Tachodisc In The News
DRIVERS NEED INDUSTRY SUPPORT FOR CPC
TRUCKING
May 2010
At an exclusive Trucking Driver CPC training event held recently in partnership with Tachodisc, Drivers’ Hours regulations and support for driver training were cited as the biggest concerns by delegates. Here, Trucking’s Catherine Turner, who attended the training day, discusses the driver’s views concerning Driver CPC and their response to Tachodisc’s training course ‘Drivers’ Hours, Tachograph Regulations and Digital Tachographs’.
The course was well attended by Trucking readers with a good mix of employed and agency drivers and owner/operators, all from different businesses, which made the course interesting and lively. “I was a little apprehensive prior to the course,” said Catherine. “I was interested to see how Tachodisc’s trainer Angela Eardley would deliver such an intense subject like Drivers’ Hours and Tachograph Regulations to delegates who probably did not want to be there, and who thought they knew all there was to know. I was also keen to see if Driver CPC training actually benefitted drivers, or if it was just a tick box exercise due to the fact there is no compulsory testing element.”
“Thankfully all my preconceptions of Driver CPC training were misinformed. Angela delivered a very interactive training course, and set the delegates mini–exercises throughout the day. This not only broke up the intensity of the subject matter and made it interesting, but it also ensured that the drivers had listened and understood!”
“For me the most shocking revelation of the day was hearing how Drivers’ Hours causes so much confusion, and not just for the drivers but for their employers too. Many of the employed drivers on the course complained that their bosses did not understand the regulations, and when they asked for clarification on particular working examples, it became clear that they were sometimes being asked to drive illegally.
What this served to prove is that CPC training can be beneficial for drivers, particularly a good legislative bias course like this one. It provides drivers the opportunity to learn about the law and the requirements of both themselves and their employer. This then enables them to be able to recognise if they or their employer are not conforming to the requirements. After all, it is the driver who is in the front line, and the one who faces the penalty or worse.”
“The other surprise of the day was learning that none of the delegates on the course had been paid to attend, and all had taken the time off unpaid or as holiday. Surely with Driver CPC being a legislative requirement, companies should be more supportive by actively encouraging drivers to participate in CPC training which in turn can benefit the business – surely a win win situation. Companies also need to support drivers in ensuring that the principles they have learned on a course are reflected back into the business. This will serve to bring further benefits to the driver, operator and the industry as a whole in terms of compliance and safety.”
“The drivers on this course all stated that they want to have CPC training - they know they have to - but they really need the support of the industry and the companies and agencies that they work for,” concluded Catherine.
Tachodisc is a JAUPT accredited training centre for Driver CPC and offers a range of approved open courses from its Warrington training school. These include 7-hour courses on Drivers’ Hours and Tachograph Regulations, Digital Tachographs, Tachograph Records and Working Time Requirements, Defect Reporting, Safe Loading, Economical Driving, and Driver Safety Controls and Systems, Accident Prevention, Vehicle Fire Management and Driver/Customer Relations, plus Disability Awareness for PCV. All of these courses can also be held at operators’ premises.
For further information on Driver CPC training courses, please visit the website or telephone 01925 283328. Alternatively if you would like to share your opinions confidentially about the subjects discussed here, visit www.asktachodisc.co.uk.
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