Hauliers' courses commence
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• As Commercial Motor reported last month (April 4) a new training group has been started in the North West, On Monday the first employees from road haulage companies commenced an intensified advanced driving course, organized by the Manchester Transport Training Group, at Peel Street, Failsworth.
Under the guidance of Mr. Jack Wood, group training officer, and two instructors, the course will include, in addition to vehicle handling, the theory of driving, C and U Regulations, the Transport Act and accident prevention. The trainees will also be taught to diagnose and correct vehicle stoppages, tyre usage and maintenance, and preventive breakdown maintenance. Instruction will be given to improve relations not only between the driver and his office and customers but particularly with the police.
The second programme to be launched will be for promotional trainee management personnel to deal with customer and industrial relations, cultivation of traffic and sales, marketing and operational research, negotiating techniques and communications, the law, finance and accounts, and materials handling and containerization.
Vehicle maintenance and repair will be the subject of the third course for apprentices. All courses are being run in co-operation with the RTITB and the local educational authorities.
Midlands area.
Said Mr. C. W. Rolph, managing director of the Kilmarnock company. "The 1968 Transport Act is a challenge which has to be met. We can sit around and wait for legislation to put private hauliers out of business or we can take advantage of the opportunities open to us. The 'quality' part of the act more or less says that our vehicles have to be in perfect condition and our drivers have got to be where they are going in 10 hours. We accept the challenge. Our garage area has been improved and we are taking on additional qualified mechanics. We have a substantial interest in our associate coachbuilding company at Irvine, Fulton and Wylie Ltd., which is helping us to produce better quality equipment and is expanding at the same time. Our drivers are with us and will get our vehicles from Kilmarnock to Nottingham within 10 hours, when fresh drivers will take over."
The company introduced its first express services two years ago and it operates a profit-sharing scheme for all staff and drivers and has an equity-linked pension fund.