Should HGV/PCV Driver Training Standards Apply to Car Drivers?

Business Car magazine recently published a fascinating post on its blog from E-Training World managing director Graham Hurdle in which Mr Hurdle proposed offering additional training for car drivers. To be clear, Hurdle was referring to drivers who operate passenger vehicles or small vans as part of their employment. These drivers might be anything from couriers to sales associates driving to meet clients.

Hurdle’s proposal is offered within the broader question of whether or not the Government should make the car-driving test more difficult. Those who support a tougher test say it would reduce the number of cars on the road along with the number of unsafe drivers. However, Hurdle says doing so would have a negative economic impact that would far surpass the benefits gained. Instead, he proposes offering incentives to businesses for providing their car drivers with ongoing training similar to what is provided to HGV and PCV drivers.

For example, HGV and PCV driver training does not stop once a driver gets his or her licence. At minimum, that driver must undergo CPC driver training every five years to maintain their licence. Many companies go above and beyond by offering regular annual or semi-annual training designed to refresh driving skills and keep drivers current with regulatory changes. Hurdle contends that same kind of training for car and van drivers would be beneficial.

The idea behind the additional training is to make sure drivers never fall behind in terms of their skills and knowledge. Nevertheless, that is not possible without a concerted effort on the part of the companies that employ these drivers. Hurdle believes we could see a significant reduction in crashes and road congestion by encouraging companies operating passenger cars and vans to offer regular training to drivers.

Training for Your Company Drivers

The HGV Training Centre is known throughout the UK for providing high-quality driver training for new drivers looking to earn a commercial licence. Nonetheless, new driver training is not all we do. We also offer HGV and PCV driver training on a remedial basis. We currently work with firms of all sizes throughout Britain.

We can design a remedial training programme to meet the needs of your business. Furthermore, we can include ongoing CPC training to keep your drivers properly certified as their current certificates expire. This will be an ongoing need from here on out, so consider adding CPC training to what you already offer your drivers.

We agree with Graham Hurdle that regular driver training produces safe drivers. We see it as no different as the training received by a world-class athlete. The more the athlete trains, the stronger he or she becomes in body and mind. Moreover, every training session allows him or her to hone their skills in order to be the best they can be. Driver training is no different.

For all your HGV and PCV driver training needs, we hope you will contact us at the HGV Training Centre. We are ready to get started right away.

Sources:

1. Business Car – http://www.businesscar.co.uk/blogs-and-comment/2014/graham-hurdle-blog-21st-october-would-a-harder-driving-test-result-in-safer-company-drivers-or-less-company-drivers