What we have learnt from the CPC Deadline

 

 

Well, here we are, another 5 years have flown by and the Driver CPC deadline has slammed shut for another half a decade. Those 7 hour sessions sat in the classroom sleeping, twiddling your thumbs or even learning (!) have come to an end- for now, at least. So what have we at Alpha HGV picked up from the race to get your hours in?

Firstly, it doesn’t matter how long you look at it, put it off and argue that it might go away, it is always better to spread them out over the 5 year period (yes 5 year, not 5 months, not 5 weeks or even 5 days). Spreading your CPC out can beneficial in a couple of ways; it gives you more opportunity to focus on courses that matter to you (or indeed look at something new) instead of just picking dates at random and then being disappointed when you are re-sitting a course for the 1,852nd time. It also prevents excess tedium from 5 days in a classroom on the spin. On top of that, you are spreading out a cost over five years, instead of just one week.

Secondly, a big issue for the industry is upon us. It was reported some 3 years ago that the average age of a driver is 56 years old, it is hard to imagine that this figure is coming down at all. Not a course has gone by over the last month or so where we haven’t been informed:

“Well, that’s not just my last one for this cycle, but my last one ever”

So is the industry in deep lumber? Quite possibly. Something needs to be done to get more young people into driving. Many people point to wages and a ‘big-brother’ system as major reasons why the industry is not attracting talent. With this unlikely to change then is it up to the operators to lead and put drivers in a valued, safe and sustainable position?

And finally, while job-related training is deemed tedious in many industries (yes lorry drivers, it is not only you who have to undergo job related training believe it or not!) we believe there are ways of delivering courses that are relevant and informative. That is why going forward, Alpha HGV will be looking to establish Driver CPC training courses that include hands-on practical learning situations and we are already working with some of our customers on this.