What is the TM CPC?
The Transport Manager Certificate of Professional Competence (TM CPC) is the qualification you need to act as the nominated Transport Manager on a standard operator's licence. It proves you have the knowledge to keep a fleet legal, safe and profitable.
It is a Level 3 qualification, and MDR Training UK delivers the version awarded by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT). This guide walks through the CILT syllabus in plain English: what each module covers, how the two exams work, and where learners most often drop marks.
If you're still deciding whether the TM CPC is for you, this is the place to start.
Road haulage or passenger: two qualifications, one shape
CILT offers two separate TM CPCs. Road Haulage is for goods vehicle operators; Passenger Transport is for bus and coach operators. You need the one that matches the licence you'll be named on.
Both follow the same structure: four modules, two exam papers, the same pass marks and the same exam lengths. The differences are in the detail of the content.
| Road Haulage | Passenger Transport | |
|---|---|---|
| Modules | 4 | 4 |
| Topic areas | 26 | 21 |
| Total study time (CILT estimate) | Approx. 150 hours | Approx. 150 hours |
| Guided learning | 72 hours | 72 hours |
| Content only in this version | Safe loading, dangerous goods, perishable foods, live animals, Incoterms, CMR, international permits, budgeting | PSV conduct regulations, running local and passenger road services |
Everything below applies to both, unless we say otherwise.
The four modules in plain English
The syllabus is split into four modules, each built around one part of a Transport Manager's job.
Module 1: Managing Business Operations
The commercial side of running a transport business. You'll cover contract basics, company structures, payment and credit, reading a profit and loss account and balance sheet, VAT and other taxes, employment law, health and safety, and basic marketing. It's the module people with an operational background often find least familiar.
Module 2: Managing Drivers
Everything about the people behind the wheel. That means licence categories, Driver CPC and periodic training, drivers' hours rules (assimilated, AETR and GB domestic), working time, and tachograph records. Building and checking a legal driver schedule is a core skill here.
Module 3: Managing Compliance and Risk
Keeping the operator's licence safe. Topics include operator licensing and the role of the Traffic Commissioner, OCRS, accident procedures, insurance, planned preventative maintenance, annual testing, weights and dimensions, and UK and European traffic rules. The haulage version adds safe loading, dangerous goods, perishable foods and live animals.
Module 4: Managing Transport Operations
The day-to-day running of the fleet. You'll study conditions of carriage, telematics and electronic data, vehicle selection, environmental measures, vehicle costing and vehicle tax. Haulage adds international permits, Incoterms, customs and border formalities, CMR and budgeting. Passenger adds PSV conduct regulations and passenger service operations.
How the exams work
You sit two papers and must pass both. If you pass one and not the other, you only resit the one you failed.
| Paper 1 | Paper 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | 40 multiple-choice questions | 3 case study questions, 20 marks each |
| Length | 2 hours | 2 hours 15 minutes |
| Pass mark | 28 out of 40 (70%) | 30 out of 60 (50%) |
| Book rules | Closed book | Open book (course materials allowed) |
| What it tests | Knowledge across the whole syllabus | Applying that knowledge to a real-world scenario |
Paper 1 checks you know the rules. Questions can come from any of the four modules, and the 70% pass mark means there's little room for gaps.
Paper 2 checks you can use what you know. Each question is based on one of the published case study companies, with extra scenario details given on the day. You'll be asked to outline, analyse, calculate and create, for example a driver schedule, a maintenance plan or a costing.
Open book doesn't mean anything goes. You can take your learning materials in, but not sample papers, mark schemes or full pages of handwritten notes. Knowing your materials well enough to find things quickly matters more than how much you bring.
The three things every Paper 2 tests
Most of Paper 2 varies from sitting to sitting, but CILT guarantees three tasks appear every time. If you can do these confidently, you've covered a large share of the marks.
Driver schedules. Build a schedule from the information given, or check one and spot where it breaks the drivers' hours or working time rules. The passenger version also asks you to review a schedule.
A maintenance plan. Put together an effective, compliant maintenance plan for the case study company, and (for haulage) evaluate an existing one. That means knowing inspection intervals, record keeping and the DVSA Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness, and spotting why a plan isn't working.
Vehicle costings. Work out what it costs to run a vehicle and what to charge. Expect fixed and variable costs, overheads, depreciation, cost per mile or per day, and a profit margin, with your working shown.
The rest of Paper 2 can draw on any topic the syllabus marks for case study assessment, from driver training and wellbeing to operator licence changes and the Traffic Commissioner's powers.
The case studies
Paper 2 is built around six fictional companies per version, published in advance in the CILT specification. You won't know which one you'll get, so it pays to know all six. Each follows the same layout: the organisation, its fleet, its work, its processes, its enforcement history and its future plans.
Road haulage
| Company | In a sentence |
|---|---|
| Intermove Logistics Ltd | Bristol operator with UK furniture work and a German contract, an Amber OCRS and a Transport Manager about to retire |
| Carz2U Ltd | Car transporter firm with depots in Tamworth and Bellshill, one of them under DVSA scrutiny for drivers' hours |
| Fast Food Haulage Ltd | Brand new Coventry business setting up its fleet, recruitment and systems from scratch |
| Tappersley Transport Ltd | Established refrigerated operator running into Europe, with its own workshop and recent DVSA prohibitions |
| Tyne Couriers Ltd | South Shields parcels courier with no Transport Manager and plans to join a pallet network |
| ValeCon Ltd | Cardiff construction company on a restricted licence, with basic systems and gaps in driver records |
Passenger
| Company | In a sentence |
|---|---|
| Farplaces Travel Ltd | Walsall coach operator at full capacity, facing a public inquiry and hoping to expand into Europe |
| Perpetual Buses Ltd | Nottingham executive and heritage coach firm with record-keeping concerns and an overweight vehicle |
| Advance Tours | Oxford sole trader selling up to a new partnership, with an Amber OCRS and a DVSA visit due |
| DS Travel | Northumberland owner-driver running everything single-handed, with MOT failures creeping in |
| Beechley Buses | Long-established family operator on paper systems, with ageing vehicles and an owner ready to retire |
| Clarion Coaches Ltd | Band tour and schools coach operator with tachograph errors and an adverse OCRS |
A good revision habit: for each company, list what's going wrong and what you'd do about it as their Transport Manager. That's usually where the exam questions are heading.
Study time, new legislation and entry requirements
How long it takes. CILT estimates 150 hours of study. Of that, 72 hours is guided learning with a tutor; the rest is your own reading, revision and practice. How you spread those hours depends on the course format you choose.
Keeping up with the law. Transport rules change often. A change becomes examinable in detail from the exam session six months after it comes into force. Before that, you're expected to be broadly aware of it, and mentioning it where relevant can earn credit.
Entry requirements. There are none formally. CILT recommends English and maths at around GCSE level, and an IELTS score of 5.5 (or equivalent) if English isn't your first language. All exam answers must be in English.
Age. The minimum age for sitting the Transport Manager CPC is 18 as the Traffic Commissioner is very unlikely to accept anyone under 18 as a nominated Transport Manager.
Where learners lose marks
We've analysed Paper 2 results for hundreds of our learners across 2026. The same few topics come up again and again as the places marks slip away.
Maintenance plans. Many learners can list inspection intervals but struggle to build a plan around a specific company's fleet and work, or to explain why an existing plan is failing. Practise on every case study, not just one.
Driver induction and periodic training. Answers are often too generic. Examiners want training tied to the company in front of you: its vehicles, its routes, its problems.
Driver wellbeing. Fatigue, health, alcohol and drugs feature more than people expect. It sits in Module 1, so it's easy to overlook when revising for a case study paper.
KPIs and SMART objectives. Another Module 1 topic that turns up in Paper 2. You need to suggest measures that fit the scenario and write objectives that are genuinely specific and measurable.
The common thread: Paper 2 rewards answers that use the case study's details. Generic textbook answers rarely score well, however accurate they are.
That's why our course materials cover each of these areas in depth. On our tutor-led courses you'll also complete several case study exercises, with your tutor marking your answers as you go, so you know exactly how to approach these questions before exam day.
Frequently asked questions
What is the pass mark for the TM CPC? Paper 1 needs 28 out of 40 (70%). Paper 2 needs 30 out of 60 (50%). You must pass both.
Is the TM CPC exam open book? Paper 2 is open book: you can bring your course materials, but not sample papers, mark schemes or full pages of handwritten notes. Paper 1 is closed book.
What happens if I fail one paper? You only resit the paper you didn't pass.
Can I see the case studies before the exam? Yes. CILT publishes all six case studies for each version in its qualification specification, so you can prepare for every one.
Do I need the haulage or passenger TM CPC? The one that matches the operator's licence you'll be named on: goods vehicles need Road Haulage, buses and coaches need Passenger Transport.
How long does it take to study? CILT estimates 141 hours for haulage and 157 hours for passenger, including 72 hours of guided learning.
Are there any entry requirements? No formal ones. CILT recommends GCSE-level English and maths.
Ready to choose how you'll study?
MDR Training UK has delivered the CILT Transport Manager CPC since 2011, in the classroom in Coalville, live online with a tutor, and as self-study. Every format covers the full syllabus above, haulage or passenger.
Compare our TM CPC courses to find the one that fits how you learn.
Source: CILT(UK) Level 3 TM CPC Qualification Specifications, Road Haulage (updated March 2026) and Passenger Transport (updated November 2025). The full specifications are available from CILT's qualifications page.