Regular readers will be aware of the CPC plans, which were unveiled in a UK Government consultation document last week.
The plans would see the UK diverge from EU standard training, resulting in a complex, multi-tiered training system with some qualifications only valid in the UK and others accepted across Europe.
The proposal would also see periodic training for the so-called ‘N-DCPC – periodic test’, which only applies to drivers operating on UK roads, cut down massively from 35 hours to as little as just one single hour.
Richard Smith, the Road Haulage Association’s Managing Director, has welcomed the consultation. However, fellow trade body Logistics UK did respond in the same manner, stating that the consultation “raises serious safety concerns and devalues the professionalism of the road haulage sector”.
Among those to offer his thoughts following the unveiling of the proposals was lorry driver Luke Vernon, who recently made the switch from driving commercial vehicles to providing CPC courses.
Speaking via TikTok, the CPC trainer and truck blogger explained that the biggest issue he sees with the consultation proposal is the aforementioned ‘N-DCPC – periodic test’.
This, argues Vernon, is “basically just a massive f*ck you to all the companies that have built themselves, and like I’m trying to do, on the back of driver CPCs.”
The truck blogger then added:
“The amount of bad knowledge in this industry is mind blowing. And that’s after we’ve had the CPC. I do actually think the CPC should be more serious and tested. You should have to pass, and if you don’t pass, you don’t carry on driving.”
Before ending the video, Vernon also explained what his back up plan would be in the event of the proposals going through as planned:
“I’ve got an exit plan. If they do basically abolish the CPC in this country, I’m going to Ireland. So you might see me in Ireland yet.”
The CPC trainer then signed off by telling viewers: “The CPC is needed; abolish it at your peril”.
The video has attracted over 200 comments since it was published on Friday. While there are numerous TikTok users who shared Vernon’s view on the CPC, there are also plenty of drivers who expressed their belief that the CPC is a waste of money and time.
Finally, in a follow-up video published on Monday morning, Vernon revealed that he had received some abusive comments, including one that was of a homophobic nature. He also joked about how some truckers had allegedly taken advantage of a loophole allowing them to do the same CPC course 5 times.
@lorry.driver.com I worried that as a business owner calling people stupid probably wasnt a good tactic but then i realised its simply the Pete White School of Business Social Media method and it worked for him! Hava a great day all. #TrainingShorts #MythBustingTrucker #tachograph #driver #lorry #truck #lorrydriver #truckdriver #trucker #trucking #transport #haulage #logistics #CPC #DriverCPC #drivertraining #training #drivinginstructor #instructor #law #illegal #lorrydriverdotcom #Transportraining ♬ original sound – www.lorry_driver.com
Photo: EDDIE / Flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0