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Get trained — or get off the road
Page 17
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DRIVERS WHO do not have "on-going training" under the new EU driver training legislation will effectively be barred from driving according to a leading employment specialist.
Ian Hetherington, chief executive of Skills for Logistics, told the RHA spring conference operators would have to take on even more regulatory responsibility, especially for qualified drivers who need five days' training every five years: "Employers will be responsible for ensuring their staff have on-going training. I understand the penalty for drivers not having ongoing training will be like a driver not having a licence." However, he added that the new rules, due in 2009, will make the
industry increasingly professional.
Hetherington added that a consultation paper on the Directive is expected within the next few months and he urged operators to respond to ensure the UK got the best deal possible from the proposals.The consultation is considering the three possible routes for training new drivers, and Hetherington said it was vital that operators made their views known.
Delegates listening to Hetherington's presentation on the new Driver Training Directive, which will lead to more stringent training requirements, heard that it would mean drivers could come into the industry at 18. But the industry needed to be much more positive to help attract recruits, he concluded.