Approved ADR driver training for packages, tanks and every class of dangerous goods
If you drive a vehicle carrying dangerous goods, you need an ADR driver training certificate, often called an ADR licence or ADR card. Total Compliance is an approved ADR training provider. Our courses prepare drivers for the ADR exams in our Grantham training centre, through a live online classroom or at your own premises anywhere in the UK, and cover the core, packages and tanks modules, with Class 1 and Class 7 available as add-ons.
Choose an initial course to qualify for the first time, or the 2.5-day refresher course to renew an ADR certificate before it expires.
Why choose Total Compliance for ADR training?
Prefer to talk? Call 0345 9001312 or email info@totalcompliance.co.uk to book places or ask about the next course dates.
Ask about ADR training
Tell us how many drivers you need to train and which loads they carry, and we will recommend the right course.
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Our ADR courses
Every ADR course includes the exams, which are taken in person on the last day of the course. Dates and prices are on our booking page.
ADR Core and Packages
- For drivers carrying dangerous goods in packages
- Core module, packages module and Classes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9
- 3.5 days, including the exams
- Counts for up to 14 hours of Driver CPC
ADR Core, Packages and Tanks
- For drivers of tankers and tank containers, as well as packaged loads
- Core, packages and tanks modules and Classes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9
- 5 days, including the exams
- Counts for up to 14 hours of Driver CPC
ADR Refresher
- For drivers renewing an ADR certificate in its final year
- Covers the modules and classes already on your ADR card, including tanks if they apply
- 2.5 days, including the exams
- Counts for up to 14 hours of Driver CPC
ADR Tanks add-on
- For drivers who already hold the core ADR qualification
- Tanks module only
- 1.5 days, including the exam
- Counts for up to 7 hours of Driver CPC
Class 1 and Class 7 add-ons
- Class 1 for explosives and Class 7 for radioactive material
- Added to the core module, for drivers who carry these specialist loads
ADR training at your premises
- A private 5-day course for up to 12 of your drivers
- Delivered at your site, anywhere in the UK
- Course content matched to the loads your drivers carry
Who needs ADR training?
ADR is the agreement that sets the rules for carrying dangerous goods by road, applied in Great Britain by the Carriage of Dangerous Goods Regulations. Under ADR, the driver of a vehicle carrying dangerous goods must hold an ADR driver training certificate for the goods and vehicle type they carry. That includes:
- drivers carrying packaged dangerous goods above the small-load thresholds in ADR 1.1.3.6
- drivers of tankers, and of most tank containers, carrying dangerous goods
- drivers carrying most loads of explosives (Class 1) or radioactive material (Class 7)
Drivers who only carry loads below the 1.1.3.6 thresholds do not need an ADR certificate, but they still need dangerous goods awareness training. Our Dangerous Goods Awareness Training course covers that requirement.
For more detail, read our guide: What is an ADR licence and who needs one?
What ADR training covers
The core module is taken by every driver. It gives you the knowledge to carry dangerous goods safely and to deal with an incident if one happens:
- the hazards of carrying dangerous goods and how to reduce the risk of an incident
- the legal responsibilities of drivers, consignors and carriers
- documents, instructions in writing, placarding, marking and labelling
- the equipment you must carry and the safety measures to take in an emergency
- practical exercises in emergency first aid and fire extinguisher use
The packages and tanks modules then cover the specific rules for the way you carry the goods, and the class modules cover the hazards of each class on your certificate. Drivers who complete the core course also receive Total Compliance certificates for Basic Emergency First Aid and Fire Extinguisher training.
How to get an ADR licence
- Choose the course that matches the loads you will carry: packages, tanks, or both, plus Class 1 or Class 7 if you need them.
- Complete the training in Grantham, live online or at your premises.
- Take a multiple-choice exam for each module on the last day of the course. The exams are taken online, in person, with an invigilator.
- Once you pass, your ADR card is issued by Qualifications Scotland on behalf of the Department for Transport. Keep it with you whenever you drive dangerous goods.
If you fail an exam for a module, you can retake that exam within 16 weeks without repeating the training for it.
Can I do ADR training online?
Yes. Our open ADR courses run in our Grantham classroom and through a live online classroom at the same time. Online sessions are run live by the trainer, so you can ask questions as you go. The exams must be taken in person, so online candidates sit them at our Grantham centre on the last day of the course.
How much does ADR training cost?
The cost of ADR training depends on the course: the modules you need, whether you add Class 1 or Class 7, and whether you book places on an open course or a private course for your drivers. Every course price includes the exams. Current prices are shown on our booking page alongside the course dates.
When you book with Total Compliance, we also send you a free toolbox talk or regulation update every six months after the course, and you can use our free service to log your drivers' training, plan courses and receive renewal reminders.
How long does an ADR licence last?
An ADR driver training certificate lasts for five years. The expiry date is printed on your ADR card.
ADR refresher training
You can renew your ADR certificate by taking refresher training and passing the exams in the final year before your card expires. Your new certificate then runs for five years from the expiry date of the old one. The refresher exams must be taken at least two weeks before your current card expires, and the refresher must cover the classes already on your card.
If your ADR card has already expired, the refresher is no longer an option and you will need to take the full initial course again. Our free reminder service helps you avoid that.
ADR training FAQs
If your question is not answered here, call 0345 9001312 and speak to our training team.
What our clients say
ADR training near you
As well as our open courses in Grantham and online, we deliver ADR training at customers' premises right across the UK. Choose your area below to see ADR training there.
Bedfordshire
Cambridgeshire
Cheshire
Cumbria
Derbyshire
Durham
East Sussex
Essex
Hertfordshire
Humberside
Kent
Leicestershire
Lincolnshire
London
Manchester
Merseyside
Milton Keynes
Newcastle
Northamptonshire
Northumberland
Nottinghamshire
Rutland
Suffolk
Sunderland
Surrey
Teesside
West Midlands
West Sussex
Yorkshire
Bradford, Doncaster, Huddersfield, Leeds, North Yorkshire, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, York
Ready to book your ADR course?
See the next course dates and prices, or call us to book places for a group of drivers.