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STANDARD BEAR RS
After a hard-fought industry campaign led by Commercial Motor, the DSA's voluntary register for driving instructors was established last year and has now approved 500 applicants. The register, which was set up to raise HGV driver training standards, may soon become compulsory. Oliver Dixon reports on the industry's attempt to set its own house in order.
There's no doubt that fIGII drivers need proper training. Where there are differences of opinion they are about how this can be accomplished, and they all come back to the same fundamental point: a driver will only be as good as his instructor has taught him to be. Therefore the starting point for a well-trained, safe and productive pool of FIG V drivers lies not with the pupils, but with the teachers.
Following the recommendations of a 1996 consultation paper, the Driving Standards Agency established a voluntary register of HGV instructors on 1 April 1997.1n response to a campaign led by CM it was developed in conjunction with, among others, the Freight Transport Association and the Road Haulage Association. 'The Driving Standards Agency says the register's aims include reducing the number of accidents involving HGN's by raising the standard of training for drivers. Testing and monitoring are carried out by DSA examiners who have HGV experience and who are already responsible for monitoring the standards of instruction provided by car driving instructors. Eighteen months on, some 500 instructors have applied for inclusion on the Driving Standards Agency's approved list. Some have achieved certification through grandfather's rights as a result of being Road Transport Industry Training Board-qualified. This remained possible until May of last year. Now, however, instructors can gain certification only through a two-part test designed to test the instructor's driving ability and his standard of teaching. The test of driving ability lasts 90 minutes.
DSA guidelines insist it is not just a slightly more difficult HGV test: it is advanced, and a very high standard of competence is required. The candidate must show he has a thorough knowledge of the principles of good driving and road safety and can apply them in practice.
If the candidate passes this part of the test, he is required to adopt the role of instructor while the examiner takes one of three roles: an individual learning to drive a Category C HGV or a Category C HGV, or one requiring remedial tuition, having failed an HGV test.
This is in the format of a lesson, using one of nine scenarios, with the examiner simulating a number of faults during the exercise. Four areas are marked by the examiner: instructor characteristics, instructional techniques, fault assessment and judgement of speed and vehicle positioning. Once the candidate has passed both parts of the test he can apply for inclusion on the USA register of HGV driving instructors. Ekith parts must be passed within six months. If the candidate fails three times, he may nut apply for a re-test for another year.
Training packages Rugby-based Reaction Training Services is a training company offering courses for drivers of cars, four-wheel-drive vehicles and fIGVs. It has worked with both manufacturers and fleets, and offers training packages designed not just to teach new drivers but to improve the standards of existing staff.
"We decided to apply for DSA registration
for a number of reasons," explains Reaction's chief instructor Peter Lewis. "On the one hand, there has been a grey area surmunding HGV driver training for ,ears, and irrespective of how good a training company is I don't think this will be allowed to continue much longer. The spotlight is now fixed on the haulage industry and, although the DSA register is voluntary at the moment, my guess is that legislation cannot be too far away.
"At the same time, the industry's perception of training has changed markedly over the past few years. It's no longer seen as a distress purchase; any programme which can reduce fuel consumption, tyre wear and accident damage will benefit the haulier's bottom line. Given the margins within the industry, anything which can save an operator money is going to be looked at closely. We train new drivers to drive, not just to pass a test; with existing drivers, we make suggestions as to bow technique can be improved—after all, just saving 0.1mpg per truck per year can make a huge difference to the year-end accounts."
Lewis has no doubts that the new register will have a marked effect upon training standards, and applauds this: "The argument that haulage is too easy an industry to get into is applicable to driver training." he said. "A welltrained driver is going to be a safer driver and a more efficient driver. I defy anyone to argue against that. Moreover, today's vehicles are complex working environments. Trucks like the new EuroTech Cursor are designed to maximise fuel efficiency. Just a few hours' training can make a huge difference to a driver's productivity.
"Driver training is no longer just about get
Ling individuals to a stage where they have ; pass certificate to wave under the nose of ; potential employer. Training is now a whole life process, and no company can afford n ignore it. As the driver shortage begins to bit even more, companies may find themselve having to train drivers from scratch. If the have to make that investment, they need n know it's going to pay dividends. A register o approved instructors can only reassure them "The USA test is no pushover. It will sor the wheat from the chaff, and that can only bi a good thing; not just for the trainee, but als( for the industry and, by extension, for the gen eral public."
Voluntary The Driving Standards Agency register o HGV Instructors is still voluntary, but sino the haulage industry is now in the public eyi this might not remain the case for long. It the meantime, however, training companie are likely to be asked why they have no chosen to join rather than why they shoul( have volunteered for assessment.
Training is fast becoming a big issue in thi haulage industry, and the difference betweei good and had training companies is fas becoming as important as that between thi competent and incompetent haulier.
TEST DRIV
• e—I es for each of the two parts, with a ' stration fee a . Registration must be renewed every four years at one of N centres around the UK through a refresher test which incurs a new charge. There are no plans to make registration of instructors mandatory.
Driving S ards Agency: 'on Training