Tuesday 28 June 2016

Changes afoot with Driver CPC?

So we have done it, gone and left the European Union, they say no man is an island and here on Great Britain we are going to try to prove that wrong. No longer are we bound by Brussels and no longer do we have to adhere to their red tape and rules- and as some people have suggested to me, this could spell the end of the Driver CPC, could it not?

This EUROPEAN UNION directive has been enforced (kind of) in the UK since 2009. The eagle-eyed amongst you will also have noticed that Drivers' Hours rules are EC regulations and that the Working Time Directive for mobile workers is in fact 'EC Regulation 561/2006' (both sets of rules seem to be a real essential when it comes to many CPC courses). But, of course, we are no longer part of the EU/EC, so could Britain now alter, amend and do away with Driver CPC and thus replace it with it's own laws?

Lets look at some of the logistics of leaving the EU: First off, the referendum has given the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to enact article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to begin the process of leaving the European Union. David Cameron (soon to be former PM) has decided not too do this himself, but to pass the dubious responsibility onto the next PM. Enabling article 50 then gives the UK a full 2 years (that is 24 months/ 104 weeks/730 days) to exit the European Union. At the time of exit, June 2016, a further 2 years would take us onto June 2018. Assuming then, that Article 50 is carried out by October (Cameron's suggested date of departure, in line with the annual Tory Conference) this will then take us onto October 2018 before we could be outside of the EU.

Of course, the next Driver CPC deadline is.... September 2019. So should we bother?

Looking at it analytically, I would say that it is near on certainty that Driver CPC will remain relevant until at least the end of this cycle (until 2019). On the list of 'things to do' that will be pinned up in the PM's office, transport and driver legislation would fall pretty low down on that, and also there is a general feeling within the powers that be, that Driver CPC works pretty well as it is. For more information please see: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/88491/driver-certificate-of-professional-competence-interim-evaulation.pdf

One theory that could well come through is that less companies will renew their entitlement to carry out training due to some uncertainty- the knock on effect of this could be that in 2019 when nothing has changed, demand will be high and prices will soar up. So maybe the prudent operator, driver and transport managers amongst you will continue to carry on with driver CPC as normal?

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