HEAVY LOAD
Does the freedom of the road make driving an appealing career choice back in civvy street? We speak with SMW Training about the qualifications you need.
WORDS: PAUL F COCKBURN
SMW training has been in business for little more than two and a half years but its two founders have, between them, more than 35 years training in the transport sector, according to director Howard Moore.
“We’re involved very much in transport training – all aspects of LGV from licence acquisition, to delivery of the new CPC qualification that all drivers need to have,” he explains. “We cover subjects such as drivers’ hours, tachographs, digital and analogue, covering the legal side of things – to name but a few as far as LGVs are concerned.”
Although based in Shropshire and mid-Wales (hence the company’s name), the company has access to personnel and facilities elsewhere, so are probably closer to you than you might think.
If you don’t already have a large goods vehicle licence (LGV) category C1 or above, Howard suggests that training and tests with them could be “all sewn up within four weeks at a push, depending on test dates that we’re given by the driving standards agency”. career wise, once you have an LGV (C), you can either settle with that or take an additional few days to extend your driving skills by earning an LGV (C+E) licence.
Since autumn 2009, all new professional lgv drivers must have a driver’s certificate of professional competence (CPC), a system which will eventually ensure that all lorry drivers take 35 hours retraining every five years.
Howard believes the CPC is good for the industry. “That’s my gut feeling,” he says. “The fact that drivers have to undergo some sort of retraining can only be a positive thing to keep them at the cutting edge of a professional career”
For Service leavers, SMW training can also help with training to become an LGV instructor or assessor, opening up career opportunities either as a freelance or within existing transport companies. “We train assessors and instructors,” he insists, “and there are a lot of ex-Forces people involved in that area.”
MORE: 0800 298 5346, www.smwtraining.co.uk
LICENCES TO DRIVE
There are two main large goods vehicle (lgv) licences:
• LGV (C): vehicles more than 7,500 kg, – known as ‘rigids’
• LGV (C+E): vehicles more than 7,500 kg with a trailer – or Drawbar (the cab of an articulated lorry can disconnect from the trailer).
To apply for these licences you will need to already possess a current clean B licence.
Training can be accessed through a range of CTP-approved training companies. Freight transport vocational qualifications are also available as both National and Scottish Vocational Qualifications, and through apprenticeship schemes.
DRIVER CPC
Since 10 September 2009, all new LGV (C) and (C+E) licence holders must also hold a Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (Driver CPC) in order to work professionally. This EU-inspired qualification must be renewed every five years at an approved training centre. It is designed to improve the knowledge and skills of professional LGV (and also Passenger Carrying Vehicle) drivers throughout their working lives.
CTP regularly runs seven-day Driver CPC/ADR courses (an ADR licence entitles you to transport dangerous goods) at its Resettlement Training Centres at Catterick and Cottesmore.
CPC involves 2.5 hours of theory testing and 30 minutes of practical testing in addition to the time spent on LGV licence theory and practical tests. Driver CPC has been benchmarked at NVQ level 2
To earn your LGV (C) or (C+E) with Driver CPC, you will have to complete the following;
Theory test:
Module 1a: licence acquisition – 100 multiple choice questions;
Module 1b: licence acquisition – 19 hazard perception clips;
Module 2: initial driver CPC – three to six case studies;
Practical test:
Module 3: licence acquisition – 1.5 hours of on-road practical testing;
Module 4: initial driver CPC – 0.5 hours practical safety demonstration test, using a suitable test vehicle.