Driver CPC Periodic Training: The 35 Hour Cycle Explained

What periodic training is for

The initial Driver CPC proves you were competent when you qualified. Periodic training keeps that current: the law changes, vehicle technology changes, and the standards around load security, tachographs and emergency handling move on. Thirty five hours across five years is not onerous, and it is the price of a professional qualification that is recognised across the UK.

How the cycle works

Your Driver Qualification Card shows an expiry date five years out. You need 35 hours of approved training completed before that date. The hours do not have to be spread evenly, they do not have to be in any particular order, and they do not have to be with one provider. You could do all five days in the final month, though we do not recommend it because course availability tightens as everybody else does the same.

1. 1Check your DQC expiry date now, before you plan anything.
2. 2Count back five years from that date; hours taken in that window count.
3. 3Aim for one seven hour day a year. It is easier to book and easier to absorb.
4. 4Keep a record of each course; the training centre uploads it, but keep the certificate.
5. 5Do the last day at least a couple of months before expiry.

What counts as a course

The course must be delivered by a JAUPT approved centre against an approved course syllabus, and must run for a minimum of seven hours. It can be split into two blocks of no less than three and a half hours on consecutive days. There is no test at the end, but attendance is monitored and a centre that finds you asleep in the corner will not upload your hours.

What happens if your card expires

You cannot drive professionally without a valid DQC. Driving without one risks a fine for you and enforcement action against the operator, and it is a matter the traffic commissioner takes seriously. The good news is there is no penalty period: complete the missing hours and the card is reissued. The bad news is you are off the road, unpaid, until you do, and course availability at short notice is not guaranteed.

The most common story we hear is a driver who thought their employer was tracking the hours while the employer thought the driver was. Check your own expiry date. It is your card.

Who pays

Many employers pay for periodic training and run it on quieter days, because a driver whose card lapses is a driver they cannot use. Agency drivers usually pay themselves, which at £55 per day is a manageable business cost against the earnings the card protects. Either way, at £275 for a full five year cycle it is one of the cheapest recurring costs in the trade.

Do bus and lorry hours count for both?

Yes, in effect. Driver CPC hours are not category specific, so if you hold both lorry and bus entitlement you complete one set of 35 hours, not two. Choose subject matter relevant to the driving you actually do, and if you drive both, mix it.

Acquired rights and returning drivers

Drivers who held vocational entitlement before the CPC rules came in generally hold acquired rights, meaning they never sat the initial modules but must still complete periodic training. If you have been out of the industry for a spell and your DQC has long expired, you do not have to redo the initial qualification: you complete 35 hours and you are back. Ring us and read out what your card says and we will confirm where you stand.

Booking with us

We run periodic Driver CPC in Glasgow at £55 per seven hour course, covering the subjects above. Small groups, real content, and no dead time. Employers can book several drivers across different days so the fleet is never short.