WIREDGOV

DSA to consult on Driver CPC implementation

DRIVING STANDARDS AGENCY News Release (DSA 23/07) issued by The Government News Network on 9 August 2007

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) is now inviting the public to enter into consultation on the implementation of the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (Driver CPC).

The Driver CPC, is a new qualification that all professional bus, coach and lorry drivers will need to have if they want to drive for a living. It is being introduced across the European Union to maintain high driving standards and will affect bus and coach drivers from September 2008, and lorry drivers from September 2009. New drivers will need to complete an initial qualification to obtain their Driver CPC and all affected drivers will need to take 35 hours of approved periodic training every five years, if they wish to continue driving professionally.

The consultation paper covers a range of proposals that are intended to enhance the existing published scheme in certain respects. This follows further discussions with the road freight and passenger transport sectors.

Nick Carter, DSA's Director of Strategy and Performance, said: "Driver CPC is being introduced to improve road safety and to develop and maintain high standards of professional driving in the bus, coach and road haulage industries. We believe the proposed changes in this package will help support its introduction."

The consultation period started 8 August and ends 31 October 2007. The consultation paper, 'Driver Certificate of Professional Competence - further implementation arrangements,' - is available on http://www.dsa.gov.uk Recommendations are expected to be implemented in April 2008.

Notes to Editors
1. The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) is an executive agency of the Department for Transport.

2. Information on road casualties is available on the Department for Transport website http://www.dft.gov.uk

3. The Agency's aim is to promote road safety through improving driving standards, testing drivers and riders fairly and efficiently, maintaining the registers of Approved Driving Instructors and Large Goods Vehicle Instructors and supervising basic training for learner motorcyclists.

4. DSA is a trading fund with turnover of around £152.6 million for the year 2006/7, fully funded by fee income and revenue from its activities.

5. DSA employs 2657 (2,585 full time equivalent), of which some 2,020 are driving examiners (1945 full time equivalent) based at over 432 test centres across mainland Great Britain. In 2006/2007 the Agency conducted 1.8 million practical tests for car drivers, 89,000 vocational tests and 78,000 motorcycle rider tests. A total of 1.5 million theory tests were carried out at 158 centres. At the end of the year there were 39,001 people on the Register of Approved Driving Instructors.

6. DSA is one of the first Government Agencies to introduce an 'online' booking service. Candidates can book and manage their theory and practical test appointments on line at http://www.direct.gov/motoring.