What is Code 95?

A legal qualification with a clock

Code 95 is the harmonised EU code printed next to the licence categories, or on a separate driver qualification card, once a driver holds the certificate of professional competence. It applies to professional driving in the lorry categories (C1, C1E, C, CE) and the bus categories (D1, D1E, D, DE), with a list of exceptions in the directive.

The initial qualification comes first. Periodic training keeps it valid: 35 hours every five years, given in sessions of at least seven hours, of which at most 12 hours may be e-learning. In Belgium the rules sit in the Royal Decree of 4 May 2007; in the Netherlands the CBR registers the training. When the five years run out without the hours, the code lapses and the driver may not drive professionally until the training is done.

What it does not cover

The licence proves the driver can handle the vehicle, and code 95 keeps that current with a national syllabus. It says nothing about this customer's site rules, where to wait at this dock, how your company loads and secures this load, or the temperature checks your customer audits. That instruction is the employer's, and it is the subject of the guide to driver training beyond Code 95.