CPC was Peter's job passport
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WHEN Peter Goble decided that he wanted to go into transport management he discovered that time served as a driver and own-account operator was not enough.
For six years he had run his own small business, PA Transport, doing fruit and general haulage work out of the north Kent port of Sheerness. He had a Class 1 heavy goods vehicle licence, five tractive units and a supply of drivers willing to be hired to drive them.
"But the business was not making enough money and the pressure of work and worry was too much," Peter explained. So in 1974, after six years' trading, he sold up. For a while he made his living as a hired and relief driver.
As the recession bit and work became scarce he found himself swelling the ranks of the unemployed. "What I tried to find was a transport manager's job," he said But what he found out was that this now required professional qualifications which he lacked. Specifically, he was stymied by not having the Certificate of Professional Competence, that legal essential for any operator's licence (except for a restricted one).
Peter reconciled himself to the fact that, if he was going to get the type of job he wanted, he would have to try for the CPC. He had heard about correspondence courses, and decided that they might be a relatively inexpensive way of overcoming the CPC hurdle, but he was circumspect.
He wrote to no fewer than five correspondence colleges before he settled on the CPC national certificate package offered by Eddie Pargeter and Frank Lewsey's Road Transport Correspondence Courses. He is pleased that he made that choice. "I was impressed by the presentation of the course material. It was clear and easy to follow," The personal attention he received from Frank Lewsey also impressed him: "He is a good tutor. I liked his method."
In March this year, at the age of 40, Peter Goble received his certificate. Shortly after he was employed by Kent Frozen Foods as supervisor of its Maidstone depot. This provides frozen food mainly for fast food outlets and supermarkets throughout west Kent and parts of Sussex, Surrey and South London. For this purpose it has a fleet of four Ford Cargo refrigerated box bodied lorries. Kentucky Fried Chicken shops are a major customer, as are ice cream sellers. Additionally, the site has its own supermarket for retail sales.
Supervisor Peter is responsible for the day-to-day running of the whole operation. "It is more than a transport manager's job," Peter explained, adding that he had also to ensure that the stock in the three freezer stores and other storage areas was correctly rotated and that proper standards were maintained throughout the depot generally.
"The CPC certificate was, strictly speaking, not an absolute requirement of the job as our vehicles are carrying own goods," said Peter. But he added: "I am 100 per cent sure that it got me the job." He explained that the company recognised the value of the qualification and the knowledge it implied.
Next year Peter's responsibilities will increase, when the company expands its Maidstone facility by adding an additional 75,000 cu ft of frozen storage space.
In the meantime, Peter Goble appears to have acquired a taste for further education. This autumn he will be taking his international CPC certificate. Beyond that, he is thinking of taking a Chartered Institute of Transport course.