No it’s got nothing to do with inheritance tax or being handed lots of debt by a deceased relative. This riddle is actually all about professional driving and CPC training, and a little loophole that’s often misunderstood.
You might have heard of ‘grandfather rights’, but if you haven’t then you might be surprised to know it’s got less to do with family matters and more to do with the Driver CPC qualification, and whether you do or don’t need to get it as a professional driver.
What is a Driver CPC?
Let’s start with the basics. A Driver CPC stands for Driver Certificate of Professional Competence, and it’s something almost all drivers will need as soon as they look to drive an HGV, bus, trailer or any other vehicle on a professional basis.
It’s in addition to the other licenses all drivers need to be able to drive their chosen vehicle, and it’s a universal certificate that reinforces the rules of the road and your responsibilities as a professional road user.
The Driver CPC is a relatively new development in the area of professional driving, coming into effect in September 2009. Of course there are many working drivers who qualified before this time, and this is where the issue of ‘grandfather rights’ comes into force.
The ‘Grandfather Rights’ Loophole
Of course it would be highly impractical to force all working drivers who qualified before September 2009 to suddenly stop driving until they take their Driver CPC test. The whole country as we know it would have ground to a halt, with nobody legally allowed to drive their HGVs, buses or trailers, causing billions of pounds in inconvenience to businesses and individuals.
And that’s where ‘grandfather rights’ come in.
These rights are also known as ‘acquired rights’, and they are designed specifically to ensure that the new rules on Driver CPC don’t cause more problems than they solve.
Under these rights, you can drive professionally without taking your Driver CPC if you qualified before it came into force – so you effectively ‘acquire’ the same rights as those who have taken the Driver CPC.
However, it doesn’t mean you’re completely free from the Driver CPC altogether just because you dodged taking the qualification, and this is where the knowledge is especially important.
Your Duty Under Grandfather Rights
Part of Driver CPC means undergoing 35 hours of training every five years to keep it. Just because you gained your qualification pre Driver CPC coming in, that doesn’t exempt you from this training.
So even if you have acquired the Driver CPC qualification by chance of being licensed before 10 September 2009, you have to do this training every five years just like everybody else. If you don’t, you could be in a lot of trouble and could lose your driving work altogether, so don’t get confused about your grandfather rights!
What now?
There are so many different professional driving jobs you can do. They might take you all over the world, either working on your own or transporting hundreds of people each day, so you’re bound to find something that suits you.
If you’re looking for more information about training as a professional driver, you can speak to a company like Specialised HGV training who train drivers of all kinds from scratch and will answer any questions you need, as well as helping you find a payment plan that works.
