The RTITB Instructor Academy is reminding transport and logistics operations not to overlook LGV Driving Assessor training, highlighting the many advantages it can bring to businesses.
“Despite the many benefits of training LGV Driving Assessors, businesses often overlook this important role,” says Simon Docherty, RTITB Instructor Academy Manager.
“Whether they’re full-time employees, or skilled drivers with an additional responsibility, LGV Driving Assessors can add significant value to transport and logistics operations if they are trained correctly.
“For instance, where employers conduct pre-employment driving assessments to ensure potential employees’ skills are up to standard, a trained LGV Driving Assessor helps support the recruitment process.”
Licence checks
As part of pre-employment assessment processes, Driver Assessors can check the practical skill, and attitude, of candidates and create reports of their findings. They are also able to conduct licence checks, freeing up transport management time. These valuable skills can help businesses avoid disruption, particularly during peak recruitment times. In addition, by using an Assessor rather than an Instructor to conduct these assessments, businesses avoid putting pressure on the training team and schedule.
“As an Assessor may be the first contact a candidate has with the company, it’s important that they are correctly trained, with good communication skills and excellent driving standards as a minimum,” says Simon.
By conducting annual Driving Assessments, Assessors can evaluate the current skills of the company’s drivers, identifying good practice, or areas where intervention is needed. This makes the role of the Assessor crucial in maintaining standards. They also provide a valuable link between drivers and the transport management team, by providing information for compliance or to help plan training schemes.
“Assessors deal with colleagues at all levels, so must possess the requisite knowledge, confidence and enthusiasm,” explains Simon.
“They must be trained to recognise best practice, as well as what underpins safe driving, as this can also prove invaluable for incident management.”
Following an incident, Assessors can evaluate drivers who may be exposed to similar risk criteria. Through this analysis, accident causes can be identified and negated. Additionally, an Assessor can mentor drivers who have been involved in an incident, offering support and helping to build their confidence.
Conducting ongoing assessments post training also allows Assessors to check whether the techniques taught are being used, reducing risk. This also allows the impact of training to be measured. With companies increasingly under pressure to prove the return on investment of their training programmes, as well as their effectiveness, an Assessor can evaluate the benefits of the training delivered and collate useful written reports for sharing with management.
Business benefits
Not only does training a Driving Assessor have clear business benefits, but it also gives employers a chance to reward exceptional drivers with career progression.
“Given the opportunity to upskill, drivers benefit from professional development, while employers can experience greater staff retention,” says Simon.
“In addition, as Assessors have already been part of the driving team, they can prove to be a more effective mentor to colleagues.”
“However, an LGV Driving Assessor won’t be equipped for all of a company’s requirements,” Simon continues.
“Where there is a need for training, not assessment, companies should use a qualified LGV Driving Instructor, not an Assessor, to ensure legal compliance.”
Like Assessors, Instructors possess excellent driving and communication skills, but have additional expertise in developing training programmes, plus advanced knowledge of technique and legislation, and the theory behind it. A qualified LGV Instructor will be trained to educate and demonstrate, while practising ongoing evaluation of trainees, and identifying talent for future development.
For more information about LGV Driving Instructor and LGV Driving Assessor training, contact the RTITB Instructor Academy, an approved National Register of LGV Instructors (NRI) Centre.
