Drivers · 2 min read · Updated 22 Aug 2026
Driver CPC explained - who needs it, the 35 hours, and the DQC expiry trap
Driver Certificate of Professional Competence for LGV and PCV drivers: periodic training, the Driver Qualification Card, exemptions, penalties, and how to track it.
Who needs it
Professional drivers of vehicles that need a category C, C1, C+E, C1+E (goods) or D, D1, D+E, D1+E (passenger) licence - i.e. most HGV, bus and coach drivers, and van drivers in the 3.5–7.5 t C1 band. Exemptions include driving that is not the driver's main activity (goods carried for own use where driving is under 30% of working time), vehicles under 45 km/h, emergency and rescue services, driving tests and road tests, and some non-commercial carriage.
How it works
- Initial qualification (new drivers): modules 2 and 4 on top of the licence tests.
- Periodic training: 35 hours every five years, in courses of at least 7 hours with an approved provider, recorded on the DVSA Recording & Evidencing (R&E) system.
- Driver Qualification Card (DQC): issued by DVLA on completion, valid five years, must be carried while driving professionally. Since 2024 there is also a "national" Driver CPC option with shorter 3.5-hour courses and a test route for lapsed drivers; national DQCs are valid in the UK only.
The expiry trap
The DQC expiry is printed on the card and drivers often leave training to the last months. A driver whose DQC has lapsed cannot drive in scope the next day; the operator commits an offence by using them (fines up to £1,000 each). There is no grace period. Track the date for every driver, warn at 90 days, and book hours early - courses fill up in the summer before a big expiry cohort.
How operators can check
Drivers can log in to Check your Driver CPC periodic training hours (licence number and postcode, password by post) and generate a temporary password for an employer to view their record - hours done, courses, next DQC date. There is no employer API; the DVLA Access to Driver Data service returns DQC validity dates when you have the driver's mandate. OperatorCompliance stores the DQC expiry and card number per driver, alerts at 90 days and on expiry, and accepts a photo of the card as a document.
Records to keep
DQC number and expiry for each driver; training certificates; evidence the driver carries the card (walkaround check or periodic audit). At a Traffic Commissioner hearing, "we didn't know his card had run out" is not mitigation.