CPC Road Haulage Exam cheat sheet

A contract forms by offer plus unqualified acceptance; acceptance taking effect binds the parties, and counter-offers operate as rejections of the original offer.

Carrier liability for loss of or damage to goods is presumed once goods are received and not delivered in the same condition; the carrier bears the burden of proving an exempting cause.

Exempting grounds commonly recognised: force majeure, inherent vice of the goods, fault of the consignor (defective packing, wrong loading instructions), and acts of third parties the carrier could not prevent.

The carrier's right of lien lets it retain goods until freight and related charges are paid, but exercising it does not extinguish the underlying debt.

Limitation of liability is normally calculated per kilogram of gross weight of the damaged goods, not per consignment, unless a higher value was declared.

A consignment note is prima facie evidence of the contract and of receipt of goods; absence of a note does not by itself invalidate the carriage contract.

Notice of damage must be given within a short statutory window after delivery; late notice shifts the evidentiary burden onto the claimant in litigation.

A contractual clause limiting or excluding liability for wilful misconduct or gross negligence is generally unenforceable.

Operating cost per kilometre = total operating costs ÷ total kilometres run; track fixed costs (insurance, depreciation, licences) separately from variable costs (fuel, tyres, tolls).

Break-even distance = fixed costs ÷ (revenue per kilometre − variable cost per kilometre); below this distance the vehicle loses money on the contract.

Costing methods: marginal costing for accept/reject decisions on marginal traffic, full absorption costing for pricing and statutory accounts.

Vehicle replacement decision: compare annual depreciation plus maintenance and downtime cost against the cost of capital tied up in the new unit.

Cash-flow planning must account for VAT timing, fuel-card settlement cycles and customer payment terms, since profit does not equal liquidity.

Return on capital employed = operating profit ÷ capital employed; a haulier below its cost of borrowing destroys value even while profitable.

Fuel is typically the largest single cost line; litres per 100 km is the standard efficiency metric, and a 1 l/100 km improvement compounds across the fleet.

Access to the occupation of road transport operator requires four cumulative conditions: good repute, appropriate financial standing, professional competence, and an effective and stable establishment.

Good repute is lost or compromised by serious infringements or repeated minor infringements, and by convictions for serious criminal offences including grave breaches of commercial law.

Financial standing is demonstrated by available capital and reserves verified annually by accounts or a bank guarantee; the required amount is set per authorised vehicle and per additional vehicle.

Professional competence is shown by passing a written examination covering the subjects in the access regime, or by recognition of equivalent qualifications under mutual recognition rules.

A Community licence is issued by the competent authority of a Member State and permits international carriage between Member States; it is non-transferable.

Certified true copies of the licence must be carried on the vehicle and presented on demand to enforcement officers.

Transport managers must be of good repute and professionally competent, and must genuinely and continuously manage transport operations; one manager may cover a limited number of vehicles.

Cabotage allows non-resident hauliers limited temporary domestic operations in a host state after an international journey; the operation count and duration are capped by regulation.

Maximum authorised dimensions for international road vehicles: width 2.55 m (2.60 m for refrigerated bodies), height 4.00 m, and articulated length 16.50 m.

Maximum authorised weight for international traffic is 40 tonnes for a five- or six-axle articulated combination; national limits may differ and must be checked per country.

Periodic technical inspection intervals depend on vehicle category and age; a valid inspection certificate must be carried and produced on demand.

Tachographs record speed, distance and driver activity; the digital tachograph requires driver cards, and card misuse or manipulation voids the record's evidentiary value.

Load securing must withstand forces in the direction of travel, braking and cornering; the number of lashings follows from the load's weight and the lashing's rated capacity.

Tyres must have tread depth above the legal minimum, no cord visible, and correct load/speed rating; mixing radial and cross-ply on the same axle is prohibited.

ADR requires orange plates, placards and transport documents when dangerous goods exceed the thresholds; the driver needs ADR training for the classes carried.

Braking systems must meet prescribed performance, and ABS/EBS warning lamps illuminated during operation indicate a defect requiring immediate attention.

Safe following distance: apply the two-second rule in dry conditions and double it in rain or on poor surfaces; total stopping distance = reaction distance + braking distance.

Stopping distance grows with the square of speed, so a 20% speed increase raises braking distance by roughly 44%.

Speed limits for heavy goods vehicles differ from those for cars; in built-up areas the general limit for lorries is 50 km/h unless signed otherwise.

Driving time, breaks and rest periods are recorded on the tachograph; exceeding daily driving limits is an infringement recorded and sanctioned.

Blind-spot and turning manoeuvres cause a large share of cyclist and pedestrian fatalities; mirror adjustment and turn-assist systems are primary countermeasures.

Load distribution affects stability and axle loads; exceeding the permitted axle load is both a safety and a compliance offence.

Fatigue countermeasures: maximum continuous driving before a break, and recognition that night work and irregular shift patterns raise collision risk.

Winter equipment: snow chains or winter tyres are required where signed, and their absence can trigger a prohibition on continuing the journey.

Daily driving time maximum is 9 hours, extendable to 10 hours twice per week; weekly driving maximum is 56 hours and fortnightly maximum 90 hours.

After 4.5 hours of driving a driver must take a break of at least 45 minutes, which may be split into 15 minutes followed by 30 minutes.

Daily rest is normally 11 hours; it may be reduced to 9 hours at most three times between weekly rests, and a split daily rest of 3 hours plus 9 hours is permitted.

Weekly rest is 45 hours, reducible to 24 hours; a reduced weekly rest must be compensated en bloc by an equivalent period taken before the end of the third following week.

A driver must take a regular weekly rest in each two consecutive weeks; two reduced weekly rests in a row are not allowed without an intervening regular rest.

Drivers must be able to produce tachograph records for the current day plus the previous 28 days on roadside inspection.

The working time regime caps average weekly working time at 48 hours, with a maximum of 60 hours in any single week and 10 hours of night work per 24-hour period.

Employment rules: minimum annual paid leave, payslips, and written particulars of employment are mandatory; deductions from pay require a legal or contractual basis.

Route planning trade-off: shortest distance versus fastest time versus toll and congestion cost; the optimum minimises total cost per delivered tonne, not kilometres.

Vehicle utilisation metrics: load factor (payload carried ÷ payload capacity) and empty running percentage; both directly drive cost per tonne-kilometre.

Freight rate build-up: distance × cost per km + handling + waiting time + risk margin, checked against market rates before quoting.

Delivery scheduling must respect driving-time limits and mandatory breaks; a schedule that ignores them is unenforceable in practice.

Consignment documentation: transport document, delivery note with signature and date, and damage reservation recorded on the delivery note at the point of delivery.

Fleet maintenance planning: preventive intervals by mileage or time, defect reporting by drivers before departure, and documented rectification of safety-critical defects.

Subcontracting requires verification of the subcontractor's licence, insurance and repute; the principal remains exposed to reputational and contractual risk.

Key performance indicators: on-time delivery rate, cost per kilometre, fuel consumption per 100 km, accident frequency rate, and vehicle downtime percentage.