'Hidden bonuses'
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In
driver training
by A. E. TEER, Road Safety Officer, Schweppes (Home) Ltd.
FOR many years formal driver training has been the privilege of the giants among companies. It has been the prerogative of the lesser fry subsequently to filch the trained men with the lure of bigger pay packets.
Now that the Road Transport Industry Training Board has commenced operations there are signs of a profound change in this attitude. Although this Board does not cater for own-account operators, as and when each Industry Training Board is formed so it will take the RTITB pattern as a guide to its own requirements. The Board will exact a per capita levy, to be returned in the form of grants only if adequate training is provided. This training is intended to cover all grades from office boy to managing director.
When the Ministry of Labour was preparing the Industrial Training Act it openly stated that driver training would be low on the list of priorities and that it did not contemplate anything beyond training novices to MoT test standards. The Association of Industrial Road Safety Officers was quick to point out that only training to advanced standards would provide an adequate return for the money and effort expended, and it is pleasing to note that the RTITB intends to encourage the adoption of higher standards. Furthermore, the forthcoming heavy goods vehicle driver's licence test will demand advanced training techniques and attitudes.
THE REWARDS
Apart altogether from a public duty to ensure that vehicles are driven safely, and the obvious benefit of qualifying for a grant in return for expenditure on training, there are many hidden incentives:— 1. Any improvement in the accident record will result in lower insurance premiums.
2. Fewer accidents means less time off the road for repairs.
3. Even elementary mechanical instruction leads to better vehicle sympathy and improved handling techniques, resulting in a reduction in the number of mechanical defects. One operator who has been giving intensive training for less than a year is already claiming an improvement in miles per gallon and a reduction in brake and tyre wear. A second operator claims that under this heading alone, formerly prevalent selector trouble in semi-automatic gearboxes has completely ceased from his trained drivers.
4. The achievement of higher standards leads to an improvement in driver morale. Such a driver is a better representative and the company image is correspondingly improved.
THE TRAINING COURSE
The training may be divided into two main parts, one of which is the actual driving training and the other, job training.
The basic principles of the first are the same whatever the trade or industry, and whether the vehicle is a light van or a heavy articulated vehicle. The first stage is to master the manipulation of controls to a safe standard, and once this is achieved, driving training again consists of two elements. Part one, which must include elementary mechanical subjects and the basic demands of the law, will be aimed at teaching the actual manipulative skills, such as the ability to start (and stop) without jerks; smooth control of the steering without getting the hands tangled up; emphasis on the importance of constant rear-view mirror observation; the ability to manipulate the gear lever without relying on the synchromesh mechanism; development of speed and distance judgment and—above all—a systematic approach to hazards, i.e. the right choice of course, speed and gear.
An added handling refinement is the provision of skidpan training. In my view this could be the biggest single contribution towards a reduction in the number of bad-weather accidents. Training in expertise on a skidpan should have the objective of getting a driver to recognize all the circumstances which lead to skidding, and for evermore to avoid them.
Unfortunately there is as yet no easily available skidpan capable of taking heavy goods vehicles, although at least one such project is in the offing. A good substitute is to give each pupil a session on one of the car skidpans.
These may be termed the skills of driving, and although it is important to achieve a high standard, it is not as essential as the second part, which may be termed "the attitudes". The right attitude of mind is the one vital factor in advanced driving. All too often a skilful driver finds himself obliged to exercise his skill to extricate himself from a vulnerable position into which his own lack of forethought and planning has placed him.
Most advanced driving test marking forms contain a special heading "reaction to emergencies". If I ever had to complete this with a remark such as "good" or "excellent", I would expect elsewhere to make a corresponding criticism of the driver's lack of forward planning or observation. This is what advanced driving is all about: not merely achieving the fastest time from A to B, but constantly observing and assessing what other drivers are doing or about to do, and never, after the collision, saying "he pulled up without warning" or "he did not give me a signal of his intention to turn". Most intelligent drivers will accept this proposition when seated around the table, but the effect soon wears off. Only when the driver is obliged to live with an instructor and constantly carry out these precepts until they become a regular drill, can they really have a lasting effect.
The scope of job training must vary enormously with the trade. It is very opportune to fit this in on a combined driving and job training course. The daily inspection of the vehicle, fuel, oil, tyres, lights, screen-clean and so on, leads naturally to the security of the load, proper roping and sheeting, security of sack trucks and spare wheels and the checking of the vehicle for accident damage.
There is increasing scope for training in the proper disposition of the load both when loading and unloading in regard to axle weights. There is also the handling of delivery notes and proper completion of drivers' records. Then there are special regulations governing the carrying of dangerous loads, and these, together with the operation of pumps and of the discharge of bulk loads, and off-road operations (particularly in the case of tippers) can all be covered in a suitable course. It is very noticeable that once a driver begins to take a pride in his own driving skills and attitudes, his off-road operations, customer approach, and even his personal appearance, tend to improve in keeping.
THE INSTRUCTOR
Good instructors are not come by easily. They must be sufficiently mature men who have had a lot of practical experience and have acquired a good mechanical knowledge. They should know the law relating to road traffic and have the ability to impart their knowledge in simple terms, without giving offence to drivers of any status, including management. The Home Office-approved police driving schools produce very well trained men in all these respects but they are limited in number. It may be possible to choose a senior driver for the job but he 'must be given instructor training. The RTITB will be training instructors and it is hoped that they will do this on behalf of other Industry Boards.
It is not likely that a full-time instructor would be warranted for a fleet of less than 250 vehicles. Much will depend upon the wastage rate, but on the basis of a 10 per cent wastage and a two-week course of three students at a time, it would take about four years to get through the whole fleet. This is not allowing for a very necessary annual one-day refresher course and the odd conversion course for change of vehicle types. There is plenty of scope for a joint operation between adjacent companies and the savings here will be obvious.
The salary offered must, of course, vary with qualifications and scope of the job, but I visualize a minimum of £1,400 to £1,500 a year. The running cost of a vehicle, including, say, a 6-ton rigid, and all overheads will amount to about another £1,200 per annum.
EQUIPMENT
The vehicle should follow the standard of your own fleet. Because one pupil cannot continually assimilate instruction for more than an hour at a time, it is preferable to have three pupils to one instructor. The pupils are gaining the benefit of the instruction given to all, and the instructor is constantly extended. It would, therefore, be best to adapt the cab to provide four seats.
If the vehicle is to be used solely for instruction and no goods carried, it may possibly be taxed as "private". Insurers should be notified but, of course, they will probably be delighted in any case.
One small classroom will suffice, with the basic equipment of blackboard, chalk and the Highway Code. There is a dearth of good training manuals for commercial vehicles but, used properly. the Highway Code covers most driving situations. True, it over-simplifies all situations and is therefore somewhat difficult to interpret. The police manual Roadcroft goes into much more detail. The RTITB and the MoT both propose to issue manuals in the near future. A film projector can be an asset despite a shortage of commercial vehicle films. A metal blackboard is a useful way to demonstrate driving situations with the aid of magnetic models and, providing they can be obtained without too much effort, cutaway working models do afford good visual mechanical instruction.
SELLING IT TO THE DRIVER
Unless the course is presented in the proper way there may be a little difficulty in getting the older established drivers to volunteer. It should be made a condition of employment for the new employee and the novice, and they will be quick to see that such training can only enhance their own qualifications. The established driver is at once reluctant to accept any loss of bonus or overtime payments and fearful of failure.
The cure for the first is simple enough, and a flat rate, approximating to normal total earnings, should be arranged for the duration of the course. The second fear may be dispelled by proper introduction. The course should be presented as a service which will have lasting benefits to a driver for the rest of his career. It is a training course and not merely a test.
In principle, failure should be regarded as a failure of the instructor and the aim should be 100 per cent passes. Despite this, through physical disability or limited reasoning power, some drivers may not reach the highest grade, perhaps indicating that they are not suitable for a particular type of vehicle, but this should be rare. The course should be preceded by a medical examination, and there are numbers of drivers who have cause to be grateful for the early diagnosis of serious physical defects. There is, of course, a great personal reward once the right attitude of mind is achieved in the removal of uncertainty and tension from driving.
ADVICE AND INFORMATION
Members of the transport industry seeking advice—that is, in general, A licence and p.s.v. operators—may write to the RTITB at Capitol House, Empire Way, Wembley. Own-account operators may also write if they wish, mentioning their own Industrial Training Board.
Any operator is welcome to share the experience of the Association of Industrial Road Safety Officers (of which I am hon. secretary) which has been involved in driver training for many years.