Truck UK - serving the road haulage sector
 
 
 

 

IMPROVING OPERATOR COMPLIANCE REDUCING OPERATOR COSTS

Truck UK provides specialist services and supplies to operators of road going commercial vehicles. Whether you are running under 3.5 tonne gross vehicle weight vans, or you are the holder of a restricted; standard national or standard international goods vehicle operator licence, we can provide you with all you need to ensure you comply with all the rules and regulations that affect your operation.

NO 'O' LICENCE, OR ARE YOU A 'RESTRICTED' OPERATOR?

If you don't employ a qualified Transport Manager we can implement and then manage bespoke compliance packages that are guaranteed to improve your levels of vehicle and driver compliance while at the same time reducing your overall costs.  We are recognised as the UK's specialist provider of compliance services, through the implementation of in-house corporate packages that cover all the areas that need to be dealt with by any type or size of company that runs commercial vehicles.

It's recognised that the majority of companies that run commercial vehicles as a 'bolt-on' to their core business - i.e. manufacturers or suppliers who operate a 'restricted' Operator licence - who are found to be non-compliant are not trying to buck the system, they are simply not aware of the regulations that impact on their business. 

Unfortunately ignorance is not deemed as a defence, so this is where we can help by ensuring that you do not fall foul of the authorities through non-compliance. Safety is obviously the first thing that any business considers, but it's all too easy to forget to ensure compliance is carried out correctly through the implementation of good practice, procedures and administration.

That's where we come in........................... e-mail:info@truckuk.net for further, no obligation, information. We can guarantee that we provide a top quality service at a competive price. Unlike others, we understand the importance of a high quality service that also provides cost effectiveness.

Just provide your contact details (including a verifiable mailing address) and we'll provide a competitive quote. Once we have provided you with the initial information we will not contact you again, unless you request it ...... guaranteed.

SPECIALIST HELP AND ADVICE WHEN YOU NEED IT

if you do employ a qualified Transport Manager we provide the best specialist back up available, either on a 'firefighting' basis, for when things have gone wrong and you need quick solutions, or through a retained service, where we work alongside the Transport Manager, offering help and advice when required and take care of many of the administrative jobs - including drivers' hours / working time directive and record keeping checks; driving licence checks; employment contracts and terms and conditions; maintenance procedure spot checks; regular driver assessments and information update supply.

We also provide maintenance procedure audits to the standard expected by the Traffic Commissioners and we present Transport Manager/Operator CPC Refresher Courses to ensure compliance with the requirement for continuous professional development. What's more we can provide all our services in-house on a one to one basis at a cost that is lower than anywhere else, while at the same time guaranteed to be of the highest quality.

TRANSPORT MANAGER REFRESHER SERVICE

The Traffic Commissioners expect every Transport Manager to regularly refresh their knowledge, with regard to the obligations they entered into when being specified on an Operators licence. When was the last time you or your Transport Manager attended any refresher training day since the 'O' licence was granted or the Transport Manager gained their Operator CPC?  We can provide in-house refresher training, utilising your own company procedures, thereby giving you a chance for your Transport Manager to update his knowledge while at the same time providing an independent check of your existing practice and procedures. At a day rate fee of £315.00 + VAT, irrespective of whether there is one delegate or ten, we believe this in-house service cannot be beaten.

All our instructors hold Transport Manager qualifications (i.e. Operator CPC); all our instructors have worked as Transport Managers; all our instructors have represented clients at Public Inquiry;all our instructors have represented clients at Employment Tribunal and all our instructors understand the day to day problems of ensuring acceptable levels of compliance while at the same time having to ensure clients are satisfied and a profit is made. 

Interested?  Just e-mail: info@truckuk.net with your contact details and we'll provide further information and a competitive quote. There is definitely no obligation to take your enquiry any further and you will not be contacted again after our initial discussion, unless you request it.

FREE TO DOWNLOAD DRIVER INFORMATION SHEETS

As part of our ongoing commitment to help improve the levels of goods vehicle operator compliance across the UK we provide every visitor to this website with the chance to download and use a FREE set of our driver information sheets. You do not have to disclose your details or contact us to make use of this service. Simply click on any of the titles given below and you will be able to open and view/save a pdf formatted driver information sheet.

The information sheets are just one part of our wider 'smart solutions' package we provide to existing clients. Copies of the sheets are also given to every driver who attends our approved Driver CPC periodic training courses. It is essential that professional drivers' are kept up to date and constantly reminded of the rules and regulations that they must adhere to when they are carrying out their duties, so we believe in providing as much useful and easy to follow material as we can to help operators run a compliant fleet.

Truck UK Driver Information Sheets 2010:-

EU DRIVERS' HOURS 2 SIDED INFO SHEET

CORRECT USE OF THE ANALOGUE TACHOGRAPH 2 SIDED INFO SHEET

VOSA SPOT CHECKS & THE LAW ON SEAT BELTS 2 SIDED INFO SHEET

GRADUATED FIXED PENALTIES THE FACTS 2 SIDED INFO SHEET

SPEED LIMITS 1 SIDED INFO SHEET

You should always remember that one of the most important aspects of being a goods vehicle operator is to ensure safety and compliance at all times and this involves keeping your drivers' updated and aware of the rules and regulations. So, it's up to you, the Operator and/or your nominated Transport Manager, to be alert to this requirement! Ignorance is not an excuse ....................... ask any of the Traffic Commissioners!

The Traffic Commissioners and VOSA expect every operator to provide their drivers' with regular training, information and effective instruction on what they must be doing and this must be refreshed and updated on a regular and ongoing basis. We like to think that distributing copies of our information sheets to your drivers' will assist both them and you in complying with the obligations that were signed up to when your 'O' licence application was initially completed and the company 'O' licence granted.

FREE TRAINING NEEDS ANALYSIS

If you think that your operation may need some up to date information and training we provide a FREE training needs analysis to any company operating commercial vehicles from within East Anglia and the East Midlands.  Just e-mail: info@truckuk.net giving your contact details (including a verifiable mailing address) and we will arrange to visit you and provide a FREE training needs analysis.  If you are based further afield and think that you might like us to provide a training needs analysis we would still be happy to provide this service, but we may require a fee to cover travelling expenses.

PLEASE HELP US - If you believe that you and other operators' could benefit from being provided with additional information sheets to improve compliance that cover other topics please let us know by e-mailing info@truckuk.net  and we will do our best to provide something suitable and acknowledge your help within the document.

VOSA Guides. Easy to follow and free to download .........................

We would strongly recommend that every Goods Vehicle Operator Operator / nominated Transport Manager and in fact every voactional driver read and make sure that they fully understand the VOSA  Rules on Drivers' Hours and Tachographs - Revised 2009. Although this document has been available in various formats for many years, the latest amended and revised edition is probably the easiest to understand and of most use to those who are operating and/or driving commercial vehicles on the roads of the UK and across the rest of Europe.

Another Operator' essential read ...............................

Another 'must read' for every operator, nominated Transport Manager and goods vehicle technician is the VOSA Guide to Maintaining Roadworthiness. It lays out in an easy to understand format the responsibilities and systems to be followed to ensure authorised vehicles and trailers are kept in a compliant and therefore roadworthy condition. It's essential that every operation has procedures and systems in place to ensure that trucks and trailers are being constantly monitored and that any defects are dealt with effectively and a record kept of each and every issue that affects the fleet, however minor the problem may seem.

VOSA HGV Inspection Manual - available to download for FREE

Since April 2010 VOSA have made available their HGV Inspection Manual by download, for free.  If you go to the VOSA HGV Inspection Manual 2010 you can view and or download this useful VOSA manual.  It's essential that every Operator and nominated Transport Manager has a copy of the HGV Inspection Manual if they are to understand the Preventative Inspection Sheets vehicle technicians provide when they have carried out safety inspections on vehicles and trailers. The 'IM' numbers shown relate to the 'IM' or Inspection Manual numbers used by VOSA. So, if you want to follow what's 'defective' or 'advisory when you get a vehicle back make sure you consult the VOSA HGV Inspection Manual.

The Driver CPC for professional LGV drivers' has been in force for eleven months now and professional truck drivers' right across Great Britain and the rest of Europe should be undertaking the first 35 hours of JAUPT approved periodic training, required to be completed by September 2014. After a slow start to the year we have been encouraged by the amount of operators'  that are getting in touch and planning ahead regarding their drivers' periodic training. In-house bookings have surged ahead (especially for Saturdays!) and our specialist instructors are regularly presenting courses across East Anglia and the East Midlands.

APPROVED DRIVER CPC PERIODIC TRAINING - OPEN COURSES

We are providing occasional presentations of 'open to all' approved Driver CPC Periodic Training courses from our main training centre on the A605 in Northamptonshire at a TOTAL COST of £60.00 per delegate (this £60.00 fee includes the £8.75 fee payable to the Driving Standards Agency to cover the attendance registration costs per delegate AND includes the VAT element of the training, of £7.63).Compare this with other quality approved providers. Even taking into account various 'special offers' being promoted at the moment we still believe that we are competitive and that we can provide exactly what you are looking for.

There are still a few places left on the courses to be held in Oundle on Saturday 14th August and Saturday 11th September 2010. If you want to know more, or you want to book a delegate place or places JUST CLICK HERE!

Within the next few weeks, in conjunction with Fenland First Aid Services Limited, we hope to be providing a 7 hour module of approved periodic training covering 'Emergency First Aid at Work'. This course is recommended by the HSE in the new ACOP L74 as the minimum level of training for persons in low-risk workplaces. Attendance will not only provide delegates with a 7 hour Driver CPC module registration with DSA, it will also mean that attendee's will go away with a First Aid certificate and some very useful lifeskills.

If you want to know about 'open' courses that we are planning to present from October 2010 onwards just e-mail: drivercpc@truckuk.net  with 'remaining dates 2010' in the subject box of your e-mail and we will send you a full list of the provisional 'open' course dates.

IN-HOUSE COURSES

If you are interested in having an approved course provided 'in-house' and your company can provide a training room, that comes up to JAUPT standards and you have at least 8 delegates to put forward (drivers' from your own company or mixed up with others from operators in your area or including your sub-contractors etc.) for periodic training, we can provide a 7 hour module of JAUPT approved periodic training for considerably less than £60.00 total cost per delegate at a time and place to suit your operation! 

e-mail: steve.williams@truckuk.net for further information, with no obligation to take your enquiry any further. But please remember, if you want a full response from us please ensure you leave full contact details, that can be verified - mailing address, telephone number and e-mail.

SATURDAY COURSES PRESENTED ........ AT NO EXTRA COST

Whether you want a module of periodic training presented on a week day or at the weekend (Saturday or Sunday), or perhaps you would rather begin the course in the afternoon on one day (3.5 hours) and finish it off on the next morning (3.5 hours), or even presented to a night shift ......... whatever suits your organisation or type of operation (within the permitted times set by JAUPT) we can fulfil your requirements and the quoted fee will definitely be competitive. Please take into account that attendance at this type of training by drivers' should be counted as 'other work' when calculating their hours worked, as well as ensuring that daily rest and/or weekly rest requirements are not compromised by attendance.

We believe that no one else can or is able to offer you such flexible solutions for such a competitive price, guaranteed to be of top benefit to your drivers' and therefore of top benefit to your operation!  

Truck UK is committed to improve all of our clients level of compliance, while at the same time reducing their overall costs. Why not get in touch for a no obligation quote by e-mailing: steve.williams@truckuk.net for more information?

provides compliance advice and support to every type and size of commercial vehicle operator based within the United Kingdom. We are proud to provide total compliance solutions to a wide range of operators and we would be pleased to provide a no-obligation quote to any goods vehicle operator who would like to improve compliance, while at the same time reducing their overall costs.

Vehicle & Operator Licence Compliance Specialists

We provide specialist compliance audits of existing standards and procedures. Our audits are acknowledged as suitable to comply with Public Inquiry undertaking requirements.

  • we design, produce and implement bespoke Goods Vehicle Operator Compliance packages ('Smart Solutions');
  • we carry out ongoing administration and quality control of company practices;
  • we can carry out health and safety audits; compile company H&S policy statements and workbooks, and;
  • we can carry out company specific risk assessments.
  • We can supply category C theory test and Driver CPC initial qualification case study tuition (in-house only) and;
  • we can provide category C practical and Driver CPC initial qualification tuition (using client vehicles).
  • We present induction and refresher in-cab and classroom based training (using client vehicles) for all types of professional driver, including Driver CPC Approved Periodic Training.
  • We also provide various courses, presentations and tuition for transport office staff and management level employees.
  • From November 2010 we will be providing Operator CPC (Standard National) training courses, presented by Brian Szukala, previously Head of Training at the Freight Transport Association.

We provide company and even job specific best practice information sheets, driver handbooks and information packs. Why not download a free pdf format electronic copy of the 53 page Tachomaster Drivers' Guide to the Digital Tachograph written for Tachomaster by Truck UK, so that you get an idea of the quality of the work we offer to clients? You can also download, absolutely free, a copy of the Tachomaster Guide to the Correct Use of the Analogue Tachograph, again produced for Tachomaster by Truck UK.

Our driver and management training courses are designed and produced by industry recognised operator licence specialist Steve Williams. Information is presented in an easy to understand, yet comprehensive format. We do not follow the route of some other well known organisations who only provide delegates with photo-copied black and white copies of powerpoint slides stapled together to take away. We provide useful and easy to read workbooks and laminated information sheets, ideal to be kept in the transport office or truck cab for future reference.

We provide in-house drivers' hours courses; tachograph use and preventative maintenance standards and procedures courses, designed to meet both the requirements of the regulations and also your specific company needs. What's more we can present in-house courses at a time and location to suit each client, including evenings and weekends if required, at no additional cost.

If you are interested in finding out more just e-mail company courses giving a brief explanation of:-

  • what sort of training you are looking for and when you would like it (day/weekend/evenings);
  • what type of operation you have (general haulier/specialist/own account);
  • how many employees you want to put forward for training and;
  • if you have use of a suitable room for training and your location and;
  • your postal address.

Unfortunately we can no longer respond to enquiries unless a verifiable postal address is included. This is required for security purposes and will not be used for marketing. What's more, your details will be deleted from our files within 14 days if you decide not to use our services.

Enquirers will receive an electronically generated response as soon as possible (normally within 48 hours), outlining what we believe we can offer and what the cost to you is likely to be. If you require it we will visit your premises to discuss your particular query or needs and we can carry out a training needs analysis while there - this service is free to every prospective client based within East Anglia and the East Midlands. There is absolutely no obligation to take up our services if you contact us or we visit you. We will never add your details to any contact lists without your consent, nor will we ever pass on your details to anyone else.

THE DRIVER CPC: If you are an operator of goods vehicles of any description that are being used for any type of business (i.e. commercial use) you should already have added the cost of the Driver CPC to your annual budget for this year and beyond. The new mandatory training has been in place for eleven months now and the clock is ticking for you to get all your drivers through the 35 hours of training before September 2014. It will not save you any money to leave it until the last minute. In fact it is a virtual certainty that training costs will increase as we approach the first deadline date. Don't expect the 'special offers' presently being provided to still be around in 2013/2014! Nor will it impress the Traffic Commissioners or VOSA to find that you've been 'putting it off' and you have not implemented some sort of system or plan for this mandatory training to take place.

Since September last year (2009) every professional category C licence holder (don't forget this includes any staff who occasionally take out a commercial vehicle over 3.5 tonne gross vehicle weight) has been required to undertake 7 hours of approved periodic training on an annual basis (35 hours every 5 years) for the rest of their professional driving career. What's more, all new entrants to the commercial goods vehicle sector, who want to drive vehicles over 3.5 gvw for a living, have to take and pass two Driver CPC initial qualification examinations - case study and practical - as well as the category C vocational theory and practical tests.

is approved as a training centre by the DSA Joint Approvals Unit for Periodic Training (JAUPT) - No. AC0184 - to deliver Driver CPC Periodic Training to both existing passenger transport and existing goods vehicle drivers.

We are now presenting 7 hour modules of periodic training to employees of goods vehicles operators based across the UK and we are providing occasional open courses from our main training centre in Northamptonshire. PLEASE NOTE: within the next few weeks we will be providing First Aid courses in conjunction with Fenland First Aid Services Limited and from November 2010 we will also be providing National Road Freight Operator CPC courses, presented by Brian Szukala, previously Head of Training at the Freight Transport Association (FTA).

If you would like us to design, produce and put forward for approval 7 hour bespoke modules of Driver CPC periodic training for your own business, get in touch and arrange a no-obligation training needs analysis. e-mail: info@truckuk.net. We also provide 'train-the-trainer' services that include specialist help and advice regarding course content and production.

Alternatively we can provide an 'off-the-shelf' approved course - 'Driver Standards and Procedures'  that includes all the facts that every professional truck driver should be aware of.

PLEASE NOTE - THE TRAINING DIRECTIVE DOES NOT REQUIRE EXISTING PROFESSIONAL VOCATIONAL DRIVERS TO PASS AN EXAMINATION OR ANY TYPE OF TEST OR ASSESSMENT TO GAIN A DRIVER CPC / DRIVER QUALIFICATION CARD  -  JUST A COMMITMENT TO UNDERTAKE REGULAR PERIODS OF APPROVED TRAINING.

At Truck UK we have enough confidence in our training methods and the quality of the content of our courses to be satisfied that if any driver undertakes periodic training through Truck UK he or she is guaranteed to gain useful new skills and a better understanding of their existing knowledge of this industry of ours, without the need to put them through an examination to prove it. However, if any operator would like to have evidence of driver awareness of the content of any of our courses we can provide an assessment paper to be completed by delegates, although this cannot be taken within the time allocated to the periodic training, nor can the result have any bearing on the drivers' right to be registered with the DSA as having undertaken 7 hours of periodic training.

Information booklet - Driver CPC - THE FACTS

If you are an operator that has not yet considered the full implications of the mandatory training requirement we strongly recommend that you sit down and discuss the Driver CPC with us, or your existing training provider, as soon as possible. Even if you are convinced that the mandatory Driver CPC periodic training is not a priority at this time it really is important that you know exactly how it will affect you and your company in the years to come. To give assistance to operators we have put together an information booklet that should help with understanding the requirements of the Driver CPC. To view and/or download a free pdf formatted copy of this publication simply click with your mouse HERE

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has published: 'Driver CPC - the official DSA Guide for Professional Goods Vehicle Drivers' ISBN 978-0-11-553001-2. Truck UK are proud to have been involved in the design and production of this book. It is an excellent publication and has been specifically designed to help prospective goods vehicle drivers prepare for the initial qualification examinations and only costs £9.99. It is available directly from The Stationery Office and should be found in all good book stores.

If you think that we may be able to help you why not contact us by e-mail at info@truckuk.net for further no obligation information.

Truck UK ....... improving your compliance, while reducing your costs

 

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Driver CPC Open Course

JULY/AUGUST 2010 DATES

TOTAL COST

(including DSA registration and VAT)

only £60.00 per delegate

 

   
Tachomaster