The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has issued a notice to all JAUPT (Joint Approvals Unit for Periodic Training) registered periodic training centres outlining a change in the procedure for issuing Driver Qualification Cards (DQCs). The purpose of the change is to prevent cards being issued for periods significantly longer than the five-year period for which they are intended, to demonstrate compliance with the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) laws. Under the new arrangements, the maximum a card will be valid for will be six years (the DVSA notice stated five years which the Agency has accepted was inaccurate). This will stop the extreme example of cards being in issue with validity periods of almost 10 years, and of there being two valid cards for part of this time.
- Drivers who complete their 35 hours of periodic training in the 12-month period before their card is due to expire will have their next card issued immediately, as it is currently, with an expiry date five years after that of the current card
- Drivers who complete their periodic training prior to the 12-month period before their card is due to expire will have their new card issued during the final 12 months of the cycle on the corresponding calendar date on which the training was completed (ie the anniversary)
- For those drivers for whom this date is very close to the final expiry date, the card will be issued on the calendar date, less 28 days
DVSA has indicated that while the change in approach is necessary, the timescales involved (eg the 28 days) could be reviewed. For drivers who undertake one day of training per year, and therefore complete 35 hours in the final year, there will be no noticeable change.
Some examples from the FTA of the effect of this change may be viewed in the graphic.
