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(9) It is desirable, in order to respect the principles of Union law, that drivers of vehicles used to carry out transport where this is considered to have a lesser impact on road safety or where the requirements of this Directive would impose a disproportionate economic or social burden should be exempted from the application of this Directive.

(10) Certain exemptions should be laid down in relation to situations where driving is not the principal activity of the driver and where it would impose a disproportionate burden on drivers to require them to comply with the requirements of this Directive. Generally, driving is deemed not to be the driver’s principal activity where it occupies less than 30 % of the rolling monthly working time.

(17) The minimum requirements to be met for initial qualification and periodic training concern the safety rules to be observed when driving and while the vehicle is stopped. The development of defensive driving (anticipating danger, making allowance for other road users), which goes hand in hand with rational fuel consumption, should have a positive impact both on society and on the road transport sector itself.

(18) This Directive should not affect the rights acquired by a driver who has held the driving licence necessary to carry out the activity of driving since before the date laid down for obtaining a CPC certifying the corresponding initial qualification or periodic training.

(19) Only training centres which have been approved by the competent authorities of the Member States should be able to organise the training courses laid down for the initial qualification and the periodic training. To ensure the quality of such approved centres, the competent authorities should set harmonised criteria for their approval, including that of a well-established high level of professionalism.

(20) Not only the competent authorities of the Member States but also any entity designated by them should be responsible for organising the tests provided for in connection with the initial qualification and the periodic training. Given the importance of this Directive for road safety and for the equality of conditions of competition, the competent authorities of the Member States should supervise such tests.

(21) Member States should prescribe that the first course of periodic training is to be completed and should issue the corresponding CPC within the five years following either the date of issue of the CPC certifying the initial qualification or the expiry date of the time limit set for certain drivers to claim their acquired rights. It should also be possible for those time limits to be shortened or extended. Following the first course of periodic training, the driver should undergo periodic training every five years.

(22) To certify that a driver who is a national of a Member State is the holder of one of the CPCs provided for by this Directive, and to facilitate mutual recognition of the various CPCs, Member States should affix the harmonised Union code laid down for that purpose, together with the code’s expiry date, either to the driving licence or to the driver qualification card, to be mutually recognised by Member States, the standard model of which is depicted in Annex II to this Directive. That card should meet the same security requirements as the driving licence, given the importance of the rights which it confers for road safety and the equality of conditions of competition.

(23) Member States, in cooperation with the Commission, should electronically exchange information on CPCs. They should develop the necessary electronic platform, taking into account a cost-benefit analysis by the Commission, including the option of expanding the EU driving licence network set up under Directive 2006/126/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council . Among other benefits, that will allow Member States to easily access information on completed training which is not documented on the driving licence of the driver. It is important that Member States and the Commission make efforts to develop that functionality further, with the goal of real-time access during roadside checks.

(24) Taking into account developments in training and education, and in order to enhance the contribution of this Directive to road safety and the relevance of training for drivers, subjects relating to road safety should be dealt with in the training courses, such as hazard perception, the protection of vulnerable road users, in particular pedestrians, cyclists and persons with limited mobility, fuel-efficient driving, driving in extreme weather conditions and carrying abnormal loads. In that context, the courses should also relate to intelligent transport systems and should evolve in order to keep pace with technological developments.

(25) Member States should be provided with a clear option to improve and modernise training practices with the use of information and communication technology (ICT) tools, such as e-learning and blended learning, for part of the training, while ensuring the quality of the training. When improving and modernising training practices with the use of ICT tools, it is important to take into account the fact that some specific topics require hands-on training and cannot be properly addressed with such learning tools: for example, fitting snow chains or securing loads, or other training elements where the practical side is important. Practical training could, but does not have to, consist of driving. A substantial amount of the training required under this Directive should be carried out at an approved training centre.

(26) To ensure consistency between the different forms of training required under Union law, Member States should have the possibility of combining different types of relevant training: for example, it should be possible for them to combine training on the transport of dangerous goods, on disability awareness or on animal transport, with the training provided for in this Directive.

(27) To prevent differences in practices between Member States from impeding mutual recognition and restricting the right of drivers to undergo the periodic training in the Member State where they work, Member State authorities should be required, if completed training cannot be marked on the driving licence, to issue a driver qualification card, in the form prescribed by the standard model depicted in Annex II to this Directive, that will ensure mutual recognition for every driver who fulfils the requirements of this Directive.

(28) The use of driver attestations by drivers from third countries as evidence of compliance with the training requirements might present an obstacle for drivers when the haulier returns the attestation to the issuing authorities, particularly when those drivers wish to take up employment in another Member State. To avoid situations where, under such circumstances, drivers have to repeat their training when taking up new employment, Member States should be encouraged to cooperate and exchange information on driver qualifications.

(29) Special certification provisions should be laid down for drivers covered by this Directive who are nationals of third countries.

(30) In order to adapt this Directive to scientific and technical progress, the power to adopt acts in accordance with Article 290 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union should be delegated to the Commission in respect of amending Annexes I and II to this Directive. It is of particular importance that the Commission carry out appropriate consultations during its preparatory work, including at expert level, and that those consultations be conducted in accordance with the principles laid down in the Interinstitutional Agreement of 13 April 2016 on Better Law-Making . In particular, to ensure equal participation in the preparation of delegated acts, the European Parliament and the Council receive all documents at the same time as Member States’ experts, and their experts systematically have access to meetings of Commission expert groups dealing with the preparation of delegated acts.