Driving assessment

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

Something I have to get off my chest and wondered if anyone else had experienced the same.

Just before last christmas I was working for a company (big blue chip catalogue) in North of England. When you have been there for 3 weeks (nearly all agency drivers) you have to have a driving assessment with a guy who works for the company.
I sat in the canteen on the morning of my assessment, pretty confident because I have been throwing these artics round for 20 years. This guy came in (remain nameless, read on…) and took my licence. He was unsure exactly where to write down my licence number on his assessment form, which immediately got me thinking.

Anyway, we did the checks etc, went out on the road for maybe an hour or so. At the end of the test he didn’t say anything, I was chatting to him all the time. I got a phone call later that day off the agency saying I had failed, they got me work somewhere else straight away.

That was on the Friday morning. This assessor had another one that afternoon and 2 a day for the following week.

He failed the lot. Every one of us. Alarm bells started ringing. I later heard he was dissmissed due to allegations he was taking a bung off a sub contract haulage company (remain nameless) to fail the drivers so the subcontract firm would get more work!! This is still ongoing, action is being taken against the assessor. It turned out this guy was straight out of training course and I was his first one, everything was by the book.

Be careful if you have to have an assessment, this guy failed me for…
I got 7 minors before I left the bloody yard!
The date on my tachograph went over the red dotted line by less than 1mm.
I didn’t check trailer mot plate.
I didn’t check op licence (major blue chip company!!!).
I didn’t check oil, water and windscreen washer level. And so on.

I then got 8 minors for letting the rpm go over the green section on rpm dial.
I got 4 minors for not removing my hand from the gearstick immediately after changing gear.

I got 4 minors for setting off in 3rd and not 2nd…
I got 2 minors for not driving “with a sympathetic nature towards the clutch” (English anyone■■?) He then proceeded to tell me all about the physical properties of the ceramic clutch. I was rivetted… (!)

You get the idea!
I was driving these things when he was still in nappies!

Anyone else with similar experience■■?

2

Ive only been on two driving assessments in my time.

First one i wasnt looking forward to thought it was gonna be a . But it was quite good i hadnt that long passed my test.

It was kinda informal, kinda half training and half assessment. I did my checks, hooked up trailer, and basically was fine with it and covered the way the company expected you to do things. My driving was alright during the test, he said he could tell i hadnt long passed my test, and gave me some good pointers to help me along. He was satisfied i wasnt dangerous or going to crash the truck and passed me. It was completly different from a driving test.

It was good from a point of few i was an agency driver, usually just handed a set of keys and off you go. The assessor explained everything about the job the in’s and out’s. What paperwork to fill in, where to get fuel card etc… Stuff usually as a agency driver your expected to figure out yourself.

Second one i had was recently, again it was pretty informal. The assessment basically took you down busy city streets and he was looking to make sure you werent taking risks, going up on pavements etc… Again wasnt really like a driving test as such.

3
**:D :smiley: :smiley: Welcome Ronaldo :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:**

Sounds like an examiner rather than an assessor to me - minors etc indeed :exclamation: :exclamation:

I’m going to train 2 guys at a major blue chip company after easter to be assessors and I certainly will not be following the zb DSA route.
They will be taught to check for general safe driving with good use of the controls and compliance with the legal requirements etc - none of this procedural stuff which is taught to pass the LGV DSA test.

4

What you have to remember is when a company wants to give drivers ‘assessments’, they’re not assessing you as a driver but you as a personality!
Wincanton are the same; they assess drivers as to whether they would like you working with them as people, (do you fit) it’s like trying to be a member of a posh golf club, whether you can play golf is completely irrelevant, it’s whether they want you as a member of their little ‘club’.
Which is probably why Wincanton’s drivers are all crap and they ■■■■ big time :exclamation:

5

Hi

really sorry to hear you seem to have got stuffed here!

but maybe this is an opportunity for us on trucknet??

why dont we come up with a form tha if you go on an assessment, you can pull a form out of ya pocket and go over everything on the list??

only needs to be a simple word document??

What do ya think??

S

6

The Assessor should have explained to you what he expected.

Or even gave you a Demo of what he expected.

He sounds like a DO NOT DO AS I DO. DO AS I SAY.

7

Sunshine:
Hi

really sorry to hear you seem to have got stuffed here!

but maybe this is an opportunity for us on trucknet??

why dont we come up with a form tha if you go on an assessment, you can pull a form out of ya pocket and go over everything on the list??

only needs to be a simple word document??

What do ya think??

S

LIKE THIS :question: :question: :wink: :laughing: :laughing:

8

Mikejk Which is probably why Wincanton’s drivers are all crap and they ■■■■ big time :
i take it you failed the assesment and cant play golf Mikejk

9

Sunshine:
but maybe this is an opportunity for us on trucknet??
why dont we come up with a form tha if you go on an assessment, you can pull a form out of ya pocket and go over everything on the list??
only needs to be a simple word document??
What do ya think??
S

:bulb: :bulb: any good :question: :question:

10

Nice one!!!

But I was thinking of a check list for the motor rather than the skills of the driver…can ya pull one of these out of ya magic box■■?

11

Sunshine:
But I was thinking of a check list for the motor…

I don’t think the lorry would be able to read them :unamused: :wink: :laughing: :laughing:

12

Sunshine:
Nice one!!!

But I was thinking of a check list for the motor rather than the skills of the driver…can ya pull one of these out of ya magic box■■?

LIKE THIS :question: :question:

13

I too hate the driving assessment having only had one and failed it before I got away from the initial “chat” . At the time my hair was very long and kept neat and tidy in a ponnytail which the “assessor” commented on several time. Did everyting OK on the drive I thought and listened to his spiel and comments - after the drive he got out of the cab and said the agency would be in touch - they called a couple of days later and said I had failed with no feedback.
2 months later the agency called desperate for drivers and I said I had failed the assessment - they said it did not matter as they would get me reassessed with some one else!!!

Hate the things - just got offered some other work at the weekends with a local firm and all he wanted was my licences and asked me what I knew and what work I had done.

14

Just for the sake of it why dont we do a form to check the assessor and get them to sign it after the driver , it might just get them thinking

Sort of turn the tables a bit :wink:

15

GerryT:
Just for the sake of it why dont we do a form to check the assessor and get them to sign it after the driver , it might just get them thinking

Sort of turn the tables a bit :wink:

Not a bad idea that - Person being assessed giving feedback on their assessor - I’m all for it :smiley: :smiley: :smiley:

16

HAIRYGORILLA:
Mikejk Which is probably why Wincanton’s drivers are all crap and they ■■■■ big time :
i take it you failed the assesment and cant play golf Mikejk

I’ve been at both Morrisons Swan Valley and B&Q Blechley (how else would i know) :slight_smile: From 1992 -96 (before i new better) my handycap was 5 :exclamation:

17

been for 2 jobs that required a driving assement,one was when I was doing agency work and Network rail insited on an assement for insurance purposes,in reality it was quick drive round the block and then show that I could use the hiab,

the second one was for my present job, I spent an hour or so driving round Cannock,and into Walsall and back up the M6, then do a lift onto then off of the skip as it was hook loader, but the guy who did it was the MD and spent most of the time chatting about what I had done, driven etc, and so it was the interview aswell,

18

First I would expect to sit in the passenger seat while the ‘assessor’ showed me that they knew what they were talking about, if I was satisfied that they were in a position to judge ME then I would go & show them that I know what I’m doing :unamused:

I had worked for a firm for over a year & they said I had to go for an assessment, I asked why & was told it was a new ‘policy’ I asked whether it was because of my accident record (none) my lorry always being in the workshop with ‘driver abuse’ defects (none) then asked again, never did get ‘assessed’

For a new starter it does make sense, after all you wouldn’t lend your car to somebody that you didn’t know so why should employers trust someone with £100k worth of lorry & trailer, you never know if everyone did it you might get some of the idiots off the road :wink:

19

newmercman:
First I would expect to sit in the passenger seat while the ‘assessor’ showed me that they knew what they were talking about, if I was satisfied that they were in a position to judge ME then I would go & show them that I know what I’m doing :unamused:

I had worked for a firm for over a year & they said I had to go for an assessment, I asked why & was told it was a new ‘policy’ I asked whether it was because of my accident record (none) my lorry always being in the workshop with ‘driver abuse’ defects (none) then asked again, never did get ‘assessed’

For a new starter it does make sense, after all you wouldn’t lend your car to somebody that you didn’t know so why should employers trust someone with £100k worth of lorry & trailer, you never know if everyone did it you might get some of the idiots off the road :wink:

Good point about the assessor doing a very short demo first

20

In my experience people that assess other drivers/road foreman etc are not there through merit, it’s normally because they are arse kissers :smiling_imp: