Obtaining C1 Category on Licence

paddedjohn

banger9365 wrote: »

its simple after sept 2014 old licence holder's will need a DCPC ,new driver need one know to get paid to drive,
forgotmyname you need to do a medical to renew your licence,when DVLA tell you or it get revoked until you do and you need to do your DCPC if you want to drive and get paid after sept 2014,

And its DCPC not CPC they are totally different

They are both the same, the Drivers Certificate of Professional Competency is a CPC;)

SteveJW

A Drivers CPC is not a CPC

A Certificate of Professional Competence with few exceptions is required to be the designated person on an Operators Licence, it comprises training and a written examination. I hold both International Freight and Passenger CPCs.

I still had to do the drivers DCPC, which most people regard as a farce, if I remember correctly it comprises 35 hours training over 5 five years, the minimum size of each module is 5 hours. Farcical comes in as you can do the same module 5 separate times and qualify. I completed my DCPC in one week

Notmyrealname

watpoae wrote: »

I want to obtain the category C1 on my driving licence so that I am able to drive vehicles up to 7,500kg.
I’ve looked into obtaining this qualification and it seems like a total minefield to me. I’ve looked through a couple of websites for organisations near me and I’ve struggled to understand the information they have put. I emailed them and they’ve both responded with answers that have still left me confused.
Basically I’ve been offered re-training by my current employer due to being made redundant at the start of next year. I want to obtain this category so that I can obtain a job working in my Uncle’s distribution centre.
Therefore I require a C1 category so that I can drive a large van (I passed my test in 2004 so don’t have this category by default) and it’ll be for hire and reward as I’ll be being paid.
Each company has mentioned a CPC qualification but I can’t get my head around this at all. Is this definitely required if only wanting the category for up to 7,500kg? If I do require this, is there any training needed or is it just a theory and practical test?
Could someone please detail also what I need in terms of testing, medical etc.
I appreciate I’ll also need training. With the vehicles only being larger than standard cars I imagine that I won’t require that much training. I’ll try and start learning to just use the side mirrors etc before I start the actual training. What is the rough amount of time it takes to undertake the training (I’d be doing an hour training on one or two days a week after work) and what would be a rough cost?
From the responses I’ve had companies can’t detail this but it’s going to be critical that I put at least a good estimation of the costs in for my employer to be able to approve it.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Its not a minefield at all, it is really really simple.

Firstly you will need to take a HGV medical. Your GP will charge for this and my GP charges £100.

You send the medical off with the application for a provisional licence.

You then do a theory test and driving test.

You then need to do a 35hr Drivers CPC course before you can be employed as a driver.

You will also need a digital tachograph card which you will need to get from the DVLA.

My advice is to skip C1 and go for C which allows you to drive rigid lorries up to 32 tonnes. The cost is the same as C1, the vehicle is probably the same and so is the driving test.

Cost? Around £1500 to do the licence, £3-500 for the DCPC, £160 for the medical and licence application and another £20 for the tacho card.

sun-n-moon

Then you can apply for a job that pays crap money, be treated like rubbish by your boss and at almost every drop, be smothered in ongoing regulations, work totally unsocial hours, spend most of your working life under stress and your time off asleep. Welcome to the world of the professional HGV driver.

Broadwood

Notmyrealname wrote: »

Its not a minefield at all, it is really really simple.

Firstly you will need to take a HGV medical. Your GP will charge for this and my GP charges £100.

You send the medical off with the application for a provisional licence.

You then do a theory test and driving test.

You then need to do a 35hr Drivers CPC course before you can be employed as a driver.

You will also need a digital tachograph card which you will need to get from the DVLA.

My advice is to skip C1 and go for C which allows you to drive rigid lorries up to 32 tonnes. The cost is the same as C1, the vehicle is probably the same and so is the driving test.

Cost? Around £1500 to do the licence, £3-500 for the DCPC, £160 for the medical and licence application and another £20 for the tacho card.

It IS a bit of a minefield, it IS quite expensive, and it ISN'T really really simple !

I agree with the advice to skip C1 and go for C instead. Firstly shop around for prices for your medical. I paid only £30 in January 2011 at the local NHS Health Centre which my employer recommends. I phoned my own doctor's surgery for a price and he wanted £90. Ask a few HGV drivers in your area where they go for their medicals. There is no fixed fee, just a maximum allowed.

You then need to send the medical forms (assuming you pass it) to DVLA together with your car licence and application form to get LGV provisional entitlement added.

Driver CPC is 5 x 7 hour modules every 5 years from September 2009 for truck drivers (Sept 2008 for buses/coaches). Existing licence holders got five years grace. I did mine last month as a full week's course in-house at work (my parcel logistics firm is also a registered CPC training provider) so I am now covered until September 2019. Work paid for the training but I still had to pay £44 for the CPC card from DVLA which is like a driving licence with the same photo on but coloured blue.

Unless the price has increased recently a Driver tachograph card will cost you £38 for the first one, then £19 to renew it every 5 years. Again this is from DVLA and is like your licence with same photo on but coloured white this time. It has a micro-chip (similar to a credit or debit card) which stores the last 30 days data as well as your personal details.

The HGV theory test is in two parts, multiple choice and the hazard perception. Last I heard cost was about £60 in total. Similar to the car theory test but needs far greater knowledge. There are books and DVDs available to help you prepare for these tests.

Practical driver training schools use 18 tonne rigid vehicles for class C. These are much larger than 7.5 tonne C1 vehicles. Note the difference in wheel size next time you see them side by side on the road. Shop around between local training schools but also get recommendations from any drivers you know. Quality of training and test pass rates are a better guide than price alone. Don't expect much change from £1500 for class C. Upgrading to C+E (artics) will cost about the same again at a later date, so £3000 in total !

Link to valuable info here. http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/Drivingforaliving/Drivinglorriesbusesandcoaches/index.htm

Hope this helps.

Notmyrealname

sun-n-moon wrote: »

Then you can apply for a job that pays crap money, be treated like rubbish by your boss and at almost every drop, be smothered in ongoing regulations, work totally unsocial hours, spend most of your working life under stress and your time off asleep. Welcome to the world of the professional HGV driver.

I escaped a few years ago. The recession cloud did have a silver lining for me. :rotfl: