Despite figures showing a sharp spike in the numbers of drivers embarking on Driver CPC training in the first half of 2011, operators are finding it hard to justify the cost of training against the fact that many drivers won't be working for them by the Driver CPC deadline of 2014.
That's chief among findings of a study by the Freight Transport Association (FTA) – two years on since the Driver CPC (Certificate of Professional Competence) was introduced – which points out that most operators' budgets are already stretched budgets, and the annual driver attrition rate is up to 20%.
"We have detected reluctance from within industry to invest in training their drivers when there is a good chance that by the time the deadline for Driver CPC comes around those same drivers might be working elsewhere," says James Firth, FTA's head of road freight and enforcement policy.
"The widely reported lack of engagement from industry with Driver CPC isn't simply about companies burying their heads in the sand and hoping it will all go away," he continues.
"These are, after all, professional firms that by and large support the guiding principles behind Driver CPC," says Firth.
According to the Driving Standards Agency, the number of drivers active on the database (which indicates the number of drivers who have uploaded at least seven hours) rose sharply to over 410,000 at the end of June.
