HGV Driving in France

[Jacques]

After 15 years Class 1 driving in UK, I need to produce certification from FIMO and FCOS courses, one of 4 weeks duration the other 3 days but the problem is they are conducted in French and cost a lot of money.   Has anyone had similiar experience??   I have been offered a job but cannot take it until I can produce evidence of the courses taken.

[AnOther]

I copied this from another thread http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/5/841507/ShowPost.aspx#841507 which you might find useful.

It originated from the venerable SD himself so can be relied upon !

Although it talks more about LGV check out the last sentence first. I can't imagine the requirements for HGV being any less stringent so this being the case and assuming they are strictly adhered to then that will be your first hurdle and may prove an insurmountable one.

Good luck

Quote:

"Your UK "Class 1" is a category C+E licence which is the same as category E(C) in France, ie. vehicle with a PTAC >3.5 tonnes and trailer > 750kg.

All licences issued by an EU state are valid in all other EU states. You may exchange your UK licence for a French one if you wish and you will receive the same entitlements as on your existing licence.

If you are a UK based driver, you are regarded as a foreign driver and you may drive in France on your UK licence and you remain subject to normal UK LGV training/qualification requirements.  If you are resident in France, however, then you are regarded as a "french" driver and as such, there are additional training/qualification requirements, not all of which may apply to you.

FIMO: Formation Initial Minimum Obligatoire (obligatory minimum initial training) - 4 week initial commercial driver training course, obligatory for all new  LGV licence holders.

CFP:  Certificat de Formation Professionel (Professional Driver Diploma) - 350 hours training with choice of diploma in delivery driving/long distance(artics)/dangerous materials. Diploma recognised as a key qualification by French transport companies. Given that these days, you can take your Class 1/E(C) test using a 10 tonne rigid with a 1 tonne drawbar trailer, I would think the the CFP artic qualification would be a routine requirement for finding employment driving artics, although your UK experience may cover this.

FCOS: Formation Continue Obligatoire de Securite (obligatory continuous safety training ) - 3 day course every five years covering general road safety, current regulations, etc.  Attestation issued on successful completion.

Note: A minimim requirement for the above is the ability to read and write in French and perform simple mathematic calculations (addition, subtraction, multiplication,division)"

End quote:

[Jollity Farm]

could you negotiate with your prospective employer to help finance you through these courses? The OH took his in December and his firm paid all fees, he had however been working for them for a year on the English depot (which no longer exists) and 4 months from the French depot

[Busy Bee]

You could try the  ANPE, they sometimes offer the courses if you are unemployed.  I have a UK PCV licence and my employer gave me an attestation that exempted me from the FIMO on the basis I have been driving for several years, then paid for me to take the FCOS.  If you are employed, the employer gets quite a big discount through his training allowances, so he may be prepared to pay.

You do need a relatively good understanding of French and the french driving code though, as there are many differences - not least speed limits in KM's instead of miles!  More theoretical knowledge is also required in France, I got quite lost when they started talking about horsepower and kerb weights and so on.  The good part is you don't 'pass' or 'fail', you just have to complete the course, there were actually some quite poor drivers on  my course.

Tracy

[jopenred]

MY HUSBAND HAS WORKED AS A HGV DRIVER FOR 20 YEARS,HE HAS DRIVEN ACROSS FRANCE SPAIN BELGIUM,AND MANY OTHER PLACES.WHEN WE MOVED HERE HE WAS OFFERED A JOB DRIVING UNTIL THEY FOUND OUT HE DID NOT HAVE A FIMO OR A FCOS.THE ONLY WAY AROUND IT IS TO WORK FOR A ENGLISH COMPANY THAT HAS A YARD IN FRANCE OR WORK IN BELGIUM WHERE YOU DO NOT NEED ONE.WE HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT IN YEARS TO COME ALL EU CONTRYS WILL NEED A FIMO AND FCOS.BUT AFTER A LOT OF PHONE CALLS IT IS NOT A COURSE THAT IS ENGLISH YET.MY HUSBAND NOW TRAVELS TO ENGLAND EVERY WEEK AND SLEEPS IN THE CAB.SORRY ITS NOT GOOD NEWS BUT YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM MY HUSBAND HAS MET A FEW DRIVERS DOING THE SAME AS THEY DO NOT HAVE A FIMO.