Jackie makes the grade
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5 nick fanatic Jackie Doughton swapped her wheelchair for a bigger set of wheels when she passed her "Class I" LGV test in Birmingham.
In doing so, she has become the first spina bifida sufferer to qualify to drive a 38-tonne artic. This latest success adds to her CPC which qualifies her to practice as a transport manager. She is currently studying for her HAZCHEM certificate to add to her knowledge of the industry and the movement of hazgoods.
Jackie recognises that she cannot become a professional truck driver but in passing her LGV test says she has "fulfilled a long held personal ambition". To realise it she contacted Volvo Trucks, the only UK manufacturer to offer a tractor unit, the FLU) Geartronic, with automatic gears and no clutch Pedal. "I hope my achievement will act as a spur to others who feel that having spina bifida or being reliant on a wheelclink precludes them from things considered only for the able bodied," says Jackie. "qv