Driving: Qualifications
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of simplifying or consolidating the statutory qualification and certification requirements for professional bus, coach and heavy goods vehicle drivers.
Answered by Simon Lightwood
A review in 2021/22 concluded that the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) should be retained but reformed. A package of reforms was introduced in December 2024 to provide greater flexibility for drivers and operators.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has no plans to consolidate the qualification processes for these types of vehicles. The skills and knowledge necessary to safely drive each vehicle category are sufficiently different to require separate assessments. Drivers, however, who hold licence entitlements for both lorries and buses only need to complete one set of 35 hours periodic training every five years to maintain their Driver CPC qualification.
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