Juddian:
Those who don’t want to do it may find no benefits payable by then when they can no longer drive, you will have put yourselves out of work.
no driver cpc, so you can’t claim any benefits. 
drivers musn’t be able to do anything else but drive. why would anyone want to apply for benefits just because they are forced out of driving?
i’m not driving today, but my hands havn’t fallen off.
My company are putting me through it for free so definetly yes.
Yes, done 7 hours and will do the rest. Why wouldn’t I to be able to continue to do an easy, well paid, job that I enjoy doing when the alternative would be doing a job I don’t want to do and would likely involve working harder and earning much less.
Also most of the people I hear saying they aren’t going to do it are the same people they were adamant they would under no circumstances get a digi card and would hang up their keys. They have a digi card and are still driving.
Coffeeholic:
Yes, done 7 hours and will do the rest. Why wouldn’t I to be able to continue to do an easy, well paid, job that I enjoy doing when the alternative would be doing a job I don’t want to do and would likely involve working harder and earning much less.
you could make a stand for your comrades. power to the people, and sort of thing.
I want / need to continue to drive, so I did the manager’s National CPC for Road Haulage last year, as it was JAUPT approved, so I could pay extra to have the DCPC credited.
Probably a more expensive way to do it, but I felt at least I spent my 5 compulsory classroom days doing something useful and I got a qualification that I really wanted and learned some interesting stuff.
I don’t have a problem with the concept of the DCPC, as it’s good to update knowledge, but I do have an issue with the cost and the quality of some of the training out there.
If it consisted with a refresher on driver’s hours (you can see on this forum that some drivers have an encyclopedic knowledge, whilst others are STILL a bit confused on some aspects), an update on recent legislation changes, plus some on-the-road advanced driver training, then it could have some benefit for all drivers, rather than just tick-the-box training, which is an insult to experienced and professional drivers.
If the firm pays for it and gives you the time off to attend, great, but if you’re paying for it yourself, you have to pay for the course and the time off to do it, which is not so easy.
limeyphil:
Coffeeholic:
Yes, done 7 hours and will do the rest. Why wouldn’t I to be able to continue to do an easy, well paid, job that I enjoy doing when the alternative would be doing a job I don’t want to do and would likely involve working harder and earning much less.you could make a stand for your comrades. power to the people, and sort of thing.
Maybe like me he doesn’t really have a problem with the concept of a Driver CPC.
limeyphil:
Coffeeholic:
Yes, done 7 hours and will do the rest. Why wouldn’t I to be able to continue to do an easy, well paid, job that I enjoy doing when the alternative would be doing a job I don’t want to do and would likely involve working harder and earning much less.you could make a stand for your comrades. power to the people, and sort of thing.
You mean ‘comrades’ who carve you up when they pull back in after overtaking, leave you hanging in lane 2 after you move over to let them join, who stop texting and speed up when they realise you are getting past them on the motorway, who ■■■■ all over service and parking areas where people sleep because they are too idle to walk to the toilet and continually spout BS? I’ll pass on that one thanks.
I really don’t have an issue with the DCPC, it requires no real effort, no test to pass, just turn up and pretend to listen and even if I have to pay for it myself it works out to pennies per day over 5 years to be able to continue to earn well so a very small investment to avoid having to work at something I wouldn’t like for a living.
Company I work for is paying for it. They take us off the road for a day sit us in a classroom, provide lunch then give us a certificate at the end of the day.
Coffeeholic:
limeyphil:
Coffeeholic:
Yes, done 7 hours and will do the rest. Why wouldn’t I to be able to continue to do an easy, well paid, job that I enjoy doing when the alternative would be doing a job I don’t want to do and would likely involve working harder and earning much less.you could make a stand for your comrades. power to the people, and sort of thing.
You mean ‘comrades’ who carve you up when they pull back in after overtaking, leave you hanging in lane 2 after you move over to let them join, who stop texting and speed up when they realise you are getting past them on the motorway, who ■■■■ all over service and parking areas where people sleep because they are too idle to walk to the toilet and continually spout BS? I’ll pass on that one thanks.
that’s them.
Company paid for mine and even put up a brekky. We had to make an effort to get back to yard on days they ran courses but to be fair to company they ran then on the quietest day of our week.
Just my opinion but there are a lot of drivers who need to wake up and smell the coffee. Yes we all know it a load of tosh but the reality is its coming and if you haven’t got it come sept 14 then you effectively loose your licence and therefore lively hood. Anybody who thinks come sept 14 the likes of vosa won’t be checking up are living in cloud cuckoo land.
Cheers
Neilf
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
anyone given any thought as to what the future holds for the dpc?
when all drivers have it and it is just a rolling programme of renewals plus a few newbies, won’t the providers start chasing for “improvements” to the scheme in order to generate more income?
NO I will not be doing any of it. I have not done any of it and the company I work for has not even mentioned any of us doin it, there are over 15 C&E drivers here. I cannot see any reason for it other than to put more pressure on to the transport industry. I cannot recall 1 comment on any forum here that says its worth it, other than people with a vested interest in running courses. How can the government tell you to do a course or lose your licence and then not even put in place a system to check the content of the 35 hours is relevant? It’s an attendance course with little to no relevance to what is required. You can do the same 7 hr session 5 times and get the certificate FFS.
No, my driving career will finish August 31 2014 if not sooner.
del949:
anyone given any thought as to what the future holds for the dpc?
when all drivers have it and it is just a rolling programme of renewals plus a few newbies, won’t the providers start chasing for “improvements” to the scheme in order to generate more income?
Newbies have to continue with the periodic training anyway. Those that have completed the periodic will have to then continue the periodic anyway and it should mean a nice steady flow of drivers completing 7 hours per year. I can’t see training providers would want to change anything particularly.
The future will be improvements to the scheme. The overall DCPC scheme will settle down, specialist courses will sprout up and drivers will have the opportunity to learn useful things as well as some boring things.
I think some elements will become compulsory. My opinion is 14 or 21 hours being on compulsory topics and the remaining 14 hours topics you choose therefore allowing specialist topics.
Legislation will always change or alter slightly and refreshers are good. No harm doing drivers hours once a year. As already said some people are already very clued up (more so than the trainers) - but others … an annual refresher would be beneficial. As an example there is a change looming to OCRS - Drivers need educating on this etc. Digital tacho’s are changing - new programming, new features etc
A thought I had was to make Speed Awareness courses valid for DCPC. HGV or PSV driver gets caught speeding in a company vehicle - takes a speed awareness and gets 7 hours DCPC. All good.
I also think the overall DCPC scheme will expand to encompass drivers of vehicles below 3.5t, Taxi drivers (they sure need some training) and - I stand to be corrected but possibly any company car driver. Maybe these other categories will have a different scheme but it will be a version of DCPC.
Obviously almost all posts on this thread are negative. I think Coffeholic hits the nail squarely on the head. It isn’t hard, it isn’t really all that expensive, you might learn something but ultimately you get to continue doing the job you (might) like doing.
I often laugh when a driver says he’s going to go work at Asda or in a warehouse instead of doing the DCPC. I reckon most of them will be back tail between their legs when they realise they will have to work a lot harder for their money or not be able to work enough hours to maintain their current living style. Of course at that point - catching up on 35 hours will take some doing and cost a bit. They won’t be employable AT ALL in the driving industry until this is done … so they would probably have to pay themselves and what’s a 35 hour course gonna cost? I reckon about £250? Then they have to go find a job to get back in driving.
The money they spent in the first place getting their cat C or D or whatever … wasted without the DCPC. Next they’ll object to paying for a medical for a licence they don’t use … voila! No licence at all - not even for personal use 
I know a driver that left the industry blaming the DCPC. He got a ‘nice job’ as a security guard. Minimum wage and nice and easy. He was back within 2 months and has done 14 hours of his DCPC since.
Most drivers that have been on one of my courses have grumbled a little but ultimately want to stay in the job they are in. Some sit there quietly - probably because they already know most things and are highly experienced. Others … not sure how they haven’t been caught so far because their interpretation of the rules aren’t the same as mine 
It’s each to their own. If you don’t support it/agree with it and aren’t going to play along. Good luck in your new career whatever that might be.
I’m expecting a bit of flack from my post simply because I’m a DCPC trainer. 3 months ago I was a manager (just as bad?) on a pretty decent screw (although I hated giving 40% of my earnings to HMRC). Now I own a business, got debt left right and centre and my earnings are about a third what they were, but I enjoy what I’m doing
Pete
your first two paragraphs are an obvious contradiction.
in the first you claim no changes but in the second you talk of speciaslized courses.
A fine example of the type of “creep” I was suggesting.
Slackbladder:
NO I will not be doing any of it. I have not done any of it and the company I work for has not even mentioned any of us doin it, there are over 15 C&E drivers here.
Mmmmm sales opportunity …
Slackbladder:
I cannot recall 1 comment on any forum here that says its worth it, other than people with a vested interest in running courses.
I’ve seen quite a few positive threads and not met anyone with negative feedback at the end of a 7 hour day (yet) - although I’m sure my time will come
Slackbladder:
How can the government tell you to do a course or lose your licence and then not even put in place a system to check the content of the 35 hours is relevant?
There is a system in place to check the content. A few of my courses have been audited. I know trainers that have had to stop delivering a course until it was amended/improved accordingly (which is annoying 'cos they should have got it right in the first place)
Slackbladder:
It’s an attendance course with little to no relevance to what is required. You can do the same 7 hr session 5 times and get the certificate FFS.
All the courses MUST have some relevance or they wouldn’t get approved in the first place. I agree doing the same 7 hour session 5 times is stupid - but … why would someone do that? I wouldn’t if I was spending my money on the course. (I wouldn’t pay to go to the cinema and see the same film 5 times)
del949:
Those who don’t want to do it may find no benefits payable by then when they can no longer drive, you will have put yourselves out of work
rubbish!
You know what the present govt are going to do over the next 2 years then, one thing is for sure, benefits are high on their agenda and high time too.
del949:
your first two paragraphs are an obvious contradiction.
in the first you claim no changes but in the second you talk of speciaslized courses.
A fine example of the type of “creep” I was suggesting.
I said I don’t see training providers wanting to change anything. The possibility of specialised courses will be driven by the users and companies booking the courses. CHanges to the rules and regulations will be driven by the authorities - not the training providers.
As an example - A Plant Hire company has to train their drivers to operate all the different pieces of plant they have to drive on and off the low loader. This will/could (some already are) become DCPC approved. Obviously a driver who doesn’t operate such plant may not want to take such training.
So having an opinion that doesn’t match yours makes me a “creep” huh?
ady1:
paid for by company
done on a o/t shift
free sarnies [subway last time]
so why wouldnt you do it.
Stobart paid for me last three so two to do then hopefully never do it again as I’ll be truckin in Canada/ USA! This country is jodrell BANK! 
25 years down the drain 
there won’t be a White Englishman driving in this country in five years so get brushing up ( in no particular order ) on your jockenese, Irish, welsh, Turk, Croat, Serb, rumu, hungaro, bulgar, Urdu and whatever other madmen they let into this country! 
so DCPC stick it VOSAs oriface! 
the training providers are just like bailiffs. ripping off the working man.
scum.
Done 35 hrs, got my card,
But I already have 34 yrs experience.
Therefore my personal conclusion is " What a load of Bo****ks"
Wont be doing any more cos I will be 67 by 2019,
So they can shove it where the sun don’t shine after that.