General

We all know how writing course materials can be a long winded and laborious job, so we have decided to sell off the Driver CPC Course Materials we have used for the last year on to any other training company that it may be of use too.

The material is of excellent quality, and if it wasn’t for us being a Driver CPC Consortium lead being under obligation to change the material annually, I would certainly keep it as it is.

There are 10 x 3.5 hour modules, which would come complete with timings ready for JAUPT approval, colour schemes of your choice and your own logo embedded in to the corner of each slide.

Course titles are as follows:

Driver CPC Course 1: First Person on the Scene of an Accident

Driver CPC Course 2: Health and Safety

Driver CPC Course 3: Health, Diet and Fatigue

Driver CPC Course 4: Drivers Licences, Operators Licences and OCRS

Driver CPC Course 5: Drivers Hours, Working Time Directive and Defect Reporting

Driver CPC Course 6: Economic Driving

Driver CPC Course 7: Safe Vehicle Loading

Driver CPC Course 8: The Highway Code

Driver CPC Course 9: A Drivers Day

Driver CPC Course 10: Digital Tachographs

View Full CPC Training Course Details.

Alternatively, if you would like more information or samples, email me at kev@driverlinktraining.co.uk

We have recently been informed of changes to the issue of new CPC qualification cards. When drivers have completed their 35 hours in advance of their expiry date, the new replacement DQC will no longer be automatically dispatched but will be kept until either the anniversary date of the final training in the year it expires or is less than one month before the current DQC expires.

There are some concerns that, although this makes sense to some extent(to avoid some DQC’s having almost 10 years validity) Some drivers may mistakenly believe that they have already completed their full 35 hours periodic training, but in fact haven’t.

By the time they realise that a new card hasn’t been issued (and made enquiries) they will find it difficult to obtain the necessary outstanding training (7 hours or even more) in the time they have before their DQC expires and will have to stop driving, which will prove inconvenient and expensive to both employers who don’t closely monitor drivers’ DQC’s and the drivers themselves.

Of course, there is a way of checking periodic training hours through the ‘check your driver CPC periodic training hours’ on the.GOV website https://www.gov.uk/check-your-driver-cpc-periodic-training-hours If you read the JAUPT website page https://www.jaupt.org.uk/news/2016/10/issuing-driver-qualification-cards-dqcs

Alec Horner  – linked In – states

‘There is another scenario of DQC’ s being issued within the final 12 month’s validity of their current DQC – this would usually be issued on the anniversary of completing 35 hours of periodic training.

An example would where a driver with an expiry date of 9.9.2019 completes the 35 hours periodic training on say 14.12.2016 – the DQC would be issued on 14.12.2018 on the anniversary date of completing the training in the year before the DQC expiry date.

Only where the DQC expires less than one month away will the DQC be issued immediately! However, this still means that many drivers’ DQC’s will not automatically be issued on completion of their next 35 hours periodic training.’

Obviously, the best option for employers is to be as organised a possible and have the training planned out in advance, as we do here at Driverlink CPC Training. We record all training and can up-date where each driver is up to at all times. This just re-enforces the 1 course per year recommendation and then it is much easier to keep track of where all training is up to.

It’s not just Lorry drivers!

I refer to the case this week of the family killed by a haulage driver who was filmed using his mobile phone seconds before a collision that wiped out a family on the A34.

The cab footage is hard to watch as the driver in question realises that what is ahead too late. In that split second so many lives have been destroyed and as much as it has highlighted the issue directed at the haulage industry, it is a much wider issue.

I personally have seen a number of drivers, many of them Haulage and delivery, not only on mobiles but at the same time holding their lunch in another hand and steering with their knees, I assume?

But, as we hear of a police campaign stepping up to monitor drivers breaking the law, I would like to think that we all realise that, at one point or another we have been guilty of checking our phone whilst driving and that this could easily have happened to any of us. Obviously, the impact of the terrible incident on the A34 may have been less, or more, had it not been a lorry involved, as the driver of the lorry was actually protected to some extent by his vehicle.

What we have to take into account, certainly as far as the transport industry is concerned, is the outside pressures on the drivers and how their driving is effected by the job that they do.

Particularly at this time of year, the pressure on drivers is immense and they are very often being badgered by their company to give up-dates on where they are, what the next job is, changes to their route etc. This all by mobile phone and they may be worried about losing their jobs if they don’t keep in contact.

I will certainly think twice next time I go to quickly check whose texting me and I hope the memory of this awful accident will make everyone think. But I think we also need to be aware of when and how we communicate thoughout haulage and delivery and make sure we are all taking responsibility.

Health & Safety isn’t just about our work environment, it is a 24 hour concern!

Here at Driverlink one of our most popular courses is Drivers Essentials, where we work through all of the detail of scheduling and Working Time Directive.

Knowing and adhering to the rules on driving hours and break times is one of the most important parts of a drivers day, and is equally as important to all haulage operators. But despite this, the provision made for drivers to park up safely and legally throughout the country is limited at best.

It’s small step forward, but the issue has now been raised in parliament recently, specifically debating the the need for decent parking facilities for lorry drivers.

Another area that may cause a difference of opinion, as there are pros & cons regarding driving aids, so here is a different take on these ‘safety devices’

Over the years, the technology that goes into modern vehicles has increased tenfold, as gone are the days where having Power Steering, Air-conditioning & Rear Parking Sensors was considered to be a luxury, not a standard feature.

All modern vehicles are fitted with a vast array of sensors & radar guided systems amongst others, to help make driving more ‘easy’, but I feel that we have gone past the point of no return in taking too much input away from the driver.

It comes across when you see adverts for vehicles showing that if you hold a valid licence to drive, the car will do all the work for you i.e. Automatic Reverse Parking, Automatic Braking or Collision Avoidance.  The list is almost endless as to what gadgets & gismos you can have fitted to a modern day vehicle, but this for me has gone too far.

Ultimately, the driver is and should be solely responsible for how a vehicle behaves, regardless of what gadgets it is fitted with, as wrongly, a large number of drivers ‘switch off’ because they feel the car will stop them from having or causing an accident, so why do they need to pay attention, the car will ‘protect them’ surely?

This is more so the case, when you see on a daily basis drivers using their mobile phones, tablets, or as was the case yesterday from my colleague, a driver using their mobile along with their dog being on their lap!!!  I wonder which factory fitted option covers this??

Really, we should go back to basics, where the driver is responsible for how a vehicle behaves and reacts, rather than using & relying on systems for the stupid or irresponsible driver who has no idea what a danger they are to themselves & other road users.

Now, I’m sure there will be a negative response to this opinion, in which I would agree that there are some pros to some driving aids (ABS, ESP & Stability Control) these are very good, as most people would have no idea in how to control or react to a vehicle skidding or losing traction suddenly.

But I strongly disagree that features like ‘Automatic Reverse Parking’ Collision avoidance/ Blind-spot detection’ ‘Tyre-pressure monitoring’ etc – I can go on & on, but the common theme is this, all of these I’ve mentioned should be down to the driver, not a computer, as this should be a skill that is learned & improved upon, not detached & forgotten about!

Just a thought, can you imagine being in a car park where cars are dumped everywhere because the ‘Automatic Reverse Parking’ function has failed, and the drivers have lost the ability to do this by themselves?  It’s bad enough now where a lot of drivers are hopeless are parking at the best of time………..

For those who think they have plenty of time to organise their CPC before the 2019 deadline, WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE!

For those who are already ticking off courses, as they have completed their one course per year as guidelines suggest, well done you!

The well organised, forward planning folks are filling up our course as we speak, in fact many of our CPC courses up to Christmas are reaching capacity and we have additional courses off site to cater for the excess.

The warning bells should be ringing to those who are ‘leaving it until closer to the deadline’ if courses are filling up now, what will the situation be when you decide to book?

We at Driverlink have tried to persuade companies and individual drivers alike, that being pro-active about CPC is the best course forward and many have taken our advise. But we know from the chaos that ensued up to the last deadline date in September 2014 that the ‘last minute’ option causes stress, costs more and takes drivers off the road at one of the busiest times.

There is still time to set up a plan and spread out the courses at a time that is quieter business wise or taking out a few Saturdays plotted over the next couple of years, not too painful! Equally, you are paying for a course at a time, rather that the full amount for all 5 courses, for all drivers, Ouch!

So what are the arguments against organising the training in advance?

CPC will no longer exist as we leave the UK – Well, as I have discussed in a previous article, CPC is here to stay and there is absolutely no indication that it’s removal will be part of the BREXIT process.

There is plenty of time to get it sorted – time is the key word here. Being well organised and forward thinking at this point actually takes very little time, but the time and stress it will save you in the long run is well worth it. When you suddenly realise that the deadline is around the corner and you need your drivers on the road, time will be something that you don’t have. A half an hour meeting is all it takes for us to plot the courses for you at this point and you will have flexibility right through the plan.

A lot can change between now and 2019 – we understand that within any business situations are changing all of the time and staff will come and go, but many of our customers have agreed with their drivers that any training provided by the company will be re-imbursed from the final pay of those who leave to use their CPC elsewhere. Most drivers think that this is a fair request. Plans are reviewed every year to make sure that any drivers who have missed a course catch up and also to ensure that there are no repeated courses. We up-date the plan as changes occur, and have a reminder service to check that planned dates are still convenient.

Drivers can sort it out for themselves – BUT WILL THEY???, and will it be the week before the deadline, when they won’t be able to find a course with places and you won’t have any vehicles on the road because everyone is in the classroom. It’s understandable if, as a company you can’t cover the cost of the training, after all, it is the driver that benefits and owns the qualification, but it doesn’t mean you don’t get it organised for them and work together on a schedule. At least that way you have some peace of mind when the deadline arrives. It is always a plus when DVSA inspectors see that the training is underway, as they refer to it as ‘Annual Training’, the clues in the name!

With our interactive courses and subject matter that is actually useful and will refresh your knowledge, it makes sense to get in touch with us an start getting training underway!

Lets once again get something clear about DCPC Training. If you strip back the usual responses, the ‘waste of time’, ‘waste of money’, ‘I already know everything’ attitude, refresher training is there to make haulage drivers constantly aware and up-to-date.

If you are responsible on a daily basis for a vehicle that can be dangerous to yourself or others, you surely can’t disagree with the fact that there has to be guidelines for those who have that responsibility.

The argument that CPC is an EU led directive that isn’t relevant to us doesn’t really hold up, when the subject matter that you are required to refresh includes- how to load your vehicle safely; legislation to make sure you don’t fall asleep at the wheel or lose concentration through tiredness; being the first person at the scene of an accident and possibly saving a life; Health & Safety for yourself and others, to name but a few.

How do they suddenly become irrelevant just because we aren’t in the EU. Plus, the origins of the CPC ideal actually came from the UK and were then adopted by the EU as a whole.

If that’s the ‘no common sense’ approach we are going to take when we leave the EU, I’m moving to Trumps America!

Throughout the industry most commentators agree that the leave vote will have little or no impact on CPC. Yes we are leaving the EU, but we still have to trade with those within the EU to function and prosper as a country.

Equally, the UK will still remain part of the AETR (European Agreement Concerning the Work of Crews of Vehicles Engaged in International Road Transport) which has Driver CPC firmly written in.

The UK will be required to remain within this agreement, as have a number of other non EU countries, as it will be a condition of ongoing trade.

The reality is that driver CPC is here to stay. The government have invested many years, and funds, preparing the logistics sector for implementation of the directive; they are not likely to go back on it now.

Plus safety figures prove that it is working, according to government statistics there were almost half the amount of fatal accidents including HGVs compared to a decade ago. It is in the best interests of the industry to find ways to make the best of driver CPC legislation rather than hoping that it will simply disappear.

If your opinion on refresher training is as above, maybe you need to look at your training provider, as it is their responsibility to ensure that the training they deliver does make a difference and is regularly up-dated.

A large percentage of our delegates might arrive with that attitude, but soon realise that they don’t know everything and they have actually learnt a thing or two.

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As we finally experience some warm weather, and the occasion warm night, it can be difficult to sleep when there is no air and every window is open, so every sound disturbs sleep.

Having been lucky enough to have a good sleep pattern through most of my life, the last couple of years have seen a blissful entire night’s sleep become a thing of the past and I now struggle to maintain a decent couple of hours sleep without waking. I now see how it can affect your entire life and it can be hard to get through the day sometimes with the heavy drag of exhaustion that follows you every minute.

I can’t imagine how that must feel sitting behind the wheel all day, with the amount of concentration that requires, feeling the effects of lack of sleep, or coping with irregular shift patterns, accidents are clearly far more likely.

If you are asleep at the wheel, an accident will be 20% more severe as you are unable to take evasive action, for those involved the results can be devastating. When you are driving for a living, admitting that tiredness and lack of sleep are affecting your work is a difficult issue to raise, as you don’t want the problem to mean that your job is at risk. But there is much more at risk if you are out on the roads knowing that you are not really safe to be there!

The best course of action is to look at the cause and try to identify if it is a lifestyle issue, which is easier to solve, or if there is a more serious problem. Self discipline can be a start, reduce caffeine before sleep, less alcohol, more exercise, better diet and making sleep an important part of your 24hours, rather than an inconvenience! We have heard it all before, but it works and a few small changes can make a big difference ( and reduce the chance of a family of 5 being crushed to death by your HGV! – decaf tea doesn’t sound so bad now does it?)

But what if it is something that you can’t control? If drowsiness and a constant desire to nod off is a daily occurrence you could be suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Syndrome.

This syndrome affects sleep, as you experience pauses in breathing which causes your body to breifly wake up many times, to restore normal breathing and this then prevents you from having a good night’s rest.

Around 3% of the population are sufferers of OSAS and the risk increases with age. It may not come as a surprise to hear that those at most risk are – Male – Middle aged – Overweight and , due to the sedentary nature of their job, truck drivers are at higher risk.

Symptoms can include:

• Waking after a nights sleep feeling un-refreshed
• Having a dry mouth or sore throat when you wake
• Breathing difficulties when sleeping
• Morning headaches
• Frequent loud snoring
• Irritability
• Many trips to the bathroom through the night
• High blood pressure
• Difficulty concentrating

The pauses in breathing can happen hundreds of times a night, most of which you won’t even be aware of, but it means you get less of the important sleep that restores you, to be able to function the next day. This then affects energy levels, concentration and productivity need to drive safely, a huge risk in itself, but long term it can cause high blood pressure, stroke and heart attacks, possibly reducing life expectancy by 20%. But a quick trip to the doctors is the first step as it is easily treated – don’t put it off!

Whatever the diagnosis for tiredness or lack of sleep, help from your doctor will see life improve all round. Could you live with the guilt of knowing that you put others in harm’s way for a problem that could easily be fixed?

 Here in Driverlink Training, we are committed in providing Driver CPC Training Courses to help you be professional in driving.

Sleep Well!

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