Harry Monk:
I’ve done day 3 of 5 now and it really is doing my head in. I honestly haven’t learned anything at all, apart from what the minor categories on a driving licence mean, such as “lawn mower controlled by a pedestrian” and I’ve forgotten what that was already because I just don’t need to know it, and if I did then I would learn it.
The answer, as shep532 has written, is to write an accurate and factual critique of this hopeless course on the feedback form, which will have to be addressed when the trainer is audited by JAUPT.
There is no reason why an LGV or PCV driver needs to know that category k on their driving licence permits them to use a pedestrian controlled lawnmower - especially as any professional driver who passed their tests in the UK will have this category automatically (you get it with a category B pass, which is a pre-requisite to holding any LGV or PCVÂ categories).
There is good quality DCPC training out there and, despite protestations, good training is always helpful even if it is revising material you already know. An accurate refresher on the drivers’ hours rules, firmly grounded in the EUÂ regulations instead of potentially inaccurate secondary sources is always helpful. The inaccurate statements we see (reported on) these forums show that many drivers do not have a firm grasp of what they are supposed to be doing.
If you choose the right provider, you can incorporate training related to being a professional driver into periodic DCPC - ADR, Moffett, Hiab and, in some cases, CE upgrade training. Some of the eco-safe driving courses, if engaged with in the right frame of mind, could save a lot of money - potentially very important for owner drivers.
The problems seem to come more when drivers look for cheap training “just to get it over with”. That so many trainees and their employers focus on price over everything else has led to badly designed courses being delivered by poorly qualified trainers in bad facilities. However, it has to be stressed that this is what many people have set out to purchase - if you are buying training on price alone and you are going along with the attitude that it’s a waste of time and you’re not going to learn anything, you’re likely to have an unsatisfactory experience.
Caveat emptor (let the buyer beware) - it is your money or your company’s money buying this training. If you have had an unsatisfactory experience, take it up with your Transport Manager if your employer was paying, or the provider if you were paying. The training companies have to have a system for responding to complaints, which is audited. Make use of it!
yeh sorry 1800kg over