At TJ, we continue to offer exceptional training opportunities to our drivers, including Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) driver training, and an annual Health and Safety Induction which encompasses the latest industry updates.
We offer a range of CPC driver training courses to our drivers in-house to ensure they are able to maintain their CPC qualification with ease and without the need to go to an external training provider.
These training sessions are delivered on Saturdays, usually at our Fareham HQ on Wickham Road, or occasionally at other TJ locations. The sessions ensure our drivers have access to the courses and topics that they need to maintain their CPC compliance.
CPC certification is compulsory for all lorry drivers, with periodic training required to ensure all drivers have the necessary certification. CPC training comprises a variety of topics including:
TJ’s Fleet Manager and Driver CPC Trainer, Lee Downer, gained his CPC trainer qualification 12 years ago and went onto secure approved training centre status for TJ soon after.
This has meant that since then, it has been possible for all CPC training to be carried out on-site by Lee rather than our drivers having to go off-site and complete separate training programmes elsewhere.
Lee said: “This year is going to be a busy one as many of our drivers’ CPC cards are due to expire in September, so their compulsory training must be up to date before then. They’ll need to ensure they’ve done five 7-hour sessions by their due date to maintain their driving status and avoid a hefty fine. We support our drivers in every way we can to ensure they meet their deadline, and this includes putting on any courses needed on Saturdays when drivers are likely to be able to attend.”
Lee is a knowledgeable and experienced trainer, meaning that attendees are in extremely good hands. He was awarded Chartered Membership of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) in 2022. To gain this Chartered Membership, Lee had to apply to CILT, submitting his CV and a professional development plan detailing his career plans for the next two years.
This achievement illustrates the extensive knowledge and experience Lee holds and is able to pass onto TJ’s drivers – and any external drivers that choose to undertake their CPC training with us.
Lee added: “The DVSA conducts two different types of audit to ensure that the CPC training being delivered is of a good standard – Centre Audits and Unannounced Audits. Our last Centre Audit was in February 2024 and it went very well. Because of this we have significantly less Unannounced Audits than other companies as it is clear that we are providing high quality training. In fact, our last Unannounced Audit was in May 2017. The DVSA’s focus is on how the sessions are organised and delivered as well as checking that the courses are the full 7 hours. The auditor could see halfway through the course that we are doing everything well and left us to it!”
Every January, Lee, along with TJ’s Head of Compliance, Jack Macfarlane, deliver health and safety training to all staff. This training is tailored to the staff groups, with separate sessions being delivered to drivers, quarry operatives and waste transfer operatives. Each training session included a video presentation, tailored to the relevant area of the business.
This year’s driver training included footage from real life incidents – some of which were incidents involving our own drivers. The drivers had the opportunity to analyse each incident and consider how it could have been avoided. This section of the training resulted in highly engaged discussions and was positively received by all.
Train with us!
Our CPC training sessions are also open to any commercial drivers who need to complete CPC training, so please get in touch if you’re interested and you’d like to learn more.
The sessions take place on Saturdays (though we can do weekdays if demand is there) kicking off bright and early with registration at 06:45 for a 07:00 start and finishing at 15:00. Each session costs £60 per delegate, which includes the upload fee. A certificate of attendance is issued to each delegate and free hot and cold refreshments will be available.
Upcoming dates:
Lee will receive the names of the delegates before deciding which course he will be offering. This is to ensure that the DVSA guidance is adhered to, which states that drivers should not sit the same two courses in any five-year period.
A few words from some of our delegates:
“I’m doing my Transport Manager’s CPC refresher course at the moment and I want to say that your driver CPC courses are the best. You give as much information to the drivers as they do to the transport managers, and it is much more interesting to listen to you. You are doing the right thing, well done to you!”
“Yet again, Lee has delivered a great course!”
“Lively course with plenty of involvement making it more interesting.”
“Good content, good to be told about changes to the law.”
Find out more about the sessions and book your place(s) by emailing ldowner@tj-transport.co.uk or calling 08000 463 964.
