Van Driver Accosted by Masked Men

For the second time in little over a week, masked men accosted a van driver in Northern Ireland in order to drive a suspicious package to a local police station. The man was delivering food to the Creggen area of Derry when the unidentified men approached him.

Police say the men ordered the driver to take the package to the nearby Strand Road police station. However, he abandoned the van and managed to escape on foot. Police confiscated the van as part of their investigation.

Last week a female bus driver experienced a similar ordeal originating in the Ballymagroarty area of Derry. Reports say a masked man boarded the bus, placed what he said was a bomb behind the driver’s seat, ordered the 10 passengers off the vehicle, and then told the woman to drive the bomb to the same local police station before fleeing on foot. The man claimed to be a member of the IRA.

Police are asking for help in identifying the suspects in both cases. So far, there appear to be no definitive leads or suspects. Police are urging van drivers to be extra cautious in Derry until the suspects are apprehended.

Van Driving Statistically Safe

While we thought it important to report on this story, we also want to encourage drivers not to panic unnecessarily. As a career, van driving is statistically safe in just about every aspect. These types of incidents are certainly not the norm.

With proper van driving training, you could land a job with a number of companies who use the smaller commercial vehicles for local deliveries. It is a career that offers both a decent living and long-term stability thanks to a steadily improving UK economy.

At the HGV Training Centre, we provide comprehensive commercial driving training for a number of classes of vehicles. The type of licence you need depends on the vehicle you will be driving. We can tell you just what the requirements are when you contact us. Van driving training is just one of the many options you have when you train with us.

The HGV Training Centre uses a fast-paced approach that quickly and thoroughly prepares our drivers to pass their tests the first time. We instruct our drivers in all areas of highway safety, hazard avoidance, vehicle inspection, and so on. When a student graduates from our classes, he or she is more than prepared to enter the workplace as a professional driver.

We also offer training to corporate clients as well. We work with companies of all sizes to provide new driver training, remedial training, and CPC training and certification. Moreover, with more than 45 locations throughout the UK, there is one close enough to your business to meet all of your training needs.

It is our hope that the local authorities in Derry, Northern Ireland quickly apprehend the suspects in both of the recent incidents. In the meantime, we join them in encouraging the van drivers to be extra cautious.