Courses & Qualifications for the Transport Industry

If you plan to be nominated on an operator licence, then yes, you will need to hold a valid CPC certificate. There are different rules for those on restricted licences, read more here. Holding a CPC qualification will enable you to be a nominated Transport Manager on your own, or someone else’s operator licence.

There is no right or wrong answer to the question, it depends on several factors and your situation. Statistically, the classroom and online CPC courses have the highest first time pass rate. There is no replacement for having a professional tutor guide you through the course and prepare you for the exam.

For some though, taking the time away from work or other commitments is impractical, then studying the course in your own time makes the most sense. We offer two self study options - home study and a distance learning course. Home study is course material and multiple choice and case study exercises to practice. Our distance learning course gives you the flexibility to study at your own pace but with the support of a dedicated tutor. Both self study courses take significant amounts of dedication and commitment but again the support or a tutor with the distance learning course is often the difference between a pass or fail.

Previously, there were two separate qualifications, the National and International Transport Manager CPC. In 2012, the qualifications were combined into one. All CPC courses now cover you for both national and international elements. Once qualified, you can work in the UK for operators who operate nationally and internationally. That is the same for both haulage and passenger operators.

You can complete the Transport Manager CPC online. This includes your final exams. CILT offer online exams, which means you can study and take the final exam from the comfort of your own home. Students taking our online course, get access to our bespoke testing portal. We have created the questions to mimic the style of the CILT exam format. As you progress through the course, your tutor will set you pieces of “homework” through the portal. This will confirm that you understood and can apply the knowledge gained to the final online exam.

You do not need any specific qualifications or experience to join the course. The course is a level 3 qualification, (similar to an A Level). With this in mind, you must have a good grasp of English and a reasonable aptitude for maths.

Regarding experience. You must remember, that when you become a fully fledged Transport Manager, you will be expected to manage the whole transport operation. That will mean working closely with your drivers, dealing with compliance issues and managing your operator licence. Understanding the transport process before joining the course is certainly a benefit but by no means essential.

At a glance, the course costs are:

• MDR Home study courses are £120.00 (Exam fee is £265)

• Self-study with tutor support is £699.00

• Our online course is £999.40

• The intensive classroom course is £1399.00

All prices include VAT if applicable. Except for the home study option courses also include exam fees. Our online and distance learning courses can be paid in instalments. Call us on 01530 834 554 for more details.

You can pay for online and distance learning courses in three monthly instalments. You can reserve a place on the classroom course for a 10% deposit, with the full balance due three weeks before the course starts. Home study course material is full payment at the time of booking.

Initially, your focus should be on passing the CPC exam. Once you have passed the next step is learning the practical elements of being a successful Transport Manager. We offer a follow-up course called TM-Unlocked. This three-day course covers all the practical elements of running a transport operation. You will also be expected to update and refresh your knowledge at least once every 5 years

You must pass two exams to gain the Transport Manager CPC qualification.

The first is a multiple choice exam. With CILT, its a 40 question test. To pass you'll need to achieve 70% or higher (28 marks). All our courses come with access to our bespoke online multiple choice testing suite.

The second exam is a case study. The pass mark is 30/60 or 50%. In case study exam you will have a scenario and several questions to answer based on that scenario. You will be expected to demonstrate knowledge and ability to apply the knowledge gained through your studies. CILT do not release past papers but case study practice papers are included with all our courses.

A qualified Transport Manager can look after a certain number of vehicles (and work for a certain number of companies). The maximum number of vehicles they can manage is 50. The Traffic commissioner has set out guidelines on how many hours should be spent on transport management duties each week

2 or less vehicles - 2 to 4 hours per week

3 to 5 vehicles - 4 to 8 hours per week

6 to 10 vehicles - 8 to 12 hours per week

11 to 14 vehicles - 12 to 20 hours per week

15 to 29 vehicles - 20 to 30 hours per week

30 to 50 vehicles - Full time

Remember, these are guidelines. The Traffic Commissioner has to be convinced to allow you to act as nominated Transport Manager you can provide continuous and effective control of the transport operation.