No, not the Scottish guys doing it for a bargain price.
The training provider where I send my drivers for their DCPC contacted me this week, asking: did I think my guys would be interested in something new for their next DCPC?
Not wanting to dismiss anything out of hand I said “Go on, what is it then?”
“VR” he said
“What? Those scottish guys who do things at half the price you do them for?” I replied
“No, virtual reality DCPC”
“WTF…?”
Basically still a classroom DCPC but wearing a VR headset looking at a virtual street from your virtual truck making virtual manoeuvres while watching out for virtual cyclists and pedestrians. A bit gimmicky, sounds to me like the mother of all hazard perception tests (who liked that idea?) but I wondered if the younger drivers (gamers?) might be into that.
I had to stop him in his tracks when he told me not only does it cost almost 25% more than a bog-standard day (and these guys aren’t the cheapest to begin with) but one of the courses on offer was “Safe Motorway Driving”. Yeah, cos driving on motorways is the real challenge for a driver.
Am I being “a boomer”? Would the 30 and 40 year old guys really appreciate that more?
The age of the attendee shouldn’t matter.
The method of delivery shouldn’t matter.
It’s the course content that counts.
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I’m about retirement age and don’t really care if a course is from a live lecturer, a film, interactive screen, or why not VR?
The message matters not the media.
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Motorway hazards aren’t top of my list of probable course subject, same as you, but it could work.
Possibly someone has already decided to use VR, and then looked for the most dramatic subject to introduce it?
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Ask for a demo before committing to it.
See the course content and decide on that rather than worry about the fact it’s VR.
I think its a bit gimmicky and not really beneficial to the average driver and a better place to start would be increasing the quality of CPC in general rather than trying to layer diamonds on top of a turd to make it look better.
I see no reason why any CPC should ever be held in a classroom ever again. The default should now be online courses with perhaps the option of a classroom for the circumstances.
Perhaps one of the whole issue about DCPC is most are an attendance event, create something JAUPT will accept and flog it to drivers. Perhaps immersive (VR) training will offer something of value. And like everything, good quality costs more, whether it is drivers or training!!
Completely unnecessary really isn’t it? I’m sure the younger guys guys and girls will enjoy it but they should really concentrate on getting trainer’s that have the first ■■■■■■■ idea of what their talking about on these waste of space courses
drover:
Completely unnecessary really isn’t it? I’m sure the younger guys guys and girls will enjoy it but they should really concentrate on getting trainer’s that have the first [zb] idea of what their talking about on these waste of space courses
+1…
Can’t think why all the old hands stopped being lorryists.
(and these guys aren’t the cheapest to begin with) but one of the courses on offer was “Safe Motorway Driving”. 
Yeah, cos driving on motorways is the real challenge for a driver.
