Drivers who are required to carry a Driver Qualification Card to drive for a living now have a choice of routes to complete their Driver CPC training. Transport Training expert, Novadata, has urged drivers to opt for the International Driver CPC training route as the most practical and versatile solution for most.

Although choice is often a good thing, the company believes that the twin routes to completion of Driver CPC, introduced at the start of 2025, can be quite confusing for drivers. The big question they should ask, says Novadata, is, “What is right for me?”

Su Winch, Managing Director for Novadata commented, “Perhaps the most important thing to bear in mind is that although International Driver CPC covers drivers who only undertake journeys within the UK, National Driver CPC definitely will not cover you for an international journey, even as a one-off. Completing an International course or module can count towards either National or International Driver CPC, while a National course will only count towards National Driver CPC.

“If a driver is required to travel internationally within five years of completing National Driver CPC, either because they change job, or because their current employer unexpectedly needs them to drive abroad, they simply won’t be covered to drive legally without completing International Driver CPC first. In either of these circumstances, in order to drive legally on an international journey, you might have to complete Driver CPC twice within a five-year period.

“If, however, you complete International Driver CPC and are never required to drive internationally within the next five years, you will not be penalised in any way. Since Driver CPC courses are no more expensive for International Driver CPC than for National, we would always recommend choosing International Driver CPC as the smart way to futureproof your professional driving career.”

In practical terms, the company says, although the introduction of shorter courses for National Driver CPC was intended to make shorter bursts of training available, it also means that drivers or their employers may now need to arrange up to 10 training courses, rather than five. This could mean double the paperwork for attendees and their companies, and will mean more occasions on which schedules may have to be altered to allow drivers to attend.   

The UK Traffic Commissioners recommend that training should be regular and spread out across the five years. Choosing International Driver CPC, and completing a single day of training once a year, lends itself to this TC-favoured approach.

Not all courses lend themselves to being split into two modules. For example, it makes more sense in terms of the trainer’s time, specialist equipment and assessment element, to take a First-Aid-based course in a single, seven-hour module. 

“At the end of the day,” says Su Winch, “we fully support drivers completing their Driver CPC training in good time to meet their renewal deadlines. If shorter courses help them to do that, that’s excellent. However, we also think they should be looking to the future and trying to anticipate whether there is any prospect, however remote, that they may need to drive professionally outside the UK. If they have the slightest inkling that they might, they would be well-advised to opt for International Driver CPC, which will also cover them for every trip within UK borders.” The first training provider in the UK to deliver a Driver CPC course, Novadata is widely recognised for the high quality and practical content of its courses.

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