit, boring I know.
But that´s me background for wanting advice on … I dunno…trucking in general…and Spain as a focus
I do Spain-UK nearly all the time, I think you’ll need to get a Romanian passport to have any chance of pulling a Spanish trailer over here.
There would be more money to be made busking on Scunthorpe high street mate.
Im sure as Muckles says that the DCPC is valid throughout the EU. Just as a driving licence is recognised in other countries. He also makes a valid point about the unemployment levels there. Im sure there are good jobs there, but the drivers we tend to see on distance work may not be on the best companies. EE reg tractors and Spanish reg trucks with EE speaking drivers are fairly common on distance work. Good enough individuals, all trying to do their best but not particularly good jobs.
Tried that busking lark…middle of London, borrowed a dog for the day, made a couple of quid
Thanks for the info, everyone.
Yeah, I realise that the job situation over there is probably one of the worst in Europe, it´s just that I really can´t get along with living in UK.
If I can build up a bit of cash as a buffer I´m heading out to Spain as soon as I can.
Thanks, all
steviespain:
Tried that busking lark…middle of London, borrowed a dog for the day, made a couple of quid
0Thanks for the info, everyone.
Yeah, I realise that the job situation over there is probably one of the worst in Europe, it´s just that I really can´t get along with living in UK.
If I can build up a bit of cash as a buffer I´m heading out to Spain as soon as I can.Thanks, all
Does the fact that you’re in Stoke Newington have anything to do with that, I think I’d look for an escape if I lived within the M25 boundary, saying that I do know people who love it. 
However good luck with the moving plans.
What, Stokey? Nah, I LOVE Stoke Newington. Got everything within a 5 min walk. 24 hour supermarket/off licence 80m along the road, ´nuff said.
Can´t really put it into words but I felt more comfortable living in Spain.
Thanks for the good wishes
steviespain:
What, Stokey? Nah, I LOVE Stoke Newington. Got everything within a 5 min walk. 24 hour supermarket/off licence 80m along the road, ´nuff said.Can´t really put it into words but I felt more comfortable living in Spain.
Thanks for the good wishes
Absolutely fair comment.
Go and do what makes you happy, don`t just go chasing the dollars.
steviespain:
What, Stokey? Nah, I LOVE Stoke Newington. Got everything within a 5 min walk. 24 hour supermarket/off licence 80m along the road, ´nuff said.Can´t really put it into words but I felt more comfortable living in Spain.
Thanks for the good wishes
Like I said some love the city life, I live 2 miles from the nearest shop or pretty much any other normal amenity, but have space and tranquility which I love and somewhere secure I can park the truck within walking distance, which has been handy this weekend.
There are parts of Spain that appeal to me due to their remoteness, better not go or I’d be turn into some sort of mountain man, hiding and taking pot shots at any stranger that comes into my wilderness. 
FFS!
Everytime I type up a nice, responsive, informational, reply, my PC locks up and I lose it, ■■■■■■■ thing.
Ok, very quickly…before it locks up again…
Cheers Franglais, I´ve never been materialistic. As long as I can pay me bills, eat, and take my daughter out once in a while to catch up, I´m good.
Muckles, yeah, I´m with you on that one.
I have 20,000 sq metres of almond trees, near a village called Zarzadilla de Totana.
In the mountains, snow every Christmas.
I built 2 houses there, solar powered, proper drainage, self contained. Cost an arm and a leg.
Yours for 50k
No, I feel that I just don´t belong here anymore.
I can´t understand a word of what most people are saying, with the accents and all that. When I signed on at Hackney job centre I had to ask for an interpreter because the womans accent was totally indecipherable, well to me, anyway.
Mebbe it´s just London.
Know what you mean about the accents, or is it just the way people talk. …or am I just bloody deaf.
I used to think my French was bad because I struggled to understand a lot of what was said, till I realised that I had the same problem with English. And not only strangers, my wife keeps saying don’t shout at me when you don’t hear what I’m saying. She has a point. 
Your place in Spain seems idylic, I too am a solitary country type person and love it where I am, but is there no money in almonds then?
Love the dog btw, an old grey muzzled Lab if I’m not mistaken. If I am, don’t tell the dog.
ALmonds? No, not really, nowhere near enough to live on anyway. Last crop I took in I made 600 euros. It was a bad year, and the machine that comes around to shake the almonds out of the trees is pricey.
Anyway, I let my ex have that place, gave her my keys and said “Bye”
Not been there for years.
Busking and the dog
WHat happened was, I was in central London doing the museums thing with my, then 16, daughter.
There was a old-ish woman doing the busking, she really did not look too happy, dog was miserable too.
My daughter said “Dad, go and give her a break”
So I did
I have no shame
l asked her if she wanted to go get a coffee, gave her a fiver, and took over for a while.
I only made 2 quid in an hour! I must be damned bad
The dog was supplied as is, he didn´t like coffee apparently.
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=155942
Sorry StevieSpain… looks like, maybe, don`t know yet, the goalposts may be moving…?
“As of the withdrawal date, certificates of
professional competence issued by the United Kingdom or by an approved
training centre in the United Kingdom will no longer be valid in the EU-27.”
from page 2, point 2,
ec.europa.eu/transport/sites/tr … nsport.pdf
Obviously there is no way anyone knows what will be happening in March next year, including (especially??) our leaders.
As said above,you have no chance of work with a Spanish employer if you are a Brit.
In our local free paper on the Costa Blanca there is a regular advert placed by an agency in the Cambridge area aimed at Spanish based Brits offering work for several weeks then time off at home on the costa.
I haven’t had your life experiences but I much prefer the way of life in Spain to that in the UK.If I were unmarried I would never come near the UK again.
Thanks, Franglais, for taking the time
Yeah, this kinda puts the seal on what I´ve been finding out this last few weeks.
I´ll just say that I´ve about finished with the idea of a full time job in Spain. Done a lot of research, job sites, emails, etc etc etc. Nothing that could remotely be construed as positive ever came back.
My daughter is back there now, she can´t find anything for me. She has lots of friends to ask, she´s fluent (more Spanish than English tbh. Proper feral )
Reads the papers asks around.
Because she´s English she gets around the Ex-pats as well, all me old mates etc. Still no go.
So I´ve resigned meself to working here for the …
A: Better money
2: More choice of jobs
D: It is actually cheaper for a weeks shopping here, believe it or not.
The plan is, work and get enough cash to visit Peter Smythe, get me C+E. Keep working.
That´s it.
A couple of holidays a year one to Spain, one to Australia where me other daughter and grandson are.
Gidders, yep, I hear ya. All my research is proving your points.
But, some of my best jobs, in music or otherwise, have been got because I´ve been in the right place at the right time.
Can´t do that from London. Gotta have boots on the ground. Still, not gonna happen.
What part of the Costa Blanca, may I ask? If you´d rather not say, that´s fine
Trouble is, I AM single, and would LOVE to go back there and work, but I´m also ■■■■■■■ bolloxing ■■■■■■■■■■ ■■■■■■■■ old
Heheh, mountain man muckles
Tell you the truth mate, that is EXACTLY what it´s like at my ex country home. Everyone walks around with a shotgun and a big size 10 dog
Hi steviespain.I live on the costa blanca south around halfway between Alicante and Orihuela.There is a fairly large British community in the area and many bars provide live music most days of the week.I don’t know what sort of music you do but I gather that you would need to use an agent to arrange turns.As I said the Cambridge area agency offers work to Spanish based drivers so maybe you could work that to suit yourself.Life can involve making tough decisions,I hope you make one soon to make your life happier.
Hi Gidders
Sounds like where I was, Torrevieja/La Mata, for 13 years. Or mebbe Santa Pola.
No, no agents. The only ones I can think of that tried, mebbe still are, are Mike the drummer and his Mrs, Norma.
They organise a Sunday lunch gig at a restaurant. Call it a free and easy session. local musos go up and show off a bit.
Apart from them, there was one or two tried over the years to start an agency off, but, none lasted.
Then the credit crunch started to kick in.
I went from ten years ago making 1000/1200 a week, to 100 in the space of about 8 years, gradually. At the end I had people offering me 30 Euros for 3 hours work.
Trouble is, and this happened alot, you get people who dont do it full time, they have a pension, or a day job, think they can buy a cheap P.A. and do a nights work as a singer, they charge 25-30 euros, or even do it for free. Yes, pay peanuts get a monkey, but thats still a job lost for us pros. ■■■■ em
That´s why I´m back here, they can all ■■■■ off.
steviespain: The eastern EU drivers have Spain sewn up on EU work, sometimes 2 to a vehicle. You would be sooo lucky to get a job with a local haulier…nepotism rules.
You could try doing like I do, holiday relief about the place. I’m lucky i do 6 week on 6 weeks off in the UK. Wanna do 6 weeks? Base yourself around Rugby and buy yourself a camper van/SUV and live on site for a few weeks. No shortage of hours there. Work your max hours, especially over weekends and nights. Flights home are cheap (£100 return) is norm.
Gets you to Spain, buys you time.
PS what you are asking principally: The DCPC card is accepted EU wide, it certainly is here in the UK for an EU national. That does not mean you will get easy access in Spain.