Driver CPC tracking: the 35 hours and expiry dates for every driver

Driver CPC tracking means knowing, for every professional lorry driver you use, when their Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) runs out and whether they have done enough training to renew it. The rule is simple: drivers must complete 35 hours of periodic training every 5 years, and it is illegal to drive professionally once the deadline passes without it. The hard part is the operator's side: one deadline per driver, all on different dates, with nothing to remind you.

This guide covers the Driver CPC basics, the National and International versions, what happens when a card expires, how a lapsed driver can return, and how to track a whole team.

Driver CPC basics

Driver CPC is the professional qualification for lorry, bus and coach drivers. A driver gets it when they first qualify, and keeps it by doing periodic training. GOV.UK's Driver CPC training guide sets out the rules:

• Drivers must do 35 hours of periodic training every 5 years.
• The deadline is printed on the driver's Driver CPC card. If it shows two deadlines, one for lorries and one for buses, the earliest applies.
• Driving professionally without Driver CPC can mean a fine of up to £1,000.
• Training must be done in the country where the driver works or normally lives.

It applies to people who drive lorries, buses or coaches for a living. A 7.5 tonne removals lorry is a lorry, so a crew member who drives it for work needs Driver CPC, just as an artic driver does.

GOV.UK lists exemptions with worked examples. They include non-commercial carriage of goods, carrying your own work equipment where driving is not the main part of your job, some driving of empty vehicles close to base, and vehicles limited to 28 mph. Drivers can move in and out of an exemption depending on the job, so check the examples against the work each driver actually does, and do not assume an exemption covers a whole team.

How the training works

Training centres record the courses. A driver can see their hours with GOV.UK's check your Driver CPC periodic training hours service, and if a course is not showing 5 days after it was taken, they should contact the training centre.

When the 35 hours are done, the new card is sent automatically to the address on the driver's licence. The next deadline is 5 years after the training is finished, and each course counts for 5 years from the date it was taken.

National or International Driver CPC

Drivers now have a choice:

• International Driver CPC courses only: the driver can drive professionally in the UK and in Europe.
• National Driver CPC courses, or a mix: the driver can drive professionally in the UK only. If any National course is included, they get a National Driver CPC and cannot drive professionally in Europe.

For an operator this matters. If you do European work, or might, you need to know which drivers hold International Driver CPC. A driver who has quietly taken one National course cannot be sent to France.

When a Driver CPC card expires

GOV.UK is clear: it is illegal to drive professionally if the training is not complete by the deadline. The driver keeps their licence, but they cannot drive a lorry for work until they have caught up. Training already done still counts for 5 years from the date it was taken.

For the operator, a lapsed CPC means a driver off the rota at short notice, and if they drove anyway, a fine for the driver and an awkward question for the operator about why nobody noticed. The Traffic Commissioners expect operators to make sure drivers hold the right licence and qualifications.

Returning to driving

A driver whose CPC expired less than 2 years ago can take a 7-hour Return to Driving CPC course. Once the training provider has recorded it, they can drive professionally in the UK again, but they must complete 28 more hours within 12 months to stay qualified. To drive in Europe they need the full 35 hours of International training. The return course can only be taken once every 5 years.

How to track Driver CPC for a whole team

For each driver, you need four things:

1. Their Driver CPC deadline for lorries (and buses, if relevant).
2. Whether it is National or International.
3. How many hours they have done in the current 5-year period.
4. Their booked courses, so you can plan the rota around them.

Then a routine:

• Check the DVLA record when a driver joins. Do not rely on the card in their wallet.
• Ask drivers to share their training hours from the GOV.UK service once a year, and keep a note.
• Look 12 months ahead. Any driver whose deadline falls in the next year needs a training plan now. Courses fill up near popular deadlines.
• Spread the hours. Seven hours a year is easier to schedule than 35 in the final month.
• Re-check after training, to confirm the new card and deadline.

What goes wrong

• Deadlines discovered on the day. The driver mentions their card ran out last week.
• Assumed International. A driver booked on a European job turns out to hold National Driver CPC.
• Training hours that never get recorded, because the centre made a mistake and nobody checked.
• Agency drivers whose CPC nobody looked at, because "the agency does that".
• Everyone due at once. A team that qualified together hits the same deadline together.

How Orca helps track Driver CPC

Orca runs DVLA licence checks through Orca Informatica's own Access to Driver Data account, and a check can include Driver CPC.

• CPC on the DVLA record. Tick Include Driver CPC when you run a check, and the result shows the driver's Driver CPC, whether it is National CPC, and the date it is valid until for lorries and for buses.

• One screen for every driver. The Driver Licence Checks screen lists each driver with their consent and the result of their last check, and every check is kept on record.

• Tachograph cards too. The same check can include the driver's tachograph card.

Orca does not record training hours, so keep using the GOV.UK service for those. What it gives you is the official expiry date from DVLA, checked as often as you check licences, rather than a date copied from a card.

A Driver CPC checklist

• Check every driver's Driver CPC on the DVLA record before their first shift.
• Record whether each driver holds National or International CPC.
• Look 12 months ahead at every deadline, every month.
• Ask drivers for their training hours once a year.
• Plan training through the year rather than at the deadline.
• Check agency drivers and subcontractors the same way.
• Re-check after training to confirm the new deadline.

Driver CPC sits alongside licence checks. See how often to check driving licences and our full guide to driver licence checks.

Frequently asked questions

How many hours of Driver CPC training do drivers need?

35 hours of periodic training every 5 years. International courses are at least 7 hours and National courses at least 3 hours 30 minutes, and up to 12 hours can be e-learning.

What happens if a driver's CPC expires?

It is illegal for them to drive professionally until their training is complete, and they can be fined up to £1,000 for doing so. They keep their driving licence.

Can a driver with National Driver CPC drive in Europe?

No. If any National course is included in the 35 hours, the driver gets a National Driver CPC and can only drive professionally in the UK.

How can an employer check a driver's CPC?

Check it on the driver's DVLA record, with their consent. In Orca, tick Include Driver CPC when you run a DVLA licence check. Drivers can also check their own training hours on GOV.UK.

Is there a quick way back for a driver whose CPC lapsed?

If it expired less than 2 years ago, they can take a 7-hour Return to Driving CPC course and drive in the UK again, then complete 28 more hours within 12 months.

Orca brings driver licence checks, Driver CPC, tachograph cards and document expiry alerts into one system for UK operators. See Orca for transport and logistics, or get in touch to switch on DVLA checks for your drivers.