UK-issued CPC cards can be exchanged for an Irish CPC card without sitting an exam; the Irish Department for Transport has given its assurances to road transport managers.
John Martin, policy manager of the British Road Haulage Association in Northern Ireland, reached out to the Irish government to seek clarification on CPC card misunderstandings.
As Martin writes in his Twitter post, Irish transport managers living in Northern Ireland had received a letter from the Irish Department for Transport saying their professional qualifications obtained in the UK wouldn’t be recognized in Ireland after Brexit.
As a consequence of a members raising concerns due to a letter from @Dept_Transport indicating TM CPCs wouldn’t be exchanged with a new exam being required I wrote to the Taoiseach & Ministers Ryan and Coveney raising @RHANews concerns. Good to see they have responded positively! https://t.co/9sDsQIh3h9 pic.twitter.com/dXVqG5kajs
— John Martin (@RHAJohnMartin) November 27, 2020
Even the Irish government’s website is not clear about this:
It may be the case that after the transition period UK issued Transport Manager CPCs will no longer be recognised within the EU and UK resident Transport Managers will no longer be able to work as Transport Managers for EU based Community licence holders – reads the guidance.
However, in a response to RHA’s inquiry, the Irish DfT assured operators that UK-issued CPC cards can be changed to Irish cards without any exams being taken.
EU clarification on the status of UK Certificate of Professional Competencies for Transport Managers post Brexit.
These certs can be exchanged for an Irish CPC without the need to sit a test. We will be contacting all affected transport managers directly to help make the switch. pic.twitter.com/xVzk8A3n6M— Department of Transport (@Dept_Transport) November 26, 2020
The Irish DfT website doesn’t provide any information on how to change the cards, but in this tweet, DfT states it will directly contact the affected transport managers.
What about drivers?
The Irish DfT has been clear on the issue of drivers’ CPC cards: any driver with a UK CPC card who is resident or working in Ireland should exchange their UK CPC card for an Irish CPC card as soon as possible and well in advance of 31 December 2020.
To do so, drivers must contact NI Direct.
Photo credit @ Pixabay