D1 Minibus Training

What Is D1 Minibus Training?

Our D1 minibus training course is designed to help train your drivers to acquire their D1 minibus driving licence. This training will develop your drivers’ skills, allowing them to drive a large minibus safely and responsibly. Through providing your drivers with D1 minibus training, they will be able to transport up to 16 people and drive a minibus up to 8 metres in length. This will also allow your drivers to drive for hire or reward, providing that they pass the D1 CPC test.

D1 Minibus Training Overview

To acquire the D1 minibus driving licence, your drivers will have to pass all of the relevant tests. Before the commencement of training, your drivers will be required to apply for the D1 provisional entitlement, complete a medical. We will be able to assist you with your provisional paperwork and arrange a medical for a date and time to suit your drivers. Once your drivers have received their provisional entitlement and passed their medical, they will be able to undertake training for their theory tests.

Before your drivers can sit their practical D1 driving test, they will need to pass the PCV theory test. This consists of three separate parts: a multiple-choice test made up of 100 questions; a hazard perception test consisting of 19 interactive clips, and a CPC case study test. The multiple-choice and hazard perception aspects are compulsory, whilst the CPC case study test is only required if your drivers are driving for hire or reward. We will provide your drivers with full theory test support and market-leading training resources to help ensure they pass. Once your drivers have passed each required aspect of the theory test, practical in-vehicle training can begin.

The practical in-vehicle training that we provide will focus on a range of different subjects. This includes a vehicle safety check, urban and rural driving, bus stop procedures, motorway driving, and reversing manoeuvres. Following your drivers’ training, they will be prepared to sit the D1 practical driving test. We can arrange this for a date and time to suit the needs of your business.

For D1 Licence Acquisition

CPC Training

Should your drivers need to complete the D1 CPC test (Module 4), we can provide additional training. We will train your drivers to safely prepare their vehicle for service, ensure the vehicle is suitable for use, inspect and use all equipment in line with the Disability Discrimination Act, and show them how to take measures to avoid carrying illegal goods or immigrants. We can arrange and book the CPC test to suit the needs of your business.

For Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) - Driving For Hire or Reward

D1 Minibus Training Can Include

Driver Medical

Theory Test Training

Vehicle Safety Check

Urban Driving

Country Road Training

Motorway Training

Bus Stop Procedure

Reversing Manoeuvres

Do My Drivers Require Minibus Training?

There are a variety of different factors which will affect whether or not your drivers will need to undertake D1 minibus training. Whether or not they need to do a training course will depend on when your drivers passed their driving test.

Acquired Rights (Grandfather Rights)

If your drivers passed their driving test before the 1st January 1997, they will have automatically acquired the BE, C1, C1E, D1 and D1E licence categories. These are known as acquired rights or grandfather rights. This allows your drivers operate a range of vehicles and to variety of different loads up to a maximum authorised mass (MAM) of 8250kg.

If your drivers passed their driving test after the 1st of January 1997, they can:

Drive car or van up to 3,500kg towing a trailer up to 750kg.
Tow a trailer over 750kg, as long as the MAM of the vehicle and trailer is no more than 3500kg.

Should your employees be required to drive or tow anything heavier, they will need to undertake trailer training and pass the relevant test. It is recommended that you do not tow any more than 85% of the weight of your vehicle. The recommended maximum towing weight can usually be found in the vehicle’s manual.

If you or your drivers are unsure of their rights, you can check their driving licence information online.

What If My Drivers Already Have The D1 Entitlement?

If your drivers already have the D1 entitlement through acquired rights, they may still be required to undertake training. ‘Grandfather Rights’ do not permit minibus drivers to drive for hire or reward. This means that they should not receive or accept payment of any kind either from or on behalf of passengers. To drive for hire or reward, your drivers will be required to complete a D1 medical and a D1 Driver CPC test. If your drivers’ licence has the ‘Code 101’ under the restrictions, they will not have the D1 entitlement to drive for ‘hire or reward’.

In addition to this, ‘Grandfather Rights’, are limited to a MAM of 8250kg. This is significantly lower than the maximum train weight gained by completing the D1E driving test (12000kg MAM). If your drivers are required to tow longer and heavier loads, over 8250kg MAM, and undertake D1E trailer training, they will also need to complete a D1 medical and the relevant D1 theory tests.

Our Professional Driver Trainers

As we cover all vehicle groups and provide both classroom and in vehicle training we have trainers with different specialities who we utilise to provide our range of courses.

Contact Us

If you would like to find out more about our D1 minibus training courses, we would love to hear from you. Please take the time to get in touch and find out how we can help your business today.

How Can We Help You?

D1 Minibus Training FAQs

Where does the training take place?

Our driver training courses are available across the UK and internationally. The training typically takes place in and around the premises of our clients.

How much does training cost?

Our training is bespoke, and the price of our courses are dependent on a number of factors. However, our clients typically save the cost of the course within a matter of weeks. Please contact us today for a quotation.

What if we need to tow heavier loads?

If your drivers are required to tow more than 750kg we can provide D1E training. This allows your drivers to tow a MAM of up to 12000kg.

If your drivers have the D1 entitlement through ‘acquired rights’, they can tow a MAM of 8250kg. This means they will also need to complete D1E training to tow heavier loads.

Savings Calculator

Our savings calculator shows your estimated potential fuel savings with our Fuel-Efficient Driver Training Courses. This is only a guide, and there is potential for you to save even more money through lower insurance costs and less vehicle wear.

Get In Touch

Interested in our D1 minibus training course? We would love to hear from you. Please take the time to get in touch today, and find out how we can help your business.