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TORONTO — Following a meeting with Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne on the shortage of qualified truck drivers, Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) President David Bradley took the issue to Brad Duguid, Minister of Training Colleges and Universities (MTCU).
According to the OTA, Wynne agreed with Bradley that action should be taken to address the problem of a shortage of qualified truck drivers in Ontario.
One of the ways to address the shortage of skilled, professional drivers is implementing mandatory entry-level driver training, Bradley said. "… (Wynne and I) discussed the fact that in order to operate a heavy truck safely and productively — in other words to be employable — requires a higher level of entry level skills training today than ever before,” Bradley wrote in a letter to Duguid.
Many truck driver training schools provide excellent entry-level training, Bradley explained, but the quality of skills training overall is inconsistent and often inferior “with the standard of training provided predicated on how many dollars the prospective student driver has in their wallet, not what is required to be considered for employment by all but the most irresponsible carriers or driver agencies.”
According to Bradley, much of the low assessment can be attributed to a lack of adequate funding sources, a class A licence test that is too easy to pass, and a multiplicity of standards and curricula. The fact that there are two ministries involved (MTCU and MTO) has created an inconsistent approach, plus there's a general deficit of awareness and buy-in.
What the trucking wants and needs in terms of driver training has been lost, Bradley explained, adding that the trucking industry also “shares in the responsibility for not enunciating its requirements sooner and therefore allowing the current situation to arise.”
“Mandatory entry level training is essential if we are going to address the training quality issues that confront the industry. And, without the industry’s ability to attract young people who are increasingly turning to the trades as a career choice will be severely constrained,” Bradley wrote.
To get the ball rolling, the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA), OTA and the other provincial trucking associations will be starting a proposed three-year project to lay the foundations for mandatory entry-level training. That will include updating the existing National Occupational Standards, supporting curriculum development, and exploring various accreditation models, CTA said.
For many of this country's largest trucking companies, reducing turnover and retaining truck drivers is a primary ingredient to remaining profitable. The professional truck driver labor pool market is the tightest it has been in 20 years, and the turnover rate at large trucking companies exceeds 100%, according to the American Trucking Association.
Recent statistics indicate the long-haul segment of the trucking industry has a national shortage of 20,000 drivers. It predicts the shortage will increase to 111,000 by the year 2014 given the current demographic trends. A severe shortage of drivers could hurt the U.S. economy. Trucks carry more than 75% of domestic goods we consume on a daily basis, and without enough well trained truck drivers to haul the nation's products, consumers will be subject to unexpected delays on those items they both want and need. And if the supply/demand ration continues to result in an ongoing shortage, compensation will continue to rise to find and keep good truck driver talent. As a result, we will all see higher prices in everything we purchase.
The trucking industry admits it has a critical problem and has been focusing on new, creative recruiting strategies to enhance the levels of CDL truck driver applicants, and recruit new people into the industry that keeps our national economy moving. To fill the increased demand CDL truck driving jobs, trucking companies and truck driving schools are appealing to demographic groups, such as women, retirees and husband-wife teams, who traditionally have not fit the trucker stereotype. Women are perhaps the fastest-growing group in the field. Since 2002, when only 5% of the nations truck driving jobs were filled by women, most nationally known truck driving schools are experiencing a 50% growth rate in the number of female applicants as compared to men applying for the same positions.
Another employment pool niche that being tapped into to fill some of the truck driver shortage gap are former factory workers. There are now 2.7 million fewer manufacturing jobs in the USA than there were 10 years ago. With factories expected to do little hiring in coming years, many former workers are seeking a new career. Truck driving jobs give these often displaced workers an opportunity to start a new, productive career.
Often times, Individuals with the ability to retire from 20-25 year careers in manufacturing often take advantage of financial assistance programs offered by the government. The bottom line is the government supplies displaced workers with tuition and free cdl training school opportunities. This is a golden labor pool for trucking companies as many of these new found recruits are dependable, reliable and often times in very good health.
Minorities have also become a favorite recruiting target for trucking companies. Well structured programs are producing strong results. One recent training program sponsored by a Latino community organization tracked their results and found 70% of the 50 students who attended these classes found CDL truck driving jobs earning average annual compensation of $47,580.
Good luck in your truck driver job search. Be patient, persistent, expect good results and you will see positive results far sooner than you think!
If you found this article worthwhile, you will finde several more highly informative career development articles from our staff including essential strategies to consider when choosing the best truck driving schools and understanding the abc's of CDL training requirements to land one of premier, high paying CDL truck driving jobs found at one of the top 8 trucking companies in the USA.
Trucks and truck drivers are a constant presence on US highways and interstates. A person on even the shortest drive is likely to pass by a truck or two transporting goods, and even merchandise that travels by ship, train, or airplane travels on a truck for some phase of the journey to the customer. Because trucks are such a major part of industry, truck driving jobs are important positions and good paying jobs.
Truck drivers have many responsibilities. Before leaving the terminal or warehouse, truck drivers make routine checks of their vehicles, checking fuel and oil levels. They inspect the tires, brakes, and windshield wipers, and make sure that all safety equipment is loaded and functional. They report any problems to the dispatcher, who keeps track of all of these small details. Once they start driving, truck drivers must be constantly alert. They can see quite a long distance along the highway because they sit higher than most other vehicles. This puts them in a position of power on the road, as well as heightened responsibility.
Delivery requirements vary according to the type of merchandise, the driving assignment, and the final destination. Local drivers provide daily service along a specific route, while other drivers must make intercity and interstate deliveries based on specific orders. The driver's responsibilities and salary change based on the time spent on the road, the type of product transported, and vehicle size.
New technologies are revolutionizing the way that truck drivers work. Long distance truck drivers now have satellites and global positioning systems (GPS) to link them with company headquarters. Information, directions, and weather reports can be delivered to the truck instantly no matter where it is. Company headquarters can track the truck's location, fuel consumption, and engine performance. Inventory tracking equipment is now computerized, allowing the producer, warehouse, and customer to all check in on the products on the road. New technology is making truck driving an easier job, as seats become more comfortable, trucks have better ventilation, and cabs are better designed.
Some routes are very, very long, and these usually employ heavy truck or tractor-trailer drivers. On the longest routes, companies will hire two drivers for sleeper runs. Sleeper runs can last from days to weeks and the truck only stops for fuel, food, loading and unloading. The drivers switch off driving and sleeping in the truck.
Truck driving can be a demanding job. Some self-employed long-distance truck drivers who own and operate their own trucks spend most of the year away from home. The government restricts long distance drivers to no more than 60 hours a week as well as requiring 10 hours rest for every 11 hours driving. Many drivers work very close to this max time permitted because they are compensated according to the number of miles or hours they've put in. The difficulty of truck driving is well compensated, which makes it a popular job. In 2002, there were 3.2 million truck drivers.
Many trucking operations have higher standards than the Federal minimum requirements. Drivers are often required to be at least 22 years old, able to lift heavy objects, and have 3-5 years driving experience. Companies want to hire good drivers who work efficiently and cost less to insure. They like drivers who have enrolled in driver-training courses. New drivers might begin on small straight trucks and graduate to larger trucks and finally to tractor-trailers. A few truck drivers advance high enough to become dispatchers, managers, or traffic workers.
Heavy truck and tractor-trailer drivers earned an average of $16 per hour in 2002. The highest 10% of this group earned more than $24 an hour. Driving a truck is a great career with lots of room for promotion and advancement. After moving all the way up the chain of promotion within a company, truck drivers often strike out on their own and open successful transport businesses.
Air Liquide is a major international company and is also a private carrier. This means it maintains its own truck fleet and hires truck drivers. Because Air Liquide is such successful company, driving jobs with Air Liquide are stable, well supported positions. Solo Air Liquide drivers can expect to be home 80-90% of the time and make between $50,000 and $70,000 a year depending on the type of run and work performance. Air Liquide provides benefits like medical and life insurance, performance benefits, ample vacation time, flexible spending accounts, and quarterly profit sharing. As Air Liquide grows and succeeds, so do each of its employees! If you are interested in a truck driving job, you should apply here to drive for Air Liquide. Find out more about Air Liquide!
BEIJING — Like most drivers around the world, Shi Jianfeng did not like to roll down his window at toll booths. In fact, Mr. Shi, a farmer from Henan Province in central China, was so averse to toll collectors, he evaded more than $550,000 in road fees during eight months of highway driving, according to the provincial court that convicted him.
But his punishment, life in prison and a $300,000 fine, has provoked a firestorm in the media and among Chinese who have accused the government of imposing a draconian sentence on a man trying to make ends meet in these inflationary days. “Rape and murder will earn you 15 years in prison but evading road charges will get you life,” said one typically cynical posting on Tianya, a popular message board. “Ours is a miraculous country with peculiar laws.”
Chinese legal scholars said it was the first time toll evasion had earned a scofflaw a life sentence.
There seems to be little dispute that Mr. Shi, who had turned to hauling sand and gravel to make a living, behaved egregiously. He purchased two fake military license plates and other documentation that allowed him and his hired drivers to escape paying tolls on his two trucks during 2,300 trips between May 2008 and January 2009. In announcing the verdict this week, The Dahe Daily suggested that the defendant had accepted his guilt because he declined to appeal. He also did not have a lawyer.
But the financial details of the violations for which Mr. Shi was convicted only served to feed suspicions that he had been railroaded. The toll per truck trip averages more than $200 — a high figure, though truck tolls can go by weight.
But many people noted that his profit during those toll-free days amounted to $30,000. If he had truly evaded $556,000 in road fees, as the police charge, he would have lost more than $520,000 from his trucking business.
The local judiciary was so unnerved by the uproar that it took the unusual step of holding a news conference this week to explain Mr. Shi’s transgressions in detail.
The explanation, however, did little to assuage public anger.
In a commentary he wrote Wednesday in the Beijing News, a lawyer, Xu Mingxuan, said that if the official numbers were to be believed, the greater crime was that Chinese drivers were subjected to exorbitant tolls. “Such figures only highlight the people’s suffering,” he wrote.
With private car ownership soaring in China, the episode seems to have stoked mounting aversion to the tolls that have grown along with the nation’s rapidly expanding highway network. The county has been adding tens of thousands of miles to its highway system, and the vast majority operate with user tolls. A World Bank report in 2007 estimated that mile for mile, Chinese toll rates rivaled those in Germany, where incomes are far more extravagant. One of the capital’s more unpopular highway tolls, for example, is the $1.50 charged for access to the 12-mile highway to Beijing’s international airport. (That roadway’s operators are expected to earn eight times their initial investment, according to government figures.)
Popular aversion to such fees has been inflamed by media reports of freeloading government motorcades and inflated tolls that end up in the pockets of local officials. In 2008, the country’s National Audit Office said that motorists had handed over $2.3 billion at illegally erected tollbooths.
In a commentary on Wednesday, The Yangcheng Evening News in Guangzhou suggested that those who set toll rates, not Mr. Shi, should be punished for onerous fees that added to the ever increasing cost of food and other goods. “Fraud is despicable,” the paper wrote, “but who’s scamming whom?”
The only way to recognize victims of genocide is to engage in an honest debate about the past.
Should regulators cut off student loans for ‘career’ colleges whose graduates can’t pay back their debt?
When the Driver's Certificate of Professional Competence (Driver CPC) was introduced in 2009 it was greeted with cynicism and disdain my many professional drivers. Personally I don't blame them. If all of a sudden the government decided that I needed periodic training in order to continue working as a copy writer, and I'd have to fund this training myself, I'd be furious. One of the main arguments in favour of the driver CPC is that some drivers tend to develop bad habits after gaining their license, and being in control of a truck weighing 40 tonnes or a coach carrying 50 passengers then some of these bad habits really should be ironed out.
For example, how many drivers do you see indicating at the very last minute before turning into a side road? How many times do you see drivers at a roundabout who don't seem to know who has the right of way? How many times have you flicked through the Highway code since you acquired your license? Are you aware of the 29 new rules which were introduced when the highway code was revised in 2007? The way the roads are being used is changing and all drivers, both private and professional need to be aware and alter their standard driving practices accordingly. His is especially important in central London where the congestion charge has led to huge increases in the numbers of cyclists on the roads at peak times.
Maybe CPC training courses would be more widely accepted if they were required for all drivers and not just those who drive large vehicles for a living, as it's not just professional drivers who either pick up bad driving habits, or are not aware of the rights of other road users, such as cyclists and pedestrians. For example, the current highway Code advises drivers to stay behind a cyclist if they are planning to turn left, rather than overtaking the cyclist and turning into their path. This is the single biggest cause of cyclist fatalities on Britain's roads and one of the reasons we see more cyclists 'taking the lane', also known as 'riding in the middle of the road' in built up areas. Many drivers, especially those who passed their driving test many years ago assume that cyclists belong in the gutter, but this simply is not the case.
It's issues such as this which makes driver CPC courses necessary. The roads are evolving, becoming more congested and there is always going to be a situation which one has yet to come across. For example, have you ever realised that your vehicle has started aquaplaning in torrential rain? Do you know what to do in such an event? Do you even know what aquaplaning is? If the answer is 'no' on all accounts then it's issues such as this which driver CPC training courses aim to address. I agree that CPC courses are a bone of contention for many drivers; being an added expense and 35 hours out of their life every 5 years. However the reason's behind driver CPC courses are sound and have all the right intentions. If only they were for all drivers and free of charge, then they'd probably be welcomed more widely.
Carl Liver
For Information on CPC Training courses, then make sure to visit us and we can provide you with all the information of CPC courses.
Truck driver health is an important issue that seldom receives the media attention that it deserves. We are all familiar with the health problems that many drivers face, all due to the trucking lifestyle.
When you dig a little deeper, you will discover that most of these health issues can be attributed to one single factor: stress. Dig even more, and you will find that truck driver health problems can be brought on by something as seemingly simple as a change or revision within a particular regulation.
Serious thought should be given by the FMCSA on the possible health risks that drivers may experience when a new regulation is being considered, such as the proposed hours of service (HOS) change. We are all well informed on the various categories of illnesses that the trucking lifestyle brings, but one really only needs to look at one single element, the stress factor.
Clinical research has shown that stress causes as much as sixty to ninety percent of all illnesses. The professional driver is already surrounded by a very stressful environment and perhaps the number one focus of any driver is finances. When regulations are imposed that can cut into the drivers’ ability to earn a living, financial stress and worry can lead to serious health complications.
Stress has been shown to be directly related to physical complications such as:
High Blood PressureDiabetesSleep DisordersHeart DiseaseEating DisordersObesityStress is also the determining factor in other health issues including : chronic unexplained pain, ulcers, heartburn, increased asthma attacks, migraines, Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Autoimmune Diseases. Nearly all of the health complications that are seen in the professional trucker can be directly linked to stress, and women truck drivers are also not immune to its effects.
Stress in women can lead to health issues including:
Eating disorders such as Anorexia and Bulimia which are 10 times more common in women than in menStomach ailments such as cramps, bloating, heartburn and IBS which can lead to weight loss or gainEmotional conditions including depression which strikes women twice as often as their male counterpartsSleep problems including insomniaDifficulty in concentrationLowered immune responseThe effects of stress on women can have even further health complications such as changes in menstrual patterns, skin reactions including rashes and hives, infertility and even cancer of the breast and ovaries. An entire array of illnesses and health problems, many associated with the professional truck driver and all brought on by stress.
As I receive many emails from drivers who are concerned with the impending HOS rule change, I find that they all have one aspect in common . . . all are worried about the financial stress that the new regulation will place on them. Will they be able to get enough miles to pay their bills and support their loved ones? This is the common denominator that I am finding in the emails and phone calls received by long haul truckers across the country.
Trucking regulations that overlap others, such as the HOS rules, speed limiters and EOBR’s, can only enhance the level of stress in truck drivers who are already fighting against low miles and cheap freight. Regulations, even with good intentions, for many drivers will turn out adding to the already serious health issue that drivers’ face.
For the FMCSA, it can appear to only be a simple change or revision to the hours of service rule . . . for the professional truck driver, it can be a direct assault to their livelihood and one that could lead to further health problems all brought on by a scientifically proven killer called stress.
© 2011, AskTheTrucker. All rights reserved.
: FMCSA, health, hos, HOS rule change, hours of service, stress, truck driver, truck driver health, trucking, trucking regulation, women stressTagged with: FMCSA • health • hos • HOS rule change • hours of service • stress • truck driver • truck driver health • trucking • trucking regulation • women stress
Filed under: FMCSA • Jobs and Careers • Safety • Truck Driving Jobs • Truckers Health • Woman Truckers • otr trucking • trucking • trucking life
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CDL TrainingWhat has always been termed as a truck driver shortage, is now being referred to as a shortage of qualified drivers. It is a manipulation of words in order to achieve the success of a particular agenda. A shortage of truck drivers has never existed, nor does it exist today. So what is the agenda this time and what exactly does “qualified” mean?
Whenever there is a shortage within any kind of vocation, pay normally will rise in order to offset the shortage. Truck driver pay continues to remain stagnate and has virtually remained the same for decades.
While looking through a 1993 edition of Overdrive Magazine, a company was advertising starting pay at .38 cents per mile. I checked out their website today, in 2011 and they are showing their starting pay at .38 CPM. In 18 years, their beginning pay has not changed. To claim that there is a truck driver shortage, with no pay increase incentive ever being enacted, is a contradictory of terms.
Regulations push drivers away
As a series of new rules and regulations are imposed by the FMCSA such as the CSA, PSP’s, EOBR’s, HOS rule changes and the possibility of OBMS’s, truckers have never been more regulated and many seasoned, veteran drivers are calling it quits. Still, thousands of unemployed workers are turning to trucking as a career after being told by company recruiters and CDL schools that they can make $50,000 per year. During a time of a lengthy recession, when millions have lost their jobs, the promise of a high-paying career is hard to ignore. Too many are lured into an industry which averages $32,000 per year for an experienced driver and are never told about the true realities of OTR trucking.
Moving away from a negative term of a truck driver shortage, the trucking industry is now using “qualified” as their chosen word. This new terminology has been brought about due to the CSA. Qualified now stands for a driver who has no crash or serious violation history, reference the PSP (Pre-Employment Screening Program). For years, professional truck drivers have been pushed by their company to get the load picked up and delivered. Violate HOS rules, run double logs, average 3-5 hours of sleep per day . . . do whatever it takes to move the freight; and the drivers’ got the job done. Now, these same drivers are being terminated by the very companies that pushed them into this performance.
Many trucking companies with these drivers who have accumulated violation points for doing what they were told, are being terminated and replaced with new drivers. Through the CSA, these new truck drivers will not have a three and five year look back, no points or violations on their driving records and this gives the illusion of a better BASIC safety score for the motor carrier. In this industry, never believe that there is any loyalty from the company to its drivers.
NAFTA is best alternative to lower pay
Could there be another agenda as to why NAFTA is being pushed so hard by the industry? It is well known that before an industry can recruit and hire those with H2-B visas to work in the United States, that the industry must show that there is a need for these new workers. Among the requirements, an industry must:
Establish that its need for the prospective worker’s services or labor is temporary, regardless of whether the underlying job can be described as permanent or temporary;Must demonstrate that there are not sufficient U. S. workers who are able, willing, qualified, and available to do the temporary work and . . .Must show that the employment of H-2B workers will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed U. S. workersThe Comprehensive Safety Analysis provides the trucking industry with the reason it needs to use the term “shortage of qualified drivers“. Experienced American drivers who are now being pushed out by the motor carriers who allowed them to run illegal in the first place, can now say that they can not find qualified drivers; “qualified” as it pertains to the CSA.
Forcing out experienced, seasoned long haul truck drivers who demand a higher pay scale and replacing them with foreign drivers who will accept lower wages . . . this is the agenda of the industry. If the fear of a lack of qualified drivers were true, then why is the industry not restructuring their CDL training programs in order to produce safer drivers? Why is the FMCSA not addressing the CDL training problem? To create safer highways, you must produce safer drivers. If the industry was really concerned about a shortage of qualified truck drivers in the U. S. , then CDL training standards would be implemented.
The terrible tragedy which involved the CRST truck in Wyoming is only a reminder of the poor truck driver training standards that exist in this country. Blame can not be placed on the CRST trainer who was sleeping in the bunk at the time of the crash. When a person is fatigued and tired, the body must sleep. One can only go so long before the body will shut down on its own. The problem is not with the trainer, but with the training standards of the particular motor carrier, which is established by the industry.
There are starter companies which will allow a driver to become a trainer with as little as three to six months experience, yet the FMCSA ignores this serious safety issue. Through out the statistics found in the Trucks Involved in Fatal Accidents file (TIFA), there are no stats correlating fatal truck crashes associated with new driver trainees. There should be.
Standards must be established to where the trainer and student remain awake and active together during the entire training process. Both trainee and trainer must be allowed to stop and sleep during the same period of time.
The trucking industry, for too long, has treated drivers like they themselves were machines. A driver trainer has a larger degree of mental and physical responsibility placed on them and when the body reaches it maximum capability, the trainer will have no other option but to sleep and receive the rest needed.
Regardless of the fact that many trainees and trainers make it through the process without incident, the tragedy in Wyoming is a reminder that one senseless death is one too many and that these types of accidents will continue until stronger CDL training standards are established within the industry and safety becomes the true agenda.
© 2011, AskTheTrucker. All rights reserved.
: basic safety score, cdl training, CSA, driver psp, FMCSA, motor carrier, Safety, truck driver, truck driver shortage, truckingTagged with: basic safety score • cdl training • CSA • driver psp • FMCSA • motor carrier • Safety • truck driver • truck driver shortage • trucking
Filed under: FMCSA • Jobs and Careers • Politics • Safety • Truck Driving Jobs • otr trucking • truck driving schools • trucking • trucking companies • trucking life
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Driving a truck to long distances carrying tons of loads seems to be a tough job but if you get to know that truck drivers can earn a salary up to six figures annually then your perspective for the profession might change. Yes, it is true. Truck driver salary is one aspect that makes this profession appealing and lucrative for candidates.
We see commercial vehicles running around on highways throughout the country and behind each ones wheel is sitting the trained driver who takes care of his and everybody's safety. Most of the times a truck driver salary is based upon the amount of experience one has, number of miles traveled, what is being hauled and of course the company one is working with.
Maneuvering a commercial rig on road can make you earn up to $100,000 annually. And this figure salary can easily be made by only having a high school diploma, clean driving record, passing a class, A driving test and extensive on-road experience. With this fact it is clear that a truck driver can earn more than what a college graduate can. This observation is now attracting many college graduates who find trucking jobs financially rewarding and interesting as they get to travel around country.
Unlike other professions salary of a truck driver increases with increase in ones experience on-road. Greater the amount of knowledge one possess about the vehicle he is driving including brakes, gears, etc. more will be his salary. Moreover, through his trucking experience if the driver knows how to fix minor mechanic faults while on-road and how to prevent a load shift by correctly loading the cargo, he is bound to receive a raised salary than average. Additionally, safety measures he takes while riving, clean and stable driving record and his flexibility towards work all add up to a promising salary.
Sometimes truck drivers have to get strategic if they wish to make more money. For instance they can buy their own trucks and start on with leasing their trucks. This way, with years of good experience and knowledge of the business, one can become self employed and end up making more money. Another example could be that one may team up with other truckers. Teaming up will give them an edge over other drivers as they can deliver goods faster, well on time and hence, get more orders.
Trucking industry has great opportunities in store for drivers who are willing to pursue long hour traveling and delivering job away from their families. Benefits are many and the most appealing one is having a financially secured life. Numerous jobs are available in the market the need is for you to search and grab the right one for yourself.
To learn more about CDL training and the process of getting a CDL license, visit this top online resource at CDLTrainingCenter.Org
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By the 10th of September 2014 in the United Kingdom most existing and new professional Large Goods Vehicle (L.G.V) drivers will by law, be required to have completed an extra 35 hours of vocational training. (The Driver CPC EU Directive 2003) This is known as The Vehicle Drivers Certificate of Professional Competence or "Driver CPC". On completion drivers will then be required to renew this training on a 5 yearly cycle.
To comply with the act drivers will have to complete a Driver CPC Course. This will consist of five seven hour training sessions which can only be delivered by an approved instructor and registered training centre. The governing body responsible for Driver CPC Training is The Joint Approvals Unit for Periodic Training (J.A.U.P.T.) who are in turn responsable to The Driving Standards Agency in Great Britain (D.S.A) and The Driver and Vehicle Agency in Northern Ireland.
J.A.U.P.T monitors Training Centres and Trainers to make sure that training is given to the highest standard. Before a trainer can present a course (7 hours of instruction) they must prove their professional ability to train and have a high level of subject knowledge. All courses are vetted and approved by J.A.U.P.T before they get presented to drivers, further to this each course gets rechecked by J.A.U.P.T. annually. This ensures that the course content and the trainers are up to date with changes in Law and Industry Best Practice.
Many drivers when introduced to the idea of ongoing vocational training are naturally sceptical and wonder what they can learn from it. A typical drivers comment is "I've been on the road for 30 years what can you tell me about the job". Well this driver is perfect for Periodic Training, he most likely has not had any formal training for the entire of that 30 years and whilst his knowledge of the road and his ability to drive will be first class he might be lacking in his understanding of Road Transport Law and often is unaware of Best Working Practices within the industry.
Periodic Training's purpose is to refresh the knowledge of drivers by confirming and expanding existing knowledge and to update them on changes in Legislation and Best Working Practices. Depending on the course content, training is delivered in a classrooms or "on the road". An example of a typical training courses is "Drivers Hours & Tachograph's" (A "tachograph" is an in truck recording device that monitors speed and time. Fitting of this device into trucks and busses is a legal requirement in the EU) This course will most likely be delivered in a classroom. The Course presenter will use a variety of delivery techniques including PowerPoint, flip charts and demonstration units. Another example is a course on "Economical Driving" this might contain green environment related content as well as the monetary cost of delivering the goods and could contain both on road and classroom instruction
In conclusion this form of training can only lead to safer roads with fewer accidents and a higher standard of professionalism from L.G.V drivers. Bus and Coach drivers (PSV) are also required to hold a Driver CPC with very similar rules however PSV drivers need to complete by 10th September 2013 that's one year earlier than L.G.V Drivers.
Leadus Ltd Transport Training http://www.leadus-transport-training.co.uk/ are based in Basingstoke Hampshire, we are happy to travel to most areas in the south of England. We are specialises in group based Driver CPC Periodic Training. Driver CPC Training can take place at your own premises providing you have a suitable room or we can provide a training room for you. All of our training courses are JAUPT approved. http://www.drivercpc-periodictraining.org/en/.
Why not send us an email inquiry info@leadus-transport-training.co.uk and see what we can do to help your drivers stay safe and legal on and off the road.
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While large carriers are likely to find 2011 a challenging yet lucrative year, they should keep an eye out for their smaller brethren. That?s because an influential survey indicates that small fleets [under $25 million revenue] -- which provide a large chunk of capacity? are ?vulnerable to a sluggish economy and increased fuel prices? unless they get rate relief ?quickly and broadly.? In addition, the same study shows carriers of all sizes are very concerned about securing enough drivers and owner-operators.
According to Transport Capital Partners, LLC (TCP), which handles transportation M&A as well as capital sourcing and offers advisory services, its latest Business Expectation Survey hasfound that ?both drivers and independent contractors (IC) are on carriers' minds.? About three-fourths of the fleets responding to the survey use owner-operators..
Of these fleets, 57% saw their IC counts remaining steady, about 29% are using various means to recruit and finance fleet additions, and the balance are seeing declining numbers. ?Lease purchase plans by one in ten fleets are popular along with ICs who finance elsewhere or [using] a combination of methods to attract contractors,? said TCP partner Richard Mikes.
?With credit conditions expected to remain the same over the next year, it is understandable that carriers are interested in building IC numbers as both a source of drivers and capital," pointed out TCP partner Lana Batts.
The respondents also clearly indicated they are ramping up their driver recruitment efforts, both to prepare for the expected rise in freight volumes next year but also as something of a hedge to help blunt the anticipated painful impact of the new federal CSAA safety rules on the ranks of existing drivers.
?Over three-fourths of the responding carriers indicated that they are recruiting for driver openings that represent zero to ten percent of their driver force,? per the TCP report. The firm said this response reinforces expected increases in freight over the year ahead while slightly more than one in six are recruiting for 11-20% of their driver force. ?The uncertainty about the impact of CSA 2010 maybe accelerating recruiting efforts,? noted Batts.
Another key question queried asked about plans to raise driver wages in 2011. Two-thirds of the respondents expect to see increases of zero to five percent.
?Even with a weak economy approaching 10% unemployment, this increase affirms an underlying capacity constraint,? pointed out Mikes. ?Only 20% expect driver wages to be flat.?
The survey also asked carriers if they?ve given any consideration to leaving the field or liquidating their operations. For the second quarter in a row, those replying ?yes? rose slightly to 18%.
When broken down by carriers above and below the threshold of $25 million in revenue, the smaller fleets that said ?yes? were at 25% compared to only 10% of the larger ones, TCP pointed out.
Both Batts and Mikes cautioned that ?in general, carriers under $25 million are less optimistic on volumes, rates, and credit availability. This indicates a sizable portion of carrier capacity may be vulnerable to a sluggish economy and increased fuel prices unless rates increase quickly and broadly.?
