Responding to proposed revisions to the European Commission’s Driver CPC Directive, the FTA has said that driver training must remain flexible.
The proposal includes changes such as the prevention of refresher courses on the same subject during the five year period. The association said changes like these could mean that specialised training needed in specific industries might not be recognised, in turn, drivers might not be kept up to date with alterations to legislation.
“Driver CPC is one piece of European legislation that our members are keen to preserve because it validates the role of the driver and gives individuals a sense of professional worth,” said Chris Yarsley, FTA’s EU affairs manager. “However, one of the proposed revisions prevents training on the same subject within the five-year period.
“Therefore, an unintended consequence could be that a driver would undertake training that was less relevant to his or her role just to fulfil the statutory requirement. This would particularly apply to operators who carry dangerous goods or are involved in security work, where very specific training is required on a regular basis.”
