Certificate of Professional Competence for Professional Drivers of Passenger Transport Vehicles (Driver CPC)

 The Certificate for Professional Competence (CPC) is a requirement for professional drivers. It is primarily aimed at improving road safety by improving the skills of bus and truck drivers leading to an overall enhancement of the professional image of industry, whilst at the same time improving environmental performance of the industry.

The Driver CPC covers three main subjects:

1. Safe and fuel efficient driving;
2. Regulations;
3. Health & safety, service and logistics.

Further details of the subjects are set out in Section 1 of the Thirteenth Schedule of the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations (SL.65.18),

The Driver CPC involves two parts:

1. The initial qualification which requires the driver to pass theoretical and practical tests as detailed in Section B of these guidelines;

1. The ongoing periodical training of 35 hours every five years.

Drivers of Passenger Transport Vehicles (Category D, D1, and DE) who obtained their driving licence in the respective vehicle category before the 10^th September 2008 are exempt from the initial qualification requirement (a), but not from the ongoing periodical training (b).

Drivers of Goods Transport Vehicles who obtained their driving licence in the respective vehicle category before the 10^th September 2009 are exempt from the initial qualification requirement (a), but not from the ongoing periodical training (b).

The following exemptions apply to drivers of the following vehicles:

1. Vehicles with a maximum authorised speed not exceeding 45 kilometres per hour;
2. Vehicles used in states of emergency or assigned to rescue missions;
3. Vehicles used the Armed Forces, Civil Defence, the Fire and Rescue Service and Forces responsible for maintaining public order including the Police, and Ambulances;
4. Vehicles used for personal use;
5. Vehicles used for non-commercial, non profit making, or by voluntary organisations for carriage of passengers or goods for personal use;
6. Vehicles carrying material or equipment to be used by the driver in the course of his or her work, provided that driving the vehicle is not the driver’s principal activity;
7. Vehicles undergoing road tests for technical development, repair or maintenance, or new or rebuilt vehicles which have not yet been put into service;
8. Vehicles used in the course of driving lessons for any person wishing to obtain a driving licence or a CPC.

1. The Initial Qualification

This Qualification is required by professional Drivers of Passenger Transport Vehicles who obtained their driving licence in the respective vehicle category after the 10^th September 2008, drivers of Goods Transport Vehicles who obtained their driving licence in the respective vehicle category after the 10^th September 2009 and new applicants for the above mentioned categories.

Drivers can obtain the CPC initial qualification certificate following the undertaking of theoretical and practical tests held by Transport Malta or by an approved CPC Testing provider. Upon the successful completion of the said tests, Transport Malta will include an information Code 95 on the driver’s licence cardindicating that the driver is professionally competent to drive a passenger transport vehicle with more than eight seats besides the driver’s seat, for the carriage of passengers, or a goods transport vehicle with a gross vehicle weight of more than 3,500kg.

Drivers are not obliged to undergo any training before sitting for the tests of initial qualification however professional drivers are encouraged to attend such courses to better prepare themselves for the tests.

Obtaining the CPC Initial Qualification - Tests

The qualification includes three tests covering topics defined in the Thirteenth Schedule of the Motor Vehicle (Driving Licenses) Regulations.

• Test 1: Theory test with 80 multiple choice questions.
• The time allowed is 100 minutes and the minimum pass mark is 60%.

• Test 2: Theory test consisting of six case studies. Each case study has between five and eight questions. These case studies are based on real-life situations that candidates are likely to come across in their working life.
• The time allowed for this test is 100 minutes and the minimum pass mark is 60%. 

• Test 3:  Practical test with five practical demonstration questions. It will take place at a stand (not on the move) where explanations and physical demonstration will have to be carried out by the candidate. Candidates must pass the first two tests before sitting for the Practical test.
• The amended time slot for the existing practical test will be circa 30 minutes.

The CPC Initial Qualification can also be undertaken by drivers who would like to benefit from the reduced minimum age requirement applicable for the particular category as shown below:

1. Periodic Training

Periodic Training is designed to confirm and expand on the existing knowledge and skills of each driver to ensure that they continue to be confident, safe and fuel efficient drivers. It also enables drivers to keep up to date with ever changing regulations and to benefit from state of the art training throughout their whole career.

All professional bus and truck drivers must undergo compulsory periodic training of 35 hours every five years to retain their Driver CPC with approved Training Providers. The training must be carried out by approved Training Providers in periods of at least seven hours. These periods may be held consecutively, or spread over a period of time.  No tests will take place upon the completion of periodic training, however drivers will be required to retain their training records to be able to submit them to Transport Malta when renewing their Driver CPC.

Drivers that have obtained a Category D (DE, D1, D1E, f) driving licence before the 10^th September 2008 or a Category C (CE, C1, C1E) driving licence before the 10^th September 2009 are required to undertake the periodic training before they renew their licence and/or tag.

CPC training programme are delivered by a training providers accredited by Transport Malta to deliver such programmes.