1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208 
Learn from Germany
Page 14
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Who should pay for making your drivers safer? Brian Weatherley wonders whether the Germans haven't got the right idea.
Germany is another country... they do things differently there. At least they do when it comes to funding driver training. Last week I was at a seminar organised by MAN as part of its ProfiDrive safety and economy driver training programme. As usual it kicked up some useful data (the Germans are always good for data), especially on how new technology such as 'smart' cruise control and electronic stability systems could significantly reduce truck-specific accidents. Interestingly, ask a driver what safety equipment he wants on a truck and you tend to get a different answer altogether. But I digress.
I'd reached the point in the proceedings where I couldn't decide whether to watch the presenter and ignore the translator, or close my eyes and listen to the gentle murmur in my ear. But then a slide popped up that outlined how funding for driver training was often provided by wait for it._ insurers and trade bodies.
No, really. That's what they do over there, If German insurers see an unwanted trend in claims from an operator (especially if they're safety-related), they're prepared to come to the party on funding driver training. And why not? More importantly, why not over here?
Consider the following two groups: hauliers and insurers. Which of them has the most money to spend on training? If you still haven't got it, here's the argument in a nutshell. Instead of an Insurer telling an operator: "Spend your own money on driver training and we might reduce your annual premium", why don't they say: "We'll help fund your safety training because we think it'll cut the number of claims you make and then we won't have to pay out so much money. In return we'll hold your current premium rate for the next two years."
Like I said, the Germans do things differently.., and, in this case, possibly better.