Do tipper drivers need a CSCS card?

CSCS says construction workers should hold the relevant card to access a site, and that people attending a site for a non-construction occupation should not be expected to carry one. A CSCS news article names drivers delivering materials as an example. Tell us the cards you hold, and we check what the booking asks for before we offer it.

Are CPCS and NPORS cards the same as a CSCS card?

No. CSCS says its cards are proof that people working on UK construction sites have suitable training and qualifications for their job. CPCS provides skills cards for the plant sector, and NPORS issues operator cards that cover plant and lift truck categories, including NPORS versions of the CSCS Red and Blue cards.

Which licence does a tipper need?

A rigid tipper is a rigid lorry over 3,500 kg, so it needs category C, which is Class 2, or category C1 if it weighs no more than 7,500 kg. An articulated tipper needs category C+E, which is Class 1.

Does the Driver CPC apply to tipper drivers?

Yes, for drivers who use the vehicle on the road as their main job. Some construction work carries an exemption. The client confirms it before we book, and we do not assume one.

Construction and tipper drivers and staff

Tipper and tipper-artic drivers for aggregates, muck away and materials to site, with site inductions and early starts.

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The work

Construction haulage moves bulk material to and from sites. Tippers bring in aggregates, sand, soil and stone, and take away muck and demolition waste. Other construction vehicles carry bricks, blocks, timber, scaffolding and plant on flatbeds, hiabs and low loaders.

A tipper driver loads at a quarry, a pit or a stockpile, is weighed, and takes the load to site. On site the driver tips where the banksman or site manager directs, sheets the load again if needed, and heads back for the next one. The work runs on cycle times: the number of loads that get to site depends on the gap between quarry and tip.

Sites set the conditions. Drivers are inducted, wear the PPE the site requires and keep to the routes the site marks out. Ground can be soft and uneven, and there can be overhead cables and banksmen to watch for. Good drivers take their time at the tip and do not tip on a slope or near cables.

Vehicles and loads

Rigid tippers for aggregates, muck away and demolition waste
Articulated tippers and walking-floor trailers for larger loads
Flatbed and hiab lorries for bricks, blocks, timber and scaffolding
Sheeting systems, tipping controls and weighbridge tickets

Licences, cards and tickets

Category C (Class 2) for rigid tippers, and category C+E (Class 1) for artic tippers.
Driver CPC and a digital tachograph driver card, unless the work qualifies for an exemption that the client confirms.
A site induction on each new site, and the PPE the site names.
A CSCS card where the site asks for one. CSCS says construction workers should hold the relevant card to access a site, and that people on site for a non-construction occupation, such as drivers delivering materials, should not be expected to carry one.
CPCS and NPORS cards are for plant operators. CPCS lists dump trucks among its plant categories, and NPORS covers plant and lift truck categories. If a site asks for one of these cards for a driver, the booking says so.

Shift patterns

Days: Early starts to beat the traffic and to get loads to site in the morning. Start times are set by the site or the quarry.
Nights: Some road and utility works are done at night, and loads are delivered accordingly. Night work follows the working time rules.
Tramping: Long-distance aggregate and plant moves can keep a driver away for a night or more, agreed in the booking.
Weekends: Saturday working is common on sites that trade through the weekend, agreed per booking.

Checks we run for construction and tipper

Licence and cards
Licence, Driver CPC and digi card are checked before the first shift.
Site cards
We ask about CSCS, CPCS and NPORS cards, and check that the cards the site needs are in date.
Tipping experience
We ask what tippers the driver has run and what loads they have carried, so the client gets the experience it needs.
References
We ask referees about safe working on sites and reliability on early starts.

The full list of checks is on the compliance checks page.

Roles in construction and tipper

Where we cover it

Questions about construction and tipper work

Do tipper drivers need a CSCS card?: CSCS says construction workers should hold the relevant card to access a site, and that people attending a site for a non-construction occupation should not be expected to carry one. A CSCS news article names drivers delivering materials as an example. Tell us the cards you hold, and we check what the booking asks for before we offer it.
Are CPCS and NPORS cards the same as a CSCS card?: No. CSCS says its cards are proof that people working on UK construction sites have suitable training and qualifications for their job. CPCS provides skills cards for the plant sector, and NPORS issues operator cards that cover plant and lift truck categories, including NPORS versions of the CSCS Red and Blue cards.
Which licence does a tipper need?: A rigid tipper is a rigid lorry over 3,500 kg, so it needs category C, which is Class 2, or category C1 if it weighs no more than 7,500 kg. An articulated tipper needs category C+E, which is Class 1.
Does the Driver CPC apply to tipper drivers?: Yes, for drivers who use the vehicle on the road as their main job. Some construction work carries an exemption. The client confirms it before we book, and we do not assume one.

Book a tipper driver

Give us the site, the quarry or tip, the vehicle, the licence category and the start time. We come back on who can cover it.

Book a driver Register to drive Call 0333 335 5948