You know that your vehicles are going to be assessed
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by Vehicle Inspectorate staff—but you might not know that the VI can also train your workshop staff to ensure that they're working to the required standard. Chris Graham reports.
t the beginning of the century the idle rich bemoaned the impossibility of finding good servants. At the end of the century over worked hauliers are bemoaning the impossibility of finding good fitters. The shortage of domestic servants was caused by an explosion of demand for industrial workers—the shortage of workshop technicians is generally blamed on the demise of the traditional apprenticeship.
Some of the larger fleets are now re-instating apprenticeships, but while this might not be practical for smaller firms, a lot can he achieved by training courses. There are a number of training providers to choose from, but for many hauliers it makes sense to have your fitters trained by the same organisation that ensures they're doing their job: the Vehicle Inspectorate.
Graham Williams, the VI's commercial project manager, says: The Vehicle Inspectorate can provide an almost limitless range of training courses. If the subject is within our sphere of operation, a programme can be organised to cover it.
"Currently, one of the most popular subjects is vehicle inspection training," he adds. "We set out partly with the aim of detailing the preparation of a vehicle for the annual test, but also to enhance the operator's own inhouse maintenance programme. What we actually teach is how to inspect a vehicle and ensure that it meets the best possible standards of maintenance and safety at the optimum cost.
"In my experience," says Williams, "some operators still over-maintain their vehicles simply because they do not appreciate the standards required. While we are not in the business of encouraging operators to lower standards, we are certainly keen to identify wasteful operations and boost operator efficiency accordingly."
Demand for VI courses fluctuates from year to year, but Williams says: "I believe that there is a growing awareness of the need to raise standards within the HGV sector, as well as an ever-increasing requirement to monitor and justify workshop expenditure more closely. There is little doubt that most in the industry are starting to appreciate the genuine investment that training represents."
One of the biggest benefits of sourcing your training from the VI is that it writes the manual! The trainers it uses also instruct the VI's own test inspectors. Another factor in the VI's favour is that it has no commercial axe to grind and no vested interest in the brand of equipment you use.
Vehicle inspection courses, ranging from three to five days, are held at Birmingham, Bristol, Edmonton (north London), Manchester, Mitcham (south London) and Coatbridge in Scotland, usually at VI test centres.
Alternatively, VI trainers will visit operator's sites to teach up to eight employees at a time. "The operator pays a day rate, rather than a delegate rate charged for the test centre-based training," says Williams. "Many operators find in-house training far more suitable. Not only does it avoid the disruption of staff absence, but it can also work out more financially viable. The rates charged can be less per delegate and there is a saving on travel and accommodation costs too."
A number of other topics can be covered, including spot-check standards, drivers' hours and records, brake performance testing and driver's defect reporting. "The latter is proving increasingly popular as operators begin to appreciate the importance of a driver's ability to report defects promptly and accurately," Williams reports.
The VI stresses its willingness to suit courses to operators' needs. "I spend a lot of time visiting operators to assess their training needs and matching courses appropriately," he explains. "The only factor which limits this flexibility is the size of the operator."
Refresher courses are also part of the service. Williams says: "There can be a tendency for operators to believe that the completion of one course represents the fulfilment of their training obligation. On the contrary it is very impor
tant to build in a refresher training programme which will keep technicians effectively updated and aware of regulatory and testing requirement changes."
Next April the VI will launch a revamped three-day version of its inspection routine refresher course. There are no formal recommendations about the frequency of refresher training, but the general view is that technicians should not go more than five years between courses.
As an alternative to formal training courses, the VI produces a range of videos which cover most training requirements, and it is working on an interactive CD-ROM covering the HGV inspection routine. It also has an electronic version of the official testing manual.
Early next year it will run a series of evening seminars focusing on the core areas of vehicle maintenance and testing; and a series of one-day seminars for fleet managers.
• For more details of training courses contact the Vehicle Inspectorate on 01706 622199.