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The start point for the best source of fleet information |
Just because your staff have passed their driving test doesn't mean that they - and the company - couldn't benefit from further education. Tom Webster reports
Wonderful though anti-skid technology is, it can't defy the laws of physics. That's why giving drivers the skills to cope with the loss of control on a low-friction surface could prove invaluable.
The advanced handling skills course at Mercedes-Benz World allowed us to experience what it's like to lose control in a controlled environment. Having spun a few times, we were guided through the process of bringing a sliding rear-wheel drive car back under control. While the course didn't give us the skills or confidence to start purposely drifting around corners, we certainly feel a lot more comfortable that we wouldn't panic should it all start to go wrong on a rainy day.
Mercedes-Benz World is something akin to a big amusement park dedicated to the German manufacturer. The site, based at the old Brooklands circuit near Weybridge, offers a host of training facilities and corporate meeting facilities that plays host to around 40,000 business delegates a year. Training courses can be booked in conjunction with corporate events at the site, and are all individually tailored.
Contact: 0870 400 4000
Website: www.mercedes-benzworld.co.uk
Cost: Courses are individually tailored to clients' needs and priced accordingly. Contact Mercedes for more details.
Drive & Survive took us on a half-day beginner's course for towing on-road. The firm provides a large flat-bed trailer and you have to take your own tow vehicle.
To start we spent an hour or so getting to grips with the theory of towing - the risks, terminology and legal requirements. Then came the practical. This was split into two parts - hitching and checking the trailer and then basic driving skills, including the dreaded reversing round a corner.
If your towing terrain is more challenging than the local ring road, then Land Rover's off-road towing course may be worth considering. The Land Rover Experience centre provides the vehicle and the trailer - in our case an automatic Discovery and a double horse box.
Again the day started with classroom theory. We then went through a series of manoeuvres including a reverse 's' before being given an eye-opening demonstration of how much impact going from the flat to an incline has on the vehicle and trailer.
After this, we ventured onto the off-road course, which showed how planning ahead was even more essential than regular off-roading, with particular attention to both the surface of the ground and overhanging branches.
Contact (Drive & Survive): 0870 1218339
Website: www.drivesurvive.co.uk
Cost: £200
Contact (Land Rover Experience): 0800 655 6465
Website: www.landrover.co.uk/experience
Cost: £250
The Safe and Fuel-Efficient Driving course is for van and HGV drivers, and is part-Government funded. Fleets are eligible for a £75 contribution to the £175 course, which covers two drivers. There are several training centres nationwide.
Since December 2007 Bristol-based Space Engineering has sent 200 van drivers on The Big Red Fleet Company's SaFED course.
Driver Keith Rogers was impressed: "It was a good eye-opener. We drove a 13-mile route twice, counting gear changes on both occasions. The first time round I made about 160 changes, the second time it was 50 [meaning reduced wear and tear]. It also focussed on the importance of not overloading a van and making sure you strap everything down in the back."
Contact: 0870 190 8440
Website: www.safed.org.uk
Cost: £175 for two drivers
DriveTech runs speed awareness courses for drivers who've committed speeding offences.
The workshops, cost £95, are only available to drivers referred by the police, and replace a fixed penalty of £60 and three points on your licence.
Once the offer comes through from the police - DriveTech's courses are on behalf of police forces based in London, the Thames Valley and Northumbria - it's a case of booking a date and location online.
The 2hr 30min workshop takes place in a classroom setting, and Drivetech claims re-offending rates are lower than for people who don't attend the course. The first hour involves a computer-based assessment of multiple choice questions and reacting to video footage; the rest is spent discussing topics such as the potential consequences of driving at marginally excessive speeds.
The course is very informative and not preachy in tone, and there are several eye-opening moments, particularly when viewing the difference 2mph can make to stopping distances. It remains to be seen whether it or the six-page personal driver risk profile received after the PC assessment will have a long-term impact, although it's certainly been successful in the short-term.
Contact: 01344 467890
Website: www.drivetech.co.uk
Cost: £95
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