PCV Licensing Categories and PCV Entitlements 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is a Driver Qualification Card (DQC) and who requires one?
- A card proving a driver has passed a specialist test for driving abroad
- A card issued by DVLA confirming a PCV or LGV driver has met their Driver CPC periodic training requirements (Correct answer)
- An operator's internal ID card for drivers
- A card allowing access to bus depots and maintenance facilities
Correct answer: A card issued by DVLA confirming a PCV or LGV driver has met their Driver CPC periodic training requirements
A DQC is issued to PCV and LGV drivers who have completed their CPC periodic training and must be carried while driving commercially.
The Driver Qualification Card (DQC) is issued by DVSA/JAUPT and confirms that a PCV or LGV driver has completed the required 35 hours of periodic training for their current 5-year CPC cycle. Drivers must carry the DQC when driving commercially. Enforcement officers can check the DQC during roadside inspections. Driving commercially without a valid DQC is an offence attracting a fixed penalty.
Question 2: Which medical conditions must a PCV driver declare to DVLA?
- Only conditions that have required a hospital admission
- Any condition likely to affect safe driving, including epilepsy, diabetes requiring insulin, or visual impairment (Correct answer)
- Only permanent conditions, not temporary illness
- Only conditions identified by the driver's employer occupational health team
Correct answer: Any condition likely to affect safe driving, including epilepsy, diabetes requiring insulin, or visual impairment
Any condition that may affect safe driving — including those on the DVLA's mandatory notification list — must be declared by Group 2 licence holders.
Group 2 licence holders (PCV and LGV) have a legal duty to notify DVLA of any medical condition that may affect their fitness to drive. The DVLA publishes a guide ('Assessing Fitness to Drive') listing conditions including epilepsy, insulin-treated diabetes, cardiac conditions, visual impairment, and sleep apnoea. Failure to declare a relevant condition is a criminal offence and can invalidate insurance.
Question 3: What is the purpose of a Passenger Service Vehicle (PSV) operator licence?
- To authorise individual drivers to carry passengers
- To authorise a business to use vehicles to carry passengers for hire or reward (Correct answer)
- To licence the use of specific bus routes by local authorities
- To authorise the import of buses from overseas manufacturers
Correct answer: To authorise a business to use vehicles to carry passengers for hire or reward
A PSV operator licence authorises the business entity to operate vehicles carrying passengers for hire or reward.
A PSV operator licence is granted by the Traffic Commissioners to an individual or company operating vehicles for hire or reward to carry passengers. It requires the operator to demonstrate professional competence (via a transport manager or nominated person), financial standing, and a satisfactory operating centre and maintenance regime. Without this licence, running a bus service commercially is illegal.
Question 4: Can a holder of a full Category D licence automatically drive a minibus (Category D1) for hire or reward?
- Yes, Category D includes D1 automatically
- Yes, but only vehicles with fewer than 9 seats
- Yes, Category D includes D1 but the driver must still hold a valid DQC for commercial driving (Correct answer)
- No, a separate D1 test is required for minibuses
Correct answer: Yes, Category D includes D1 but the driver must still hold a valid DQC for commercial driving
Category D includes D1 entitlement, but the driver still needs a valid DQC for any commercial passenger-carrying journey.
Category D subsumes Category D1, so a full Category D licence holder may drive minibuses without a separate D1 test. However, the Driver CPC (DQC) requirement applies to all commercial passenger-carrying driving in both D and D1 vehicles. A driver without a current DQC cannot legally drive any PSV for hire or reward, regardless of whether they hold D or D1 entitlement.
Question 5: Under what circumstances may a person drive a minibus under Category D1(101) — the 'not for hire or reward' restriction?
- When driving on behalf of a registered charity for any purpose
- When driving a minibus for a non-commercial, not-for-profit purpose and meeting the age and licence conditions (Correct answer)
- When driving passengers who have voluntarily contributed to fuel costs
- Only when the vehicle is owned by a school or educational institution
Correct answer: When driving a minibus for a non-commercial, not-for-profit purpose and meeting the age and licence conditions
D1(101) allows driving a minibus on a not-for-profit, non-commercial basis by drivers who acquired the entitlement before 1 January 1997.
Category D1(101) — 'not for hire or reward' — was automatically granted to drivers who held a full Category B licence before 1 January 1997. It allows driving of a minibus (up to 16 passenger seats, under 8 m) for non-commercial purposes where no payment is received by or on behalf of the driver or vehicle owner. Taking payment — including asking for voluntary contributions toward costs — can remove this exemption and require full D1 entitlement.
Question 6: What action must a PCV operator take if a driver is found to be driving under the influence of alcohol?
- Issue a written warning and allow the driver to continue after a rest break
- Immediately relieve the driver of their duties, report the incident, and review their continued employment and fitness to hold a licence (Correct answer)
- Contact the Traffic Commissioner only if the driver has a previous offence
- Allow the driver to complete the shift if below the legal limit
Correct answer: Immediately relieve the driver of their duties, report the incident, and review their continued employment and fitness to hold a licence
An operator must relieve the driver immediately and report the incident — continuing to allow a potentially impaired driver on the road is a serious breach of operator licence obligations.
PCV operators have a statutory duty to ensure that no driver operates a vehicle while impaired by alcohol or drugs. If an operator knows or suspects a driver is over the limit, the operator must immediately prevent that driver from driving, which will usually involve relieving them of their duties. The incident must be recorded, and depending on the outcome, reported to the Traffic Commissioners. Failure to act is a serious breach of operator licence undertakings.
PCV Licensing Categories and PCV Entitlements 2
What is a Driver Qualification Card (DQC) and who requires one?