1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198 
FORD WISE VAN MAN
Page 59
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Cohn Barnett has been to sample Ford's new van training programme.
We recently attended the launch of Ford's initiative to improve not only the poor image of van drivers. but also the behaviour that has given rise to that image.The van market leader has teamed up with Drive & Survive, I AM,Norwich I Jnion, SMMT and Roadsafe to take practical measures to improve standards. A big job — but a start has to be made somewhere.
Van man learns wisdom ..,iwhat does the deal involve? Retail buyers newTransits, Rangers or Couriers will be offered the first stage of the Wise Van Man programme, worth £218, free of charge.This stage, carried out at the customer's base, comprises half a day of on-road defensive driver training, including an assessment of the driver's suitability to go forward to the TAM advanced driving test. lithe driver is considered suitable, the IAM test fee is included in the programme. In the event that more coaching is required, it can be arranged free of charge through the driver's local JAM group.
On passing the TAM test, and on payment of an annual subscription, drivers can become members, taking advantage of various benefits as well as displaying the coveted LAM badge. Not least is the opportunity to buy cheaper insurance through Norwich Union's Ford Insure scheme.There's an initial £60 cashback, followed by a 5% discount on annual renewals.
Those drivers who have acquired the taste for advanced driving skills can benefit from the discounted second stage. For £90, Drive & Survive provides a half-day session at Prodrive's test track near Kenilworth.This uses the new Transit Skid Van to highlight the causes and prevention of skids.The course also covers advanced parking and manoeuvring, and emergency lane-changing techniques using loaded and unloaded vans.
During the launch day we experienced a taster of the training available,starting with the second stage and skid training. Although the concept of a skid car mounted on a computer-controlled hydraulic cradle is well established, this is believed to be the first time it has been applied to a van.
As well as the obvious ability to create skids on demand, it also proved handy for practising start-off and ABS-braking techniques on low-grip surfaces.
Bring your own stick At the preamble before the practical elements, we wondered if think Ford had created a stick to beat itself with — one of the expert guests was promoting the benefits of ESP stability control, while the Blue Oval has been notoriously reluctant to specify it on its vans. But three quick runs through a chicane in identical Transits with no load, full load and a badly secured load gave a graphic demonstration of the varying effects on handling.
The third element of the second stage is advanced parking and manoeuvring, which is fairly self-explanatory. The novelty in this section is that the manoeuvres are carried out among a selection of inflatable Ford Fiesta lookalikes — much more realistic than the traditional traffic cones, but cheaper to repair than real cars.
We finished the day with the defensive driving instruction from the first stage.Things got off to an unpromising start when the instructor insisted on double-declutching on every upwards gear change in a Transit with perfectly good synchromesh. This technique would probably earn him an early rap on the knee with a wheelbrace if used in front of one of the manufacturers' driver trainers.
Some heated debate ensued over the finer points of the various techniques advocated. For example, the instructor advised much less use of the indicators than most drivers would feel appropriate.This was on the grounds that often no one would benefit from a signal. Our counter-argument was that you're often signalling for other drivers who you might not yet be able to see, But the important point is that the instruction stimulated thinking about your driving, and that has to be a good thing. •