Face-to-face Driver CPC courses suspended during national lockdown

All face-to-face Driver CPC courses have been suspended until 2 December as part of the lockdown restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

The DVSA said the national restrictions, to be introduced from Thursday (5 November) do not affect its HGV testing service and that ATFs can remain open.

However, all vocational theory tests will be suspended, as will Driver CPC courses that are scheduled to be completed in the classroom.

The enforcement agency said CPC courses can continue during the second national lockdown period if they are delivered online.

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SP Training said it had recently launched a new brand, Logistics Training UK, specifically to focus on the delivery of online training courses, including Driver CPC.

It was the first training provider to have a module on mental health approved for CPC delivery.

Robin Brown, Logistics Training UK chairman, said: “The shift towards online provision of Driver CPC has been steadily increasing and the DVSA’s suspension of classroom training will serve to fuel that even further.

“Drivers are currently catching up on CPC training as the seven-month extension of qualification card validity is now over and, with this new announcement, demand for online courses will soar.

“However, we are well prepared in terms of capacity, offer a large selection of quality courses for online delivery and our instructors have nearly six months’ experience of delivering courses by Zoom.”

l FORS has also announced that from 5 November all of its Bronze audits will be held via video conferencing.

Under pre-Covid circumstances, a FORS auditor is required to attend the operating centre in question to conduct the audit face-to-face.

FORS said these will now be carried out remotely until 31 January 2021, after which time members will be able to choose to undertake the audit remotely or face-to-face.

Members will need to have a device with a working camera and microphone and will be asked to provide their evidence either by screen sharing or by presenting the information to the camera during the audit video call.

The FORS Bronze audit is the first step members take at the entry level of the progressive scheme.