Nigel Grainger brings together a related set of skills that all fleets require, to greater or lesser
degrees, but which may not have the staffing or the skills to fulfil those needs.
Bringing his wealth of experience in all areas of fleet management he offers a bespoke service through his company Fleet Risk Consultants, providing you with a cost effective fleet that complies fully with your 'duty of care' requirements.Important news for HGV drivers and operators.
From the 10th September 2009 all drivers of vehicles above 3,500kg in weight will have to undertake continuous training over a period of 5 years. The rules means that each driver will need to complete 35 hours of training by the 9th September 2014.
That may sound like it is a long way in the future, but if you leave it too late to commence your training, you may either not get on a course in time or you will have to take a whole week in one go to maintain your driving licence.
There will be no extensions as the period of grace starts on the 10th September 2009. Any new HGV drivers will have to undertake 280 hours of training to actually qualify for a licence in the first place.
The effect that we see developing in 2014 is that companies who have not planned ahead may find that they have vehicle available to do deliveries, but no-one to drive the vehicle.
It is also the companies responsibility to ensure that the driver is both qualified and safe to drive. If you employ the driver full time then it could be argued that under PUWER you will have to pay for that training too.
IF you want to understand how the rules will effect you as either a driver or as an employer then give our team a call on 01623 675833 or drop us an email to info@fleetriskconsultants.co.uk and we can call you.
Nigel Grainger
Senior Consultant
Fleet Risk Consultants