Emphasis on operational training of Harold Wood school
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THE ADVANTAGES of driver training in a delivery fleet were made very clear by A. E. Teer, road safety officer of Schweppes, in an article published in COMMERCIAL MOTOR on February 9. It was no surprise to me to learn that many of the same benefits have been experienced by Harold Wood and Sons Ltd., of Heckmondwike, Yorks, whose driver training techniques I have recently been looking at. Now a THC-owned company, Harold Wood carries bulk liquids in a tanker fleet of over 500 vehicles.
Well before the advent of the Road Transport Industry Training Board, Mr. J. B. Wild, managing director of Harold Wood. had recognized the need for driver training. Advances in vehicle construction, increasing traffic problems with the resulting potential for accidents and damage, and the growing complexity of bulk liquid haulage itself were all factors in Mr. Wild's decision to embark on what was then a very thinly supported field in road transport.
There were a few other driver training schemes in operation, however, and it was from the BMC school that Mr. D. G. Bolton was engaged and appointed safety and training officer. The groundwork occupied both Mr. Wild and Mr. Bolton for many hours; they recognized that the scheme was worth a lot of preliminary thought. The broad principles of training were examined and a detailed syllabus was drafted. Two particularly important points were that the course had to interfere as little as possible with normal operations and that presentation had to be in a form immediately acceptable to the driver.
Has it paid off? At the time of my visit 90 drivers had taken the course and the accident rate within that group had dropped by 18 per cent. And these, remember, were experienced men in the first place.
10-day course
Each course lasts 10 days and drivers attend in order of seniority. The course covers all the duties related to their particular jobs but in addition provides drivers with a broad picture of the activities and responsibilities of other employees at all levels in the company. Senior management people present some of the lectures on the course and try to put the driver completely in the picture; I think this is one of the surest means of making drivers feel part of the organization, and cannot be rated too highly. They certainly come to understand the other man's problems and although the traffic manager, for example, still has his difficulties, the fact that the drivers have greater appreciation of them lightens his task.
Knowledge of the vehicle is also considered an essential part of driver training and the course includes lectures by representatives of manufacturers supplying equipment to the company. These lectures are supported by factory visits to ERF at Sandbach, who are currently supplying the bulk of Harold Wood vehicles.
The driver's interest is aroused by seeing precisely how and why his vehicle is put together in a certain way and he learns exactly what happens at the touch of a pedal or the flick of a switch; man and machine begin to become one.
The way in which use is made of every moment for training is illustrated by the way in which the drivers travel from Heckmondwike to Sandbach and back. The journey is