Driver training is additional support that you can provide your employees with to ensure they are competent and confident when driving, especially if their role requires them to get behind the wheel of any vehicle.
Training can take many different forms and the best option will vary between drivers as they will require different levels of support and in different areas. For a business, it is important to offer drivers support that is flexible to their needs and not a uniform programme that may not provide much assistance.
In the UK you can obtain your full driving licence at 17 years old and once you have passed, provided you have no medical conditions or have your licence revoked, then you may not receive additional training for your entire driving life. This is why it’s so important that your drivers receive support and additional training especially if a part of their job requires them to drive.
Another reason that many businesses offer driving training is that you have a duty of care for your employees, and this can extend to their driving competency, especially if they need to travel for work, drive a vehicle as part of their job or have been provided with a company vehicle to use.
The simple answer to this is everyone.
Once drivers have passed their driving test they can go years without reviewing their skills, pick up bad habits that aren’t rectified and be unaware of any additional laws and legislation that could impact them.
We think that it’s important that all drivers are given regular check ins to make sure that they are confident in driving the vehicles they are required to, to get to and from their place of employment, as part of the job and if they receive a company car. Depending on your employees and their requirements this may simply be a case of onboarding training and then annual reviews and providing training to drivers who need / want it or it might be regular sessions to ensure your drivers have a comprehensive understanding of all the vehicles they need to operate.
There are three main methods of training that are commonly available:
One on one training is the most focused and will usually involve one of your employees driving with a driving instructor beside them providing support through noting areas they may want to focus on or providing additional tips and instructions.
This type of training is best suited for drivers who are going to be operating a vehicle that they have not done so before, or in a while, and want to make sure they are following best practices.
It can also be helpful for drivers who would like additional support to feel confident in their abilities following an incident in a vehicle.
Training in a learning environment will usually be offered as part of a group session. This is so that your drivers can benefit from interacting with other students and their input as well as the teaching material.
This type of training can be beneficial if you have a number of employees who are going through initial onboarding driver training and assessments, they all need to learn a particular skill set or share an area of concern in their driving.
Online assessments and training are becoming increasingly popular as they can be adapted to the individual driver’s needs following an initial assessment, they are able to be completed at the driver’s convenience and do not have the same travel and timetabling considerations.
Most companies will choose to use a combination of the three different methods in order to provide their employees with the best possible support.
Training can cover a large number of topics but the ones that are most useful for fleet drivers are typically:
If you have specific areas of concern for your drivers or want to focus on another aspect of driving then you will be able to do this, these are just the most common areas our clients request training in.
There are many benefits to offering driver training to your employees, it can:
To make it a little easier for you we’ve rounded up some of the most frequently asked questions about driver training from our clients in one spot below.
How Long Does Driver Training Last?
The length of time training lasts depends on a number of factors including the individual driver’s needs, the level of training you want to provide them with, the subject matter and how the training is scheduled, whether it is an intensive session or provided in small regular sessions.
You should take the time to find a programme that works for you and your employees to ensure they are not overwhelmed by a lot of information in a short period but that they are trained in a timely manner.
When Should We Offer Drivers Training?
We recommend offering your employees driver training when they first start at the business or are first required to drive a vehicle for work. After this, we would advise you check in with your employees on a regular schedule to ensure they feel confident driving the vehicle and whether they require additional training. Depending on your business you may want to do this quarterly, every six months or annually.
It's also wise to look at the results of your driver licence checks as they can point out areas of concern if a driver has accumulated points for a particular problem. If this is noticed then you can also ask the driver to complete additional training in this area.
Does Every Driver Need Training?
We would suggest that you offer driver training to any employee whose job involves operating a vehicle or who you put into a company car. This helps you be confident that they are qualified and competent at driving the vehicle and fulfils your responsibilities to their health and safety behind the vehicle.
What About HGV Driver Training?
HGV training is specialist training for drivers who will be driving heavy goods vehicles (lorries) and will need to be completed before a driver can drive a HGV. Additionally, they will need to complete regular training in order to remain qualified to drive the vehicles.
If you require any of your employees to drive as part of their role or offer drivers vehicles as one of their benefits then we think you should be offering training and support to ensure they are safe and competent drivers, who look after themselves and their vehicles.
If you're unsure about whether you need driver training for your company then we're here to help and happy to discuss your options.
As part of our fleet management services Wessex Fleet offer our clients a bespoke driver training programme for your drivers which can provide you with a full process audit for your entire fleet, a mixture of practical and online assessments with full reporting at every level to provide you with insight into your drivers' areas of strength and weakness.
For more information on how we can help with your driver training needs from as little as £15 a month per driver get in touch here or give us a call on 01722 322 888.
