WHO TRAINS THE TRAINERS?
Page 7
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This is an open letter to Transport Secretary Dr Brian Mawhinney:
Since its birth in 1905, Commercial Motor has campaigned to raise standards in road transport. As the industry's leading publication we feel it right to push the Government to make changes where changes are needed, and to take the initiative ourselves whenever the chance arises to improve professional standards in the industry. Recent examples of this include our Road Haulage Starter Pack, co-produced with the Road Haulage Association, which provided need-to-know information to newcomers in the industry. Earlier this year we launched our Truck Theft Action Pack, a self-help manual for road transport operators on how to combat the rise in truck thefts. In the search to find why wheels were becoming detached from LGVs, CM raised more than 214,000 from readers for potentially life-saving research at MIRA. This week Commercial Motor is launching a campaign for the regulation of LGV driving schools. As you doubtless know, the law governing car driving schools includes the testing of would-be car driving instructors by the Driving Standards Agency before they can receive Approved Driving Instructor status. But there are no such rules governing the training or registration of large goods vehicle (LGV) driving instructors.
It cannot be right that every learner car driver is taught by a regulated instructor while a provisional LGV driver, who could be expected to drive a fully laden 38-tanner on passing his test, is taught by someone who might have passed his LGV test only hours before.
Many LGV training schools do strive to raise their standards through schemes run by Road Transport Industry Training Board Services (RSL) but when it comes to some of the heaviest vehicles on the road, safety cannot be left to the conscience of the individual. At best, inadequate training results in a test failure and disappointment for the pupil after an LGV training course that can easily cost 2800. At worst, a totally inexperienced instructor can be out on the road in an articulated truck controlled by a totally inexperienced driver.
CM's campaign for the regulation of LGV driving schools has already won the support of the Road Haulage &
Distribution Training Council and The Freight Transport Association. Our views also reflect those of the Institute of HGV Driving Instructors and the RSL (see page 321.
As a member of a Government that has publicly committed itself to raising industry training standards, you doubtless see the logic behind CM's campaign. I urge you to
introduce legislation to extend the measures governing car driving instructors to LGV instructors.
I look forward to hearing your views on this matter.