Training neglected in cash injection
Page 6
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• Training and enforcement have emerged as the Cinderellas of industry as the government finally reveals the breakdown of the £55m ringfenced funds designed to modernise road haulage.
A massive E3l:1m has been allocated to allow haulers to retrofit particulate traps to vehicles: another 2.15m has been set aside to disseminate advice on fuel economy. But training will only receive £5m and enforcement has been given £3m.
Mercedes-Benz has slammed this allocation, arguing that the sums for training and fuel economy should have been swapped. The Road Haulage & Distribution Training Council and the Transport & General Workers Union also say training should have received a larger slice of the cake, which includes:
• £15m for free on-site fuel economy training by specialist advisers from the autumn to help operators save as much as 10% on fuel bills;
• £30m on grants to retrofit continuous regenerating traps;
• nm on enforcement; the Vehicle Inspectorate will spend its share of the cake on 12 new mobile roller brake-testers, enhancing its computerised database and advertising its hotline for whistleblowers. • £5m on training; assistance will be given to support modern apprenticeships, the Young Driver scheme and transferable training loans.
• £2m on other measures to promote modernisation and best practice.
England will get £81m of the 2100m fund leaving Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to share the other 219m. Proposals announced so far cover the first two years of the fund for England.
• See News Analysis, page 8, and Comment, page 6.