A change to the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) training regime has been tipped to encourage more people to enrol on HGV training courses.
Speaking to Fleet News, head of corporate at Red Trading Gary Ford praised a change to the system passed by Parliament and introduced on December 3rd. This will reduce the minimum length of a training course block from seven hours to three and a half.
Some parts of the CPC course can now be completed online as well, although drivers will still need to complete 35 hours of training overall.
Mr Ford said: “This is a sensible move to offer easier access to the HGV driving industry at a time when logistics companies are struggling to find qualified drivers.”
He added: “Our experience in delivering Driver CPC training shows that the shorter time blocks will make this easier for new recruits to get their training in a more accessible way.”
Mr Ford was also pleased to see that the qualifications have not been watered down, as well as the fact that a new scheme is starting in February 2025 to help lapsed HGV drivers return to the sector.
Anyone thinking of taking an HGV course that has been put off in the past by the scheduling may find the new flexibility gives them a reason to go for it now.
The need to get more HGV drivers on the road may not be as acute as it was two or three years ago, but it is still a big issue, according to rental firm Nationwide Vehicle Contracts.
As Food Manufacturing reports, the company’s figures show 55 per cent of HGV drivers are between 50 and 65, and only two per cent are aged under 25, which risks a demographic time-bomb for the industry.
A spokesman for the company said that if the problem is not addressed with fresh recruitment, this would lead to “businesses not receiving produce on time” and fewer goods in the shops at busy times like the Christmas rush.