Source · Select Committees · Transport Committee
Recommendation 4
4
One step the Government should take straightaway, as part of its review of the Driver...
Recommendation
One step the Government should take straightaway, as part of its review of the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence, is to ensure the logistics sector funds its own driver training, as is common practice in the bus and coach sector. It makes no sense that HGV drivers should have to pay their own training fees when we face continued shortages. (Paragraph 23) Retention
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The Government notes this recommendation, and its historical nature, and recognises the difficulties created to supply chains, and the wider economy, as a result of HGV driver shortages. It is committed to ensuring this is tackled to support the vital work drivers in the sector undertake. This recommendation has already been partially addressed as part of the ‘33 measures’ interventions. Our review into the mandatory Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (DCPC) training is intended to ensure it does not act as barrier for drivers who want to join, remain in, or return to the sector. Ministers are actively working on how DCPC can be reformed following the concerns raised by industry and to increase supply chain resilience. The review, lasted three months starting in November 2021 and ending in January 2022. It involved a wide range of stakeholders from the logistics sector, the Driver Vehicle Standards Agency and devolved administrations with a view to ensuring DCPC concerns from the sector were captured, whilst also balancing these against road safety standards and regional differences. In addition, it also covered the issue of payment for training, seeking to understand the proportion of drivers who currently have training paid for, who paid for this themselves and how payment should be handled in the future. Surveys for the DCPC review found that 65% of drivers have their course fees either paid for by employers or attend courses run by their employers. For those employed by small companies this is 46%, and for employees of large companies it is 86%. The bus and road haulage industries are structured differently. Several large groups serve much of the market for local buses and have the volume to support their own training operations. Logistics as a sector, has a larger number of organisations, with a small number of large businesses employing many employees, and a long ‘tail’ of smaller businesses. The review report will be published in due course and will outline a series of conclusions which are aimed at reducing barriers drivers face, whilst maintaining safety standards. The review was a means of assessing views around DCPC, and its conclusions will be taken forward to public consultation. Reform of DCPC will need to balance the proportionality of the requirements for drivers, road safety and burdens faced by haulage companies.