HGV Training Blog

IAM responds to campaign for European legislation on improving blind spots

Following the campaign for a new European law to improve HGV safety the Institute of Advanced Motoring (IAM) has called on cyclists to use common sense around HGVs.

Team GB cyclist Rebecca Romero backed the campaign to get MEPs to consider a written declaration on HGV safety, which proposed that new trucks should be fitted with the latest blind spot equipment to improve the safety of cyclists. Around 400 people are killed every year as a result of HGV blind spots, with cyclists among the most at risk groups.

Duncan Pickering, IAM cycling development manager, said: “While any move to improve the safety of cyclists on our roads is a good thing, it is important that we don’t forget that cyclists also have a big part to play in their own safety.

“Prevention is better than cure, and cyclists should never pull up on the nearside of larger vehicles such as HGVs, especially when the larger vehicle is likely to turn left. These vehicles have different turning paths to cars, and the cyclist could quickly find themselves running out of space.

“We also advise cyclists to position themselves at least a metre from the kerb when moving, to improve their visibility to other road users, and to give more space to avoid drain covers and potholes.”

‘HGV safety is cyclist responsibility too’ | Bicycle Business | BikeBiz.

The government has been called upon to give hauliers more incentives to invest in environmentally-friendly heavy goods vehicle (HGV) upgrades.

Industry body the Freight Transport Association (FTA) has noted that green truck innovations are “not inexpensive” and currently remain a commercial risk to drivers due to their untested nature.

Simon Chapman, the FTA’s chief economist, stated that companies should be incentivised to make this switch, as well as highlighting the need for a robust infrastructure to support these vehicles.

“Trucks are an anywhere, anytime service and depend upon a comprehensive refuelling infrastructure on the road network,” he explained.

His comments come as part of the FTA’s submission to the Treasury ahead of the March budget, which also recommends the cancellation of planned fuel duty increases in April 2011.

Earlier this month, the organisation launched a new satnav system that has been designed specifically for use by hauliers, in order to help drivers avoid being directed down inappropriate routes.

www.hgvlgvtraining.co.uk is delighted to welcome London based HGV and Driver CPC training company, Traindrive LGV Training Services to the HGVLGV Training Network.

“Traindrive” is a professional L.G.V. training school, specialising in, and dedicated to providing the very best training in category C (class 2 – rigid) and category C + E (class 1 – articulated) vehicles. They provide personal tuition, individually tailored, to ensure that you are completely confident, not only in passing the necessary test, but also in knowing that you can ‘hold your own’ in the L.G.V. driving profession.

Traindrive want you to be able to manage even the most awkward situation with assurance! Traindrive” offers extremely competitive rates and an extremely good first time test pass rate

With over 22 years training experience you can be assured of quality service and expert tuition from Barry Hughes and his team at Traindrive LGV Training Services.

Job vacancies in the transport sector have bucked unemployment trends, according to Skills for Logistics SfL, which says there were increased opportunities in many job categories during January.

HGV driver vacancies for the month were almost double that of January 2010, at 11,341 compared with 5,432.Van driver vacancies also increased by 45% to 5,288; stevedores, dockers and slingers by more than 200% to 171 and transport and distribution manager vacancies increased by 26% to 106.

However, there were reductions in the number of vacancies for purchasing managers, storage and warehousing managers and importers/exporters.
SfL head of intelligence Dr Ross Moloney says the figures are “good news for the economy – they suggest that, despite the seemingly poor employment scene, there is positive activity and movement of goods and services”.

SfL chief executive Dr Mick Jackson adds that the sector skills council has also seen a fall of around 26,000 in the number of ex-logistics employees claiming job seekers allowance. Back in October HGV driver vacancies hit a three-year high peaking at 25,720.

via HGV driver vacancies hit 11,000 in January, says SfL – 2/25/2011 – Road Transport.

Thinking of a career as an HGV Driver? Before you can earn you gotta learn. Find an approved HGV training provider in your area.

HGV Training company websites that misslead can now be reported to the Advertising Standards Authority ASA.

As from March 1st, the remit of the Advertising Standards Authority ASA has been extended significantly to deliver more comprehensive consumer protection online.
The ASA present remit online includes paid-for ads such as pop-ups and banner ads and sales promotions wherever they appear.
Since March 1st, the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing the CAP Code applies in full to marketing messages online, including the rules relating to misleading advertising, social responsibility and the protection of children.

Journalistic and editorial content and material related to causes and ideas – except those that are direct solicitations of donations for fund-raising – are excluded from the remit.

The new remit will ensure the same high standards as in other media and will cover:

Advertisers’ own marketing messages on their own websites
Marketing communications in other non-paid-for space under the advertiser’s control, such as social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter
Marketing communications on all UK websites, regardless of sector, type of businesses or size of organisation.

Anyone who is concerned about a marketing message within a website can contact the ASA in the usual way.
For more information on the extended remit, read the Landmark agreement extends ASA’s digital remit article.
via New online remit – Advertising Standards Authority.

www.hgvlgvtraining.co.uk was created to tell new entrants “how it is” in the HGV training industry. No hype or bull. Just facts. The simple fcat of the the matter is, if something sounds too good to be true it normally is.

A TEENAGER from Yorkshire has shown how driven he is – by becoming the country’s youngest HGV driver.

Mark Hostick, from Woodmansey, near Beverley passed his HGV test just four days after his 18th birthday.

Mark, who can already drive a moped, car, forklift truck and a tractor, is now aiming to try and beat the record set by Josh Fayle of North Yorkshire who passed both the class two test and the class one test, which allows him to drive a lorry and trailer, within 28 days.

Mark, who works for his family’s driving school Welwyn LGV, said: “I’ve been brought up around vehicles and I’ve always liked physically driving things. I had my birthday on the Sunday, the theory test on Monday, a four-hour lesson on Tuesday, another one on Wednesday and my test on Thursday morning.

“If I can do something I will. I did my moped test on my 16th birthday, my tractor and forklift a week later and my car test as soon as I was 17. “Mark’s driving instructor Duncan Garwell said Mark would be hard to beat: “Mark has been driving round in a tractor on the farm since he was knee-high to a grasshopper
but when I took him out on the road he was exactly like any other learner. He wasn’t prepared for the onslaught of other drivers.

“He’ll be almost impossible to beat because you can’t do your test till you do your theory test, then you have to do on average 16 hours training and get a test date and squeeze that all in. “He’s a really good listener. When you tell him stuff he takes it on board.

“Mark, who works in the office at the school, is aiming to become a Driving Standards Agency-registered instructor. The legal age for people wanting to be an HGV driver was lowered in 2009 from 21 to 18.Mark, who is now eagerly waiting for his licence to turn up in the post so he can take the class one test,
said he’d be “ecstatic” if he surpassed Mr Fayle’s record.

But the 18-year-old said he isn’t tempted – yet – to take up flying or navigating a boat: “I’m a grounded person,” he explained.

via
Driven teenager passes HGV test at 18 – Local stories – Yorkshire Post.

From early 2011, a new law will mean that the registered keeper of a vehicle must keep it insured unless they’ve made a SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification). If you’re not insured and haven’t made a SORN, you could face a penalty. Find out what the change in the law means for you.

The new vehicle insurance law – don’t be caught out

Stay insured – stay legal

* Stay insured

In early 2011, the vehicle insurance law will change.

If you’re the registered keeper of a vehicle, it must be insured at all times.

The only exceptions are:

* if you have made a SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) for the vehicle

* vehicles that have been kept off-road since before SORN came into force on 31 January 1998 – unless they are brought back into use

Could you be breaking the law?

If you’re not using your vehicle, you should make a SORN. If you are using it, it must be insured.

The change in the law means that you won’t be able to temporarily take a vehicle off the road and cancel your insurance, unless you make the vehicle SORN at the same time.

If you’re not using your vehicle, you should make a SORN. If you are using it, it must be insured.

How does this affect a vehicle used only in the summer?

If you have a vehicle that is not insured, but which is still taxed you could face a penalty. This includes motor caravans, motorbikes and classic cars – all vehicles that people sometimes leave uninsured for part of the year.

What if you have a personalised registration on your vehicle?

You should inform your insurance company if you change the registration number of your vehicle at any time. If you do not you could receive an IAL letter to say your vehicle is not shown as insured.

* Personalised reg and number plates

Where does the new law apply?

The new law will apply in England, Scotland and Wales. It will not apply in Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

Does this change affect the Off Road Register?

Off road bikes and construction machinery on the Off Road Register are not affected by the change in the law unless they are registered for use on the public road.

Are classic cars affected?

The change in law will affect your classic car if it’s taxed but not insured. If you have a vehicle that was manufactured before 01 January 1973 that has a ‘nil value’ tax disc, it is still considered by DVLA as taxed. So, you should make a SORN if it’s uninsured and keep it off the road.

How does this affect pre-SORN vehicles?

Vehicles which have been kept off-road since before SORN came into force on 31 January 1998 are exempt from this law unless they are brought back into use. If you want to bring the vehicle back into use, you will need to tax and insure it. Follow the link below to do this.

* Apply for a tax disc online Opens new window

Avoid a penalty or prosecution – check your details now

DVLA records will be compared with the details of vehicles on the Motor Insurance Database (MID) – the UK’s central record of vehicle insurance. The details of all insured vehicles should be on the MID.

You can check that your motor insurance details are on the database and are correct by following the link below.

If the details aren’t correct, or are not on the database at all, you should contact your insurer immediately, as only they can update the MID’s information.

Check your vehicle is insured – askMID Check the Motor Insurance Database now Opens new window

What will happen if your vehicle doesn’t have insurance

If a vehicle does not have insurance, the registered keeper of it could:

* receive a fixed penalty of £100

* have their vehicle wheel-clamped, impounded, or destroyed

* face a court prosecution, with a possible maximum penalty of £1000

An Insurance Advisory Letter (IAL) will be sent to inform the registered keeper of a vehicle that appears to have no insurance. It advises the keeper what actions to take to avoid receiving a Fixed Penalty Notice.

Get the best deal

You can get expert tips and advice on reducing your insurance costs from the Stay Insured website. Follow the link below to find out more.

* Ways to save on insurance – tips from askMID Opens new window

Why would someone receive a letter about a vehicle they don’t own any more?

If you have sold or scrapped your vehicle, you need to make sure that DVLA know that you

via Stay insured: new penalties for vehicles without motor insurance : Directgov – Motoring.

A significant number of HGV drivers who have taken their test since September 2009 are breaking the law, as they do not have the necessary initial Driver CPC qualification, and it would also appear VOSA is turning a blind eye to enforcement, according to Sean Pargeter, owner of training website www.hgvlgvtraining.co.uk

Using figures obtained from the Driver Standards Agency (DSA) under the Freedom of Information Act, Pargeter warns that thousands of drivers are driving illegally as they have not obtained their Initial Driver CPC qualification.

Yet in the 12 months to September 2010, VOSA only issued three fixed penalty notices to drivers for failing to hold an initial Driver CPC qualification card.

From 10 September 2009, EU Directive 2003/59 requires all new entrants drivers obtaining an HGV licence cat C1 and C, who wish to drive professionally, must have obtained the Driver CPC initial qualification.

However, the number of Initial Driver CPC qualifications attained by new drivers in the year to September 2010 was just 3,075, and Pargeter points out there would have been roughly 50,000 people taking HGV tests in that 12-month period.

“Around 10,000-15,000 would be C+E tests and the initial Driver CPC is not relevant or required,” he says. “This still leaves 35,000-40,000 tests, so less than one 10th of new entrants between September 2009 and September 2010 took the initial driver CPC.”

“Even allowing for the fact that some drivers will be exempt from Initial Driver CPC [because they already have C1 or are exempt under Driver CPC rules] that still leaves a large number who need it but don’t have it. Going by these figures I would estimate that there must be 5,000 to 10,000 new HGV drivers who are working illegally”.

“A VOSA spokesman said that the agency’s approach was to focus on educating drivers and ensuring that the rules are understood.”As you would expect, very few encounters are with new entrants at this stage. The vast majority are with existing licence holders.”

via VOSA accused of not enforcing initial Driver CPC – 2/16/2011 – Road Transport.

The Operator CPC, OCR pre-released case study (for the March 4th examination) is now available to download.

The pre-leased case study is for the Module 4 CPC case study examination which takes place 4 times a year (March, June, September and December.)
Sufficient preparation is required to achieve CPC success.

For more information on Operator CPC, visit our CPC resources page.

Most learning providers listed on www.hgvlgvtraining.co.uk can assist you with Driver or Operator CPC training.

Recent statistics published show what appears to be a distinct lack of persons acquiring the initial Driver CPC qualification (Modules 1,2,3 and 4.)
New Professional LGV Drivers (acquired C1, C1E or C after 10/09/2009), who are not exempt from requiring Driver CPC must be in possession of a Driver CPC Qualification Card (DCPCDQC), Whilst driving professionally.

Having The Initial Driver CPC qualification is an important legal requirement as (not having) it affects both the driver and operator (employer.)
Drivers who are found not to be in possession of a valid Driver CPC may be dealt with by VOSA by way of a graduated fixed penalty notice (issued at the roadside.)

It is also important operators are up to date with The Initial Driver CPC as it is an offence to cause or permit a person to drive a vehicle (over 3.5 tonnes) without the required training and qualification (Initial Driver CPC.)

Any offences committed by a company or its drivers against the new rules will be recorded by VOSA, and could result in the Operator being bought before The Traffic Commissioner by way of a public enquiry. Driver CPC offences will also count towards the operators overall a OCRS score.

VOSA Driver CPC enforcement references can be found in The “VEHICLE AND OPERATOR SERVICES AGENCY Enforcement Sanctions” policy document.

If you need Driver CPC training we advise you contact an approved independent training provider in your area.