driver CPC training

[fight4yrights]

Can anyone help..?

I work as a valeter for a truck hire company and now and then I have to deliver the cleaned vehicle to the customer from small vans up to 7.5t truck for which I hold the correct licence and digital tacho card. And very rarely pick up a load to be delivered to a customer (hauleage) . But driving is not my main job and I never drive more then four hours in a day. The government has made it law that drivers must now take a driver CPC course to continue driving . My company has stated that they will set up course and pay for it. the course will be on a Saturday morning 7am till 2pm after I have worked all week 40hrs . I have asked if I will be paid time and a half or time off in lieu for attending work on Saturday ,,and was told no we are paying for the course but you wont get paid for the hours attending it. Can my employer ask me to attend work and not pay me. Is this legal

If I don’t get my driver CPC I may not be able to do my job in the future

 

 

Thanks

[Sidewinder]

They are being a bit crafty here, but of course they have you over a barrel.

 

If you were to be paid for attending the course, then this would count towards your working week and it would put you in the position where you would need compensatory rest. As the course is a legal requirement (and as you say, no CPC = No Job) then it is completely out of their hands and you wouldn't legally have a leg to stand on. To not do the course you would effectively be considered to put yourself out of work.

 

How is the course being set up? AFAIAA you only need to complete 35 hours training over 5 years, so is this going to be one day a year (not too bad) or an intensive course, say weekly for 5 weeks?

[fight4yrights]

thanks 4 reply sidewinder

it looks like it will be 1 day this year and another in 6/9 month and so on. but i don't think i need CPC as driving isn't my main job

but like most things relating to VOSA and traffic law this can be a grey area. although my manager has said when i challenged him about being paid he said i don't think you'll need to do it. but to be honest what he knows about the law you could write on a stamp..?

[Sidewinder]

Problem is that the law is quite clear. If you drive any vehicle over 3.5 tons commercially (basically if you are paid to drive a qualifying vehicle, whether loaded with goods or not and irrespective of the time involved in driving, then you must have a Driver CPC. None of the exemptions apply to your situation.

 

The 'good' thing is that as an existing driver before the rules came in at the end of 2009, you have acquired rights which mean that you have until September 2014 to complete the 35 hours training and then until 2019 to complete a further 35 hours to keep it valid. Traffic law and driver regs are extremely confusing and I must admit that I struggle to understand it and am thankful that my current job doesn't need me to!

 

Managers very rarely understand the law unless they are the main CPC holder - usually drivers are much better clued up themselves!