If only all HGV deliveries were like this………
Cool job you might think! Driving an HGV for a living can be rewarding and enjoyable for some. Bear in mind however most of the time it’s long hours and hard work.
Want to find out more about the pro’s and con’s of driving an LGV for a living?
If you still think driving a truck is for you then visit our unique training provider search page. We have the largest network of independent approved commercial training companies on the internet.
HGV, Driver CPC and ADR training is an investment in your future. Like any investment it’s wise to do your research before committing. Asking some basic questions can you save a lot of time and money so we have compiled some basic guidance notes
below to help you find the right Training Provider.
If you can, visit the Providers training center. It’s great to get an idea of what the company is all about. Any reputable training would welcome your visit. If the training company cannot accommodate your visit then ask yourself why? Are they trying to hide something? When it comes to HGV, Driver CPC and ADR training most people don’t want to travel much further than 30-40 miles a day so it’s important to find an HGV, Driver CPC or ADR Training provider close to you.
Your visit need not be a day out or anything. After 3/4 of an hour you should get a feel for the company and know if they are right for you.
To help, here’s a couple of useful questions you could ask:
Different training companies operate different training times and Student ratios. Most tend to deliver HGV training at a ratio of 2:1:1 (two Students, one Instructor and one vehicle). In this instance you should be out in the vehicle all day driving alternately.
Other companies deliver the training at a ratio of 1:1:1 (one Student, one Instructor and one vehicle). Normally in this instance you drive for 4 hours at a time (this may differ between companies).
Most persons attending an initial ADR course will complete the 3.5 day Packaged Goods course (Core, Pack and all classes except 1 and 7), which is 3.5 days in duration from Monday to Thursday.
Adding the Tanker (typical with class 1 drivers) element will add 1.5 days and make the course last 5 days overall. Most ADR training providers have invested in Driver CPC approval meaning attending a 3.5 day ADR can also count as 21 hours Periodic Driver CPC training.
Most if not all Driver CPC periodic course will be 7 hours in duration. Times will vary between each provider but a 9am start and 5pm finish should be a good bet. You may also find some training companies start to deliver Driver CPC over weekends as demand rises
Which option you choose is up to you. Speak to your local Training Provider who will give you further advice.
A well maintained training vehicle is an essential tool in HGV licence acquisition so you should ask any perspective LGV Training Company the following questions:
Bear in mind. HGV training vehicles are Operator Licence exempt. This means the vehicle is legally only required to pass an MOT once a year (same as a car). There is no legal obligation to service and maintain LGV training vehicles.
Training companies that subject there training vehicles to regular maintenance, inspection and service demonstrate investment in vehicle safety and reliability. Would you want to train in a vehicle that is mechanically unsound or likely to break-down?
HGV Training Prices can vary from Provider to Provider and area to area . To minimise your training costs it is always advisable to go direct to your Provider rather than a third party such as a Broker or middleman.
Brokers or middlemen will not tell you they are only facilitators. If they told you this then you would go direct.
Asking the above questions should help you decide what option is best for you
This website only promotes Training Companies that deliver the training themselves and employ DSA/RTITB approved instructors. Find your nearest Training Provider by completing the search form on our Home Page.
With 2011 fast approaching a lot of people are considering a new career path. One which seems to be a popular choice is driving an LGV for a living.
There are many benefits to being a truck Driver. Good salary and career prospects are just a few. But it’s not all about being your own boss and an open road. Far from it. It’s dam hard work.
If you are considering becoming one of 500,000 processional HGV drivers in the UK then check out our pro’s and con’s page.
We give you the low down so you can make an informed choice.
If you still decide truck driving is for you then visit our search page and find a proper training company in your area.
Don’t leave it to chance. Go direct to experts in your area.
Visitors who use our LGV training provider search facility on www.hgvlgvtraining.co.uk to find a provider in their area can be assured that we only list and promote companies that are either Driving Standards Agency (DSA) approved training centres and /or /employ DSA approved Instructors.
All training companies and instructors listed on www.hgvlgvtraining.co.uk have been checked against The DSA LGV Instructor Voluntary Register for verification of qualifications.
The DSA have finally acknowledged what our website is about. To Promote and recognise LGV training companies who elect to achieve DSA approval and go the extra mile.
Strange as it may sound there is no mandatory training qualification to become an LGV driving Instructor. Currently having the relevant LGV licence entitlement for at least 3 years is the only thing needed.
With The DSA LGV Instructor qualification only being voluntary, it’s solely the choice of the training company if they wish to invest in DSA approval or not.
We feel that training companies who invest in a voluntary qualification are those that demonstrate an investment in quality and standards.
When you undergo LGV training wouldn’t you rather train with a company that employs DSA approved Instructors rather than one that doesn’t?
Find your nearest DSA approved training provider with www.hgvlgvtraining.co.uk and get your career of to the perfect start.
If your HGV driving test has been cancelled due to bad weather (recent snow & ice) you may want to click on the video below for advice and information on what to do.
May we also advise you contact your local HGV training provider who will also be able to advice.
From today visitors to www.hgvlgvtraining.co.uk can search for local HGV, Driver CPC and ADR training providers located all over the UK. Visitors simply enter a postcode, town or region, and choose HGV, CPC or ADR training and hey presto the nearest 5 independent approved training providers are listed.
Locations are displayed using a Google maps application. Visitors then choose, click and go direct to reputable, established training providers in their area.
This new search facility finally puts the individual in control of where, how and with whom they complete their training.
Steve Hobson. Editor of Motor Transport: roadtransport.com
Friday 17 December 2010 00:00
The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has begun publishing statistics on the number of drivers completing Driver CPC courses on the Department for Transport (DfT) website.
However, some of the figures make puzzling reading, according to Sean Pargeter, director of training web portal www.hgvlgvtraining.co.uk.
Statistics for the year to September 2010, the first full year when the Driver CPC came in for both passenger carrying and heavy goods vehicle drivers, show that 1,459,914 training hours (the equivalent to 208,000 seven-hour courses) were completed.
But in the 2010/11 year to date (i.e. from October to now) the DSA says 1,379,848 training hours, or 197,000 courses, were completed, a figure Pargeter says looks very high for a period of under three months: “If the figures are correct this is also very encouraging, as this shows maybe the haulage industry is finally getting to grips with the Driver CPC.”
Between September 2009 and 2010, 2,442 HGV drivers completed 35 hours approved training and were issued with driver qualification cards, but a further 2,092 have been issued since October.
The number of initial qualifications completed by new drivers taking their HGV licences combined with Driver CPC in 2009/10 was just 3,075. Pargeter believes there would have been roughly 50,000 people taking HGV tests last year and insists this figure seems very low.
“Approximately 10,000-15,000 of HGV tests would be C+E tests where initial Driver CPC is not required. This still leaves 35,000-40,000 tests. So less than one tenth of new entrants between September 2009 and September 2010 needed, or decided not to take, the initial Driver CPC.
“The low figure can only be attributed to two factors. One: those who already have C1, mainly under grandfather rights, are exempt from the initial qualification; and two: those who are/will be exempt from Driver CPC altogether.”
The DSA statistics also reveal that 972 training centres have been approved to offer Driver CPC courses by approvals body JAUPT, 143 of which gained approval since October.
Pargeter adds: “Going by these figures we have seen a huge increase in Initial and Periodic Driver CPC training and acquisition in the last three months compared to the entire previous year. If these figures are correct then industry should be given a pat on the back. It’s early days but lets hope this trend continues.”
www.hgvlgvtraining.co.uk has a network of over 100 approved training providers across the UK.
Use their unique search facility and go direct to professional providers in your area today.
To view the full statistics click here.
via Driver CPC pass rates are puzzling, says training specialist – 12/17/2010 – Road Transport.
Part of an HGV Drivers’ duties is to carry out a pre-use check on his vehicle.
It’s part of the operator licence requirements. The operator is responsible for ensuring checks are carried out by his driver and the driver is in turn responsible for carrying out the checks.
Failure to carry out and record a pre-use check can affect both the operator’s and driver’s vocational driving licence.
In a recent six month survey conducted by VOSA, it was found that of the PG9 prohibition notices issued in roadside checks, 74% were for obvious faults that should have been detected by the driver in his check. Which begs the question – did the driver do the checks?
When an operator applies for an Operator licence, standard or restricted, he must agree in writing that pre-use vehicle checks will be carried out and faults duly recorded in writing, (one of the undertakings on the GV79 application form).
The pre-use check is intended to identify any faults on the vehicle and ensure it is roadworthy and safe to use. The check is carried out visually at ground-level with no tools and should only be seen as a basic inspection.
Normally, it should take no more than 15 minutes. The check should be recorded, dated and signed by the person carrying out the check. If no faults are identified after checking the vehicle, then ‘no defects’ should be recorded.
If the vehicle has defects and is not safe, it should not be taken out onto the road. Defects should be reported to the appropriate person and be rectified.
The operator should make clear to drivers what defects he may remedy and what should be dealt with by maintenance staff. (For example: Oil to be topped up by drivers or not? Light bulbs to be changed by drivers or not?)
VOSA have indicated that in drivers’ hours checks, they will now be looking for a duty period on charts/digital cards prior to vehicle movement where the driver was carrying out his check.
Movement immediately after chart/card insertion would indicate either no check being performed or no back-recording of duty time prior to insertion.
A guide as to how to carry out a pre-use check can be found on our Driver CPC Module 4 practical test page.
If you need to pass the new Driver CPC module 4 practical knowledge examination then you will be required to carry out a pre-use check.
For further information and training advice please contact one of our approved local training providers..
The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has decided to publish statistics on Driver CPC training.
Driver CPC applies to professional LGV and PCV drivers within the UK. Periodic Driver CPC training means completing 35 hours formal training every 5 years.
That’s an estimated 500,000 drivers for the LGV sector alone (applies to drivers of vehicles over 3.5 tonnes). Broken down that’s approximately 17.5 million training hours. The statistics supplied (pdf. below) gives an indication as to how much training has been completed to date.
Going by the stats provided the commercial transport industry needs to raise its game and get to grips with Driver CPC. Leaving it till the last minute will increase demand and in turn ramp up prices.
www.hgvlgvtraining.co.uk has a network of over 100 approved training providers across the UK.
Use our unique search facility and go direct to professional provider in your area today.
To view the full statistics click here.
The days of filling up your car with fuel are coming to an end. In the green future, all you will need is a three-pin charger. Millions of drivers (including HGV drivers) will be using electric cars in 20 years’ time, experts have predicted.
And those dirty central heating boilers which always seem to break down on the coldest day will also be chucked out. Homes of the future will be warmed by electric heat source pumps which draw heat from the ground or air outside, no matter how cold it is, and circulate it round your rooms. This vision for Britain’s future is published today by the Government’s top environmental advisers.
The Climate Change Committee, set up under the Climate Change Act, is recommending a reduction in carbon emissions of 45% on today’s levels by 2030. To reach that target, it has drawn up plans for the country’s fourth “carbon budget” to run from 2023. By law, this carbon output measure has to be passed by Parliament for every five years up to 2050, when the aim is for an 80% drop.
It will mean big changes to the way we live. The committee envisages more than 12 million electric cars and vans will be running on Britain’s roads by 2030.
Also, HGV lorries and half of all the country’s buses would be powered by hydrogen by then.
That will mean building 25 “green” power plants made up of nuclear, wind farms, both offshore and on land, and coal and gas plants fitted with carbon capture, if the current trials of the technology are successful.
A quarter of the country’s 25 million homes will be kept warm with their own heat source pumps. Smart meters will allow people to control their heating and turn it on and off from their mobile phones when they are out. And there is expected to be a big push to improve insulation in our homes up to 2020 and beyond.
Emissions from industry would be halved, with a quarter of industrial energy coming from renewable sources through biomass and bio gas plants. And big investment in energy efficient buildings, offices and transport links are expected. Committee chairman Lord Adair Turner said: “We are recommending a stretching but realistic fourth carbon budget and 2030 target. Any less ambition would not be compatible with the Climate Change Act.Climate science remains robust and suggests there are very significant risks if we do not cut emissions.”
Committee chief executive David Kennedy said: “We are bringing the future to life. That’s why it is so exciting for us. It is not abstract any more, it is real and has real implications for this Government, which hopes to be the greenest Government ever.”
He denied a green future would mean living a reduced lifestyle. “I don’t think there is a negative story to tell at all on lifestyle,” he argued. “You can have a quality of life that is at least as good as the one we have now in a carbon constrained world.” He said driving electric cars could be “glamorous” – the Nissan Leaf has just been voted European car of the year.
Six out of 10 new cars would be electric by 2030 and drivers would be encouraged to share more to cut the use of vehicles by 5%. There are around 32 million cars on the roads today. Already 80% of car journeys are within the range of electric cars. Those that want to travel further will be able to use plug-in hybrids, which switch to fuel when the battery runs out.
“Is it feasible for many millions of people to have an electric car in two years? No. But as you get further out, as the performance of these cars improves and the range gets longer, the cost of the batteries comes down and then it becomes feasible and we can be a lot more ambitious there,” he said. People would still fly abroad but not take more flights than today.
The committee has produced the plans after examining all the recent controversies on climate science. Its plans would cost around 1% of GDP, which would be about £15billion at today’s prices. The committee also wants a radical overhaul of the energy market, with more central planning, and the government issuing contracts to build de-carbonised power stations guaranteeing electricity prices.
Mr Kennedy said if it was done right, it would not necessarily mean big price hikes for consumers. He pointed out: “The broader benefits are building a green economy with the jobs that involves. It would be a balanced economy so we don’t have to rely on financial services, imported oil and gas and we get environmental benefits from red-uced emissions.” The Government will respond to the committee’s plans early next year.
Climate Secretary Chris Huhne, speaking in Cancun for the UN talks seeking a world climate deal, said: “We know that the status quo will not be enough to cut carbon, which is why we are planning to undertake a comprehensive review of the electricity market, increase home energy efficiency under the Green Deal and create a Green Investment Bank.”
Mr Kennedy insists we all must play our part to reduce world emissions. He explained: “If we want to limit the risks of dangerous climate change, then we don’t have a choice.” But he added: “We don’t have an apocalyptic vision – if we didn’t do it, obviously the world wouldn’t end.”
Thinking of becoming an HGV driver? Then use our unique search engine to find an approved (and green) HGV training provider in your area.
Electric cars prediction in vision of green future – mirror.co.uk.