It’s time to do it
Page 2
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Back in 1981, Margaret Thatcher was at the height of her powers; Charles and Diana got married; and the industry was scrambling to fit tachographs into trucks – despite having had since 1976 to do it.
Thirty years later, and history is repeating itself. We all know we have until September 2014 to complete 35 hours of mandatory Driver CPC training, but too many are dragging their collective heels. The evidence all points to one thing: the industry is lagging behind when it comes to Driver CPC training. And this might translate into a price hike for Driver CPC training as the deadline approaches. Skills for Logistics says: “When demand exceeds supply, the price goes up.” And you can’t argue with that. But some training providers disagree, fearing that, if they hike prices, others will undercut them with substandard offerings. Whatever the result, the moral of the story is that Driver CPC training delivery is a mess. Drivers are unhappy about doing it, training providers are unhappy with the way it is policed, and many don’t feel they get value for money. The industry will lose out as a result of this poorly executed piece of legislation and will suffer due to a lack of qualified drivers. Even if the memory of the rush in 1981 has disappeared, it’s time to get the training done so that it doesn’t cost your business in the long term.
● We hope you enjoy our exclusive look at Stobart’s longer semi-trailer, starting on p32. We want your feedback on the longer trailer argument – so please get in touch. You can even tweet us fartm_CommMotor Christopher Walton