What it is
Directive 2022/2561 is the codified text of the driver CPC rules (it replaced Directive 2003/59/EC): professional drivers of lorries and coaches need an initial qualification and then periodic training to keep driving for a living.
Annex I lists the subjects of both, and that list is the syllabus of every driver CPC course in the EU — the second family of the corpus on this site.
Where it applies
Every EU member state, for drivers of vehicles requiring a category C1, C, D1 or D licence (and their E variants) who drive professionally; exemptions in article 2.
What to know
- 01Initial qualification: a course and exam (or an exam only) before driving professionally; it is shown by code 95 on the licence or on a driver qualification card.
- 02Periodic training: 35 hours every five years, which may be split into sessions of at least seven hours.
- 03Annex I groups the subjects into three: rational driving based on safety rules; application of regulations (driving times, tachograph, transport documents); and health, road and environmental safety, service and logistics.
- 04The directive codifies, it does not change: certificates issued under Directive 2003/59/EC remain valid, and that older reference is treated as superseded on this site.
- 05Driver CPC is separate from the transport-manager CPC of Regulation 1071/2009: different person, different exam, different renewal.
Who needs to know it
- Professional lorry and coach drivers and those about to become one.
- Training centres that deliver the initial qualification and the 35-hour periodic courses.
- Transport managers, who must keep every driver’s code 95 in date.
An informative summary, not legal advice. Always check the current text of the rule before deciding.