Fleet Training
Fleet TrainingWHAT IS FLEET TRAINING?
Fleet Training is designed to enhance the skills of company drivers and can be used as a management tool to mitigate liability in the event of a road traffic accident involving a company vehicle or private vehicle being used on company business. Most companies having a fleet of vehicles will alredy have some sort of road risk policy in place covering such things as smoking in company vehicles and the use of mobile phones whilst driving. Although a good start, on its own this is not enough to satisfy the Health and Safety at Work requirements.
Our Fleet Training services can offer companies large or small cost effective ways to help mitigate their liability under the act.
The Health and Safety at Work Act
There has been a very important but largely unreported change to the Health and Safety at Work Act. (Driving for work)
Did you know that in October 2008 Royal Ascent was given to the Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008? This Act comes into force 16 January 2009
The act increases maximum fines from £5,000 to £20,000 and also allows prison sentences of up to a year for breaches of this legislation. Prison sentences can now be handed down to the person responsible for H&S policy and implementation.
Police are now obliged when investigating any Road Traffic Accident (RTA) involving a company vehicle, or a private vehicle being used for business purposes, to look at the road risk management policies in place within that company. Fleet Training should be part of any road risk management policy.
The law obliges you to carry out a risk assessment of all work practices including the driving of company vehicles or vehicles being used for business purposes. Having a Fleet Training programme in place is one way of demonstrating an ongoing commitment to road safety and keeping employees and the general public much safer.
Occupational Driver Assessments
Aims and objectives
Our DSA qualified Fleet Trainers have the expertise to carry out Occupational Driving Assessments (ODA) and offer companies an objective and informed opinion of a drivers ability and attitude to road safety
ODA aims to:
identify any specific driver training needs as part of a health and safety road risk policy
improve and if necessary, create a culture of road safety within an organisation
increase driver awareness of driving and road safety issues
help employers achieve high safety standards through occupational road risk assessments
promote the culture of continual driver development through a fleet training programme
Driver assessments
The assessment lasts for about 60 minutes and covers various types of road and traffic conditions, including motorways where possible. The assessor will be a DSA qualified Fleet Trainer who will look for a safe, competent drive over a route that includes hazards typical of the driver's usual working patterns.
Safety, along with environmental driving techniques will be scrutinised. Driving skills and weaknesses will be identified, to help promote continued professional development. Our highly qualified instructors will do their best to ensure that drivers are put at their ease to enable them to demonstrate their professional abilities
An easy to read report will be provided which will focus on the following 12 areas
1. knowledge and effective use of all controls
2. manoeuvring exercises
3. move-off procedure
4. effective use of all mirrors in normal driving
5. correct and effective use of signals
6. response to traffic signals and traffic signs
7. road positioning
8. negotiating junctions and roundabouts
9. separation distance
10. attitude to Road safety
11. appropriate speeds
12. anticipation and planning skills
The report will give an assessment of the overall standard achieved during the drive and is structured so that it is easy to use as an ongoing tool for driver development by grading the standards achieved in each of the above areas.
Benefits
The ODA improves the quality and self-esteem of drivers when used as part of an appropriate training and motivation scheme. This fosters an improvement throughout the company with potential benefits such as a reduction in:
occupational driver incidents and their associated costs
having vehicles off the road, giving improved asset utilisation
sick absence offering improved manpower efficiency
Management information will be provided to identify any training needs or to evaluate a period of training.
A contract with a fixed number of assessments is usually agreed at the outset.
As a guide, it is realistic to assume that one assessment per driver is carried out during the first year.
Post incident One-off assessments can be carried out if required.
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