- 35 hours of periodic training every 5 years keeps your Driver CPC.
- Only one 35-hour cycle applies, even if you drive both lorries and buses.
- Training must be done in the country where you work or normally live.
- You can be fined up to £1,000 for driving professionally without Driver CPC.
The rule in plain terms
Driver CPC applies to professional drivers of lorries, buses and coaches. Once you hold it, you must complete 35 hours of periodic training in each five-year period. The hours are counted against your record, which you can look at online, so what matters is what is logged rather than what a provider says it has delivered.
The first five-year cycle starts from the qualification itself: GOV.UK describes five tests that make up the full Driver CPC. After that the 35 hours take over. The tests and the hours are separate steps, and nobody can swap one for the other by paying.
Planning the hours
- Find your next deadline. It is printed on the Driver CPC card; if the card is lost, the online hours checker shows what you have logged, and replacing a lost card is a separate task.
- Decide the course type. Drivers who work internationally must take International courses only; UK-only drivers can take National courses or a mix. See National or International.
- Book a course with a trainer you have checked, and book it in the country where you work or normally live.
- After each course, look at the online record. Do not wait for the deadline.
- Keep going until the total reaches 35 before the cycle ends.
We did not find a GOV.UK statement of how long each course session must be, so we do not quote session lengths here; the trainer's course page and the GOV.UK pages are the references.
One cycle for lorries and buses
| Situation | GOV.UK position |
|---|---|
| You drive lorries and buses professionally | One 35-hour cycle in each 5 years is enough |
| You drive internationally | International courses only |
| You drive only in the UK | National courses only, or a mix of National and International |
| You trained in another country but work in Britain | Training must be done where you work or normally live |
Where buying hours goes wrong
A trainer who takes payment and does not log the hours leaves the driver with no hours and a deadline running. A flat fee for 'sign-off' without attending is the same fraud from the other side. The documented cases are on Driver CPC training fraud. An operator who relies on a card without looking at the record carries part of the risk, as set out on what operators must check.
- The course had a venue, a timetable and an instructor, and you attended all of it.
- Your online record shows the hours soon afterwards.
- You paid by a traceable method, not cash in a car park.
- The course type matches your work, National or International.
If the hours do not appear, ask the provider first, in writing. If they never do, you will need the hours from genuine training, so the sooner you know the better. The step-by-step check is on checking Driver CPC hours.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours of Driver CPC do I need?
35 hours of periodic training every 5 years, according to GOV.UK. You need one 35-hour cycle even if you drive both lorries and buses professionally.
Can I do my training abroad?
GOV.UK says training must be done in the country where you work or normally live. A cheap course abroad for a driver who works in Britain does not meet that rule.
What if I miss the deadline?
Driving professionally without Driver CPC can bring a fine of up to £1,000. If your card expires, GOV.UK says requalification training is required, and the exact requirement depends on how you first got your licence.
How do I know my hours are recorded?
Use the GOV.UK online service to check your periodic training hours in the current five-year period. Check it after every course so a missing entry is found while you can still act.
Do National and International hours both count?
It depends on your work. International drivers must take International courses only; UK-only drivers can take National courses or a mix. GOV.UK also warns that a National card means International hours cannot be reused for an International card.