Why do they not teach this and make it part of the test

NEW AND WANNABE DRIVERS (INTERACTIVE)
1

This is not directed at new and wannabes,this is aimed at

the TRAINING SCHOOLS and the transport ministery

WHY oh WHY do they not teach and test people about

the working&drivers hours and use of the tachgraph

the rules are not easy for any one new to this way of

a working life and so although these new drivers

have passed a test which allows them to drive the vehicle

it has not changed and taken into account the fact the

rules and regulations are today so badly laid out

in a form of english that requires a bloody DEGREE

insome cases to understand, this should be made

part of the testso thatwhen a driver gets his/her

pass certificate they will not be breaking the law as

regards the above,unlike at present due to many be ignorant

or haveing the wrong information,and so end up have

problems which in some cases costs money when they

are fined for there offences,

A little bit off the subject but the new exam may end this

but until then why cant schools take the time to teach properly

so that their pupils are competent and not ignorant

2

because that would mean that (dirty word here) THOUGHT had gone in to thr training regs which mean government would have class us as professional drivers all the time unlike the present method that means that we are only professional for the purposes of prossicution (sorry tax collection )

3

Brit Pete,couldn’t agree with you more.
I was shown a tacho disc,but that was it,wasn’t shown how to even fill one in!
When I asked if I got trained on tacho’s and the W.T.D. all I got was a short no.
I have sourced a couple of courses for the above and will hopefully do them in Feb. next year.
Meantime,I am doing a van driver’s job(no tacho) as I have no experience of Tacho’s/W.T.D.and won’t commit myself to any vehicle with a tacho until I am 100% sure I know what I am doing.

4

I DID MY THEORY TEST ABOUT 6 WEEK S AGO AND THERE WERE QUESTIONS ON TACHO LEGISTLATION

5

matt f:
I DID MY THEORY TEST ABOUT 6 WEEK S AGO AND THERE WERE QUESTIONS ON TACHO LEGISTLATION

I know there are questions on the tacho regs but we arent taught in depth when we are doing the LGV course…I went & bought my self a book on WTD & Tacho rules & regs to get my head around it all, the book was the pocket guide to LGV drivers hours & tachograph law by David Lowe(3rd edition) davidlowe.org/

The schools run courses on Tacho & WTD but you have to pay extra for them, they should really be part of the overall LGV training course.

6

HERE is a link to the D of T drivers hours rules with simple enough explanations, examples and charts etc. This is what you will be being taught from on any course. If you go to your local LGV test station they will give you a paper copy, if you ask nicely and they have any in stock. You can even print a copy out yourself if your really stuck.

HERE is a link to the TruckNet UK Guide to the WTD. Read the 2nd, 3rd and 4th ‘stickies’.

While I’m at it.
HERE is a link to the Digi-Tacho Guide, also written by a TruckNet UK member. Print it out and put it in your pocket/work bag/butty box, whatever. But read it first.

If you read and inwardly digest these, you won’t have to pay out your hard earned cash for courses about stuff that’s readily available by reading these forums. Once you’ve read them, feel free to ask questions about bits your having trouble getting your head round.

We tend to get a little annoyed constantly answering the same, very basic questions though, so please READ them first.

7

SIMON the sites and tips that are on here are great and do

help those who require it;BUT it is not RIGHT ,why BECAUSE

when you get out there and do not know the rules it can be very

exespensive when caught out and taken before a court, this is

why i worded the title as i did, I belive that this should be part

of the test for persons who wish to drive vehicles with a tachograph

fitted, and this will ensure that the drivers are fully informed and

have complete knowledge about working,drivering hours etc etc

as regards the TACHOGRAPH, WEITHER it is well liked or not

the driver of the future will be a person who has carried out

training and schoolwork in subjects that concern the way

the work of a driver is done in addition to haveing taken

and passed a driveing test,

8

Pete,

Agree with your post.

Most trainee truckers want to pass ASAP and as cheaply as possible. The only way people will untake extra training is they HAVE to.

The current theory test is an insult to most peoples’ intelligence (has anyone failed it■■?).

I’d like a more detailed test concerning the important stuff.

I struggled on my first week with Tacho’s etc and could have left myself wide open to prosicution.

It’s OK to ‘learn on the job’ (like fastening side curtain clips!), but more training should be compulsary. It’ll also increase the quality of drivers as a whole.

9

I’ve been thinking about this - OK, I get in the cab, reverse round the cones then drive for an hour without hitting anyone - does this makes me a professional driver?

Who is the best judge of my potential driving skill (including meeting tacho/WTD requirements as suggested above) the DOT examiner I’ve met for the test or the instructor I’ve been out with all week?

How about a system where everyone who wants an HGV licence has to go on an approved course. At the end of the course the certified instructor you have been driving with then decides if you pass or fail and awards the licence - no DOT involvement.

The quality of the certified instructors could be monitored by the number of their students who then have a problem with VOSA or an RTA during the first 12 months - too many and the instructor loses his training licence - and therefore his job. This should focus the mind on which students he is willing to pass.

10

matt f:
I DID MY THEORY TEST ABOUT 6 WEEK S AGO AND THERE WERE QUESTIONS ON TACHO LEGISTLATION

The day i did my theory test [last year], some of the tacho laws changes on the same day.

i asked the woman on the desk ’ because the rules have just changed, what shall i do if a question comes up and the correct answer isn’t there’ she just looked at me blankly and said, well its the dsa so you’ll be best to put the old answer in as they don’t do updates very often.

as for tachos, the first training company i used taught me how to use them, as they always drove with them in the trucks.

11

this may solve your problems

dsa.gov.uk/Category.asp?cat=432

12

There is only so much the training schools can teach you about being a professional trucker.
The cost of practical training is not cheap as you well know, so to use up those precious hours on Driver Hours laws would be a big waste of praactical training time.
Remember the trainee has paid to do the on road practical bit and would not appreciate having to spend hours sitting in an office or room doing class work. Boy! Would we get some flack from that!!!
When doing the practical course it is best to get all the books on Drivers hours and do your homework - at home.
any questions that you are not sure about your instructor will, I am sure, be wiling to help you with in the course of the driving day.
I personally always spend some time explaining to my trainees about tachos. We usually put one in ast the start of the day and I get each driver to fill his in properly. (Although LGV traiing schools are exempt from use of tacho it is a good excersise for the trainee)
It only takes a few minutes but it helps the new driver to get into the habit of using the tacho and knowing what to write.
However, from next year the new digi tachos will be in force and as each digi tacho is personal to the driver how many new trainees will have one?
As already covered withposts here, there are many on line links and books about drivers hours and it is up to the new driver to get to grips with them.
I know 90% of trainees would not appreciate having to spend more money on a drivers hours course when they could learn it in their spare time.

13

you miss my point Mothertrucker ,when some has a pass certificate
put in their hands, they then can get out on the road with as good as
zero knowledge about the use of this important document and the
tachograph its self,THIS means some one who is not completely
trained can and will end up bring problems to the firm which
employs him ,or her,further more the EMPLOYER could end up loseing
there GOOD NAME AND ALSO THE FIRM MAY END UP BEING CLOSED
THE times have changed and GOOD DRIVERS will adapt but
the schools must ensure that the best traing is given,look at this
way if a school goes out of its way to ensure that their pupils
are well taught in extra subjects and keep the price at a level
which is acceptable thenthey will benifit asall those who
are happy with theirtime at the school will give good mouth properganda
out to others who are looking for a good school,

THATS why it should be taught and taught PROPERLY
when learning to drive, what it means is that SCHOOLS
must have people who are competent enough to teach
those are there to learn,and with the new exam comeing
in then, problems with bad schools and teachers will
have to end,

14

brit pete:
you miss my point Mothertrucker ,when some has a pass certificate
put in their hands, they then can get out on the road with as good as
zero knowledge about the use of this important document and the
tachograph its self,

Not everyone who gets a pass certificate will go on to use a tachograph. Some drivers could go for their entire career and never use a tacho. I think it should be down to the firms who employ the drivers to make sure they know, and are trained in the use of the tachograph if required. There are training courses available and they can pay for and take them if they desire. Adding it into the training for everyone just makes what is expensive training even more costly.

The rules aren’t that complicated, or even that long, they just need careful reading, the majority of drivers have never read them or if they have they have only glanced at them. Everything you need to know can be found in any published copy of the rules, People start reading them thinking they are very complicated and start thinking there is more to it than is written, there isn’t., and that leads to them not understanding them. From next April they get even less complicated so they should be even easier to pick up.

15

I think it should be down to the firms who employ the drivers to make sure they know, and are trained in the use of the tachograph if required. There are training courses available and they can pay for and take them if they desire. Adding it into the training for everyone just makes what is expensive training even more costly.

I agree. This is exactly the point I was trying to make.

16

HOW many firms are willing to take that time and trouble
i can tell you from experience of the firms, here in GERMANY
THAT they will not be bothered and i am talking here of large
firms and from the UK i cannot belive that it is much differant

17

brit pete:
HOW many firms are willing to take that time and trouble

So because firms aren’t willing to take the time and trouble extra costs should be piled onto every trainee? Whether they are willing or not they actually have a legal responsibility to ensure that their drivers are competent, and comply, with the tacho rules, it’s their O Licence at risk after all.

The theme of this thread will become irrelevant in the next few years anyway with the introduction of the driver’s CPC. Firms will have no choice but to provide training otherwise they will have employees who are no longer qualified to drive their trucks.

18

Roll on the Driver CPC then, eh? Problem solved… :smiling_imp:

19

Lucy:
Roll on the Driver CPC then, eh? Problem solved… :smiling_imp:

Snap. :wink: :smiley:

Great minds think alike eh?

Oh hang on, fools seldom differ. :blush: :stuck_out_tongue: :smiley:

20

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :stuck_out_tongue: :blush: :wink: