P A.C.Ai TESTS
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On-road braking for trainee truck drivers
WOULD-BE LORRY drivers training for an HGV licence will have to perform the braking exercise on-road rather than off-road from 1 January 2011.
Candidates will be asked to perform the braking exercise immediately before the angle start, where the driver is asked to pull away from behind a parked vehicle.
Transport minister Mike Penning says: "This update to the testing process reflects advances in modern braking technology, and allows us to strengthen our assessment of the candidate's ability to brake safely in real traffic conditions. I have asked the Driving Standards Agency to keep the test under review to see if it is possible to identify any other improvements."
The new method does not mean any change to the actual content of the test. Reversing and uncoupling elements of the test will remain off-road.
"We broadly welcome steps to explore ways of making testing more realistic," says a spokesman for the Freight Transport Association.