As of today, 11 September 2014, all drivers of goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes need to have a current Driver Certificate of Professional Competence, known as the Driver CPC.

This is a legal necessity and requires drivers to complete 35 hours of training every five years. It’s been widely flagged as a requirement for lorry and bus/coach drivers, but it also applies to vehicles covered by the C1 licence category — goods vehicles between 3.5t and 7.5t.

There are a number of exceptions (see here), the most relevant of which for visitors to vanrental.co.uk is that anyone driving a goods vehicle for non-commercial use (e.g. moving house for yourself) does not need a Driver CPC.

However, if you are hiring a 7.5t lorry, you may find that some hire companies ask whether you have a Driver CPC, in which case you will have to explain (and if necessary prove) that you will not be using the vehicle for commercial purposes.

Most rental vans exempt

The vast majority of vans supplied by van rental companies are under 3.5t and so are exempt from the Driver CPC requirement — so van rental customers are unlikely to need to worry.

However, there are an increasing number of heavy vans with maximum gross weights of between 3.5t and 7.5t on the road, and many of them look very similar to 3.5t vans. Anyone being asked to drive a heavy van professionally by a rental company or employer should note the requirement for a Driver CPC: make sure you know what the maximum gross weight of your van before you agree to drive.

According to Steve Bridge, Managing Director, Mercedes-Benz Vans, the consequences of driving without a Driver CPC may be severe:

“You can be fined up to £1,000 for driving professionally without Driver CPC, and as it would mean that technically you hold an incorrect licence, your insurance could also be void.”

You can find full details of the Driver CPC scheme and how to get started on the Gov.UK website — click here.