I’m in the process of writing a new driver cpc course. I need provocative, interesting questions on the following subjects:
Drivers’ Hours/Tachos
Customer Service/Company Image
Health & Safety
Driver Well-being
I fully expect a few sarcastic replies, but would welcome some good input.
I want material to generate good debate in the classroom. Although I’m quite capable of doing this myself, I’d like to get fresh ideas as well. Thanks, for the good answers, in advance.
Pete 
Is that a one day course or a set of courses ?
If it’s a single course there’s too much differing content for 7 hours, there’s no way you’re going to cover such a diverse range of subjects comprehensively in a single day.
Driver well being educate drivers on healthy eating habits all companies should adopt risk assessments on health&safety it’s a start
I dont know if this is the type of thing you are after but when im delivering customer service workshops I try to facilitate discussion around the following 3 questions:
Why is customer service important?
What are the benefits of good customer service to; You - Business - Customer?
What are barriers to delivering good customer service? (look at ways to overcome barriers discussed)
Drivers hours + well being Q = Why do we have compulsory rest rules 
Follow on Qs = is it legal for a company to plan a reduced rest for a driver + is it ok for a driver to refuse if it means they will not get enough sleep
Peter Smythe:
I’m in the process of writing a new driver cpc course. I need provocative, interesting questions on the following subjects:Drivers’ Hours/Tachos
Customer Service/Company Image
Health & Safety
Driver Well-beingI fully expect a few sarcastic replies, but would welcome some good input.
I want material to generate good debate in the classroom. Although I’m quite capable of doing this myself, I’d like to get fresh ideas as well. Thanks, for the good answers, in advance.
Pete
you can hardly make any of that ■■■■ interesting can you.
If you want to generate interesting debate then try discussing the rip off waste of time dcpc for starters. Anybody else notice the decrease in rollovers and lorry accidents since the dcpc came in? me neither, oh, and most drivers still don’t know the rules and that’s after sitting the same drivers hours course 5 times.
ROG, That’s the sort of thing I’m after - something to get lively discussion going and folks able to share their experience and others to learn from it. Newbies have all sorts of stuff they have to learn “on the job” very quickly and that’s always been the case. But I’d like to pre-empt some of the more interesting things.
Driver cpc has enjoyed a miserable reputation generally. So I’m trying to liven it up more. I’m after scenarios. In other words, applying the rules to a situation. By doing this, we may partly address Truckblings concerns.
An example is a driver doing his/her daily checks and finds a top marker light out on the trailer. To change that bulb he/she is going to get involved in Working at Height Regs for starters. To me, that’s more interesting than simply explaining the rules. Clearly there’s dozens more scenarios; just a matter of getting them together.
But, TBH, I’m struggling to formulate the scenarios. Help!
Pete
Customer service, company image;
what’s in it for the driver going out of their way to keep the customer happy?
why should a driver keep their vehicle in presentable and pleasing condition?
why keep to timetables?
why keeping schtum is better than gobbing off when the carp hits the fan?
Driver well being;
whats better hourly pay or piece work bonuses or salary and why?
nights out, are they good for you?
effects on family life and drivers health through excess hours or swapping shifts about ie week on days week on nights?
car insurance (slightly off topic) do you need business use if you work at more than one depot or more than one company?
attitude and how it affects stress or the ability to cope with the various problems that crop up?
H&S, sorry but its gone beyond all reason now and i have nothing to say that won’t involve endless cursing.
Drivers hours/tachos.
how and why do you perform proper accurate manual entries?
re-iterate the 15 minute/6 hour WTD rules for me would you? how do you make it work for you on your particular job?
what do you do when an overspeed flashes up, are they a problem or should we ignore them?
print outs, do we need to keep copies, why?
how long for pre start checks, does that include time to walk across the yard find your paperwork/keys/lorry?
what exactly are VOSA (whatever they call themselves this week) looking for, what’s really important and do not get wrong, why do they pull in Joe Soap and go through everything, yet virtually ignore Joe Bloggs, how to become Joe Bloggs?
There a few off the top of me head for now.
My last experience of DCPC the trainer was an ex VOSA STE, i learned more useful stuff (especially about what VOSA really look for and how to keep out of trouble/on a green light) in the 7 hours with him than in the entire previous 35 hours which was in comparison a complete waste of time.
Drivers’ Hours
Just invite immigrant along , that should be enough 
Here’s some to generate debate…
Customer service/company image: Why do companies put “How’s my driving?” telephone numbers on the backs of their vehicles?
Customer service/company image: Would you, as a driver, consider that you, your truck and your driving conduct are a good advertisement for your employer (or the company whose name is plastered all over the truck in the case of outsourced transport operation)?
Unsure of the category: Are tachographs/trackers/recorded CCTV/etc. a benefit or a hindrance for a driver? Balance downsides (small offences which may have previously gone unnoticed may now be prosecuted, and drivers prevented from “getting home” by going over-hours and “minor” fiddling of the records, etc.) vs upsides (could provide evidence to exonerate driver in some cases e.g. crash-for-cash, discourages unscrupulous TMs from pressuring drivers to work dangerously-long hours, etc.).
Now time to sit back and watch the fun
How about doing a “MythBusters” section?
Take a commonly held view by some truck drivers for instance, “I need to take a 30 minute break after 6 hours work.” Ask true or false, and get it written down. Then test the ■■■■■■■■ against the regs, and show them why it is ■■■■■■■■/commonly mis-understood. Keep a score up on a board of who gets how many right.
Rinse and repeat with different often stated “trucking facts”…
Engagement is the only way to make dCPC interesting, otherwise it is just death by PowerPoint. But equally if you just ask a load of questions from a PowerPoint script that is just as bad. Get them up and doing, with the onus that they cant get stuff wrong, and they are there to test you too.
A guy once told me “Truck-ing is like [zb]-ing, some are blessed with big equipment, some are blessed with big knowledge, and we all do it differently… But this is how I do it…”
Pallet truck proficiency test!
Evil8Beezle:
Pallet truck proficiency test!
As a scooter or as intended? I’m proficient in both lol
Some good stuff there fellas. Thanks for that. Had reached a mental block (it’s an age thing!). Keep em coming.
btw this course should be the most interactive course on the cpc planet. Had to have face to face meetings with JAUPT to get the principle approved because it was so different. Took 8 months to get it past them so determined to make it brilliant. Want to get rid of the current driver cpc mindset which is soul destroying for all concerned and often a total waste of time.
Pete
Peter Smythe:
Some good stuff there fellas. Thanks for that. Had reached a mental block (it’s an age thing!). Keep em coming.btw this course should be the most interactive course on the cpc planet. Had to have face to face meetings with JAUPT to get the principle approved because it was so different. Took 8 months to get it past them so determined to make it brilliant. Want to get rid of the current driver cpc mindset which is soul destroying for all concerned and often a total waste of time.
Pete
■■■■ me. Why can’t others take leaf out of that book!
hi
im yet to sit my first cpc course but one on the biggest areas i think could do with a bit more info as a new driver is how to strap certain types of loads what neeeds to and doesnt need to be strapped- (i know everything when possible) general load security mainly doing general haulage work as often i will be asking experienced drivers how a certainb load needs to be strapped if unsure and how to identify load bearing curtains sound like youre training course is gonna be a intresting one just a shame youre not closer to bristol otherwise i would book it with you. keep up the good work its better when you can have fun on a classroom course
Peter Smythe:
Had to have face to face meetings with JAUPT to get the principle approved because it was so different. Took 8 months to get it past them so determined to make it brilliant. Want to get rid of the current driver cpc mindset which is soul destroying for all concerned and often a total waste of time.
Got to say good on you for a different approach!
Shame you had to jump through hoops to get go ahead, just shows how detached the powers that be are.
If you’d wanted a boring nondescript course approved, no problem! Make it more relevant and suitable , oh dear, got some extra hoops for you sir
Hope it goes well for you
If you’d wanted a boring nondescript course approved, no problem! Make it more relevant and suitable , oh dear, got some extra hoops for you sir
That’s a nail hit firmly on the head!
But, in fairness to JAUPT, once they understood the concept, they helped me get the approval. But it was understanding the concept that proved difficult as it doesn’t fit their “tick box” regime. But they have now demonstrated a bit of flexibility and I intend to prove they are right to trust me with it.
Keep the ideas coming!
Pete
Weekly rest scenario - is this legal (regs state that 2 consecutive reduced weekly rests cannot be done)
Driver has a weeks holiday and starts back on monday morning
Driver then works mon 6am to sat 6pm and has sunday off
Driver does the same the following week
Driver then does mon 6am to fri 6pm and has sat+ sun off
If it is legal then is any weekly rest payback owing at the end of it