New Approach to Driver CPC Training Boosts Compliance for Jack Richards & Son.

National road transport company Jack Richards & Son has worked with RTITB to standardise its Driver CPC periodic training, improving and maintaining compliance with DVSA Driver CPC rules and other legal requirements.

“The most important people in our operation are our drivers,” says Demus Smerdon, Training & Hygiene Manager – South, from UK-based haulage, warehousing and storage company Jack Richards & Son.  “So, we deliver training of value, not of necessity.”

Jack Richards & Son joined the RTITB Master Driver CPC Consortium, the largest in the UK, in 2015 to address the Driver CPC training needs of its 500+ drivers.  “We started working with RTITB as it offers us a one-stop shop for all our driver and instructor training needs,” says Demus.

First, 8 Driver CPC Instructors were trained to receive RTITB’s recognised qualification, enabling them to deliver flexible and professional Driver CPC periodic training each year using the training materials from the vast RTITB Driver CPC course library.

“The RTITB training materials have been an important part of challenging complacency around training in the business,” says Demus. “The RTITB training is delivered in a way that respects drivers and treats them as our most vital resource. This has been key to increasing loyalty and retention among driving staff.”

“Plus, Instructors do not have to rely on PowerPoint so they can tailor the training and use different delivery methods.  As a result, our drivers are more engaged with, and positive about, Driver CPC training than ever before,” Demus continues.

As well as improving training standards, working with RTITB has also enabled Jack Richards & Son to ensure greater compliance. This is partly due to the professional support provided by the RTITB team, which ensures all the necessary administration for compliance can be easily completed.

“By working with RTITB we have complete reassurance of compliance and enjoy exceptional operational support from their team,” says Demus. “We have found that if you deliver the right training, you save time and money on managing things like compliance issues further down the line.  This is what makes working with RTITB genuinely good value.”

As the RTITB Driver CPC Master Consortium is managed by experienced Lead Auditors, this helps ensure that the business is protected from risk at all times.  In addition, members have access to a growing library of 100+ training topics which companies can tailor to their business objectives, including those around meeting legal requirements.

“The course library has enabled Jack Richards & Son to deliver Driver CPC training across a wider variety of subjects than ever before,” says Laura Nelson, Managing Director for RTITB. “This has not only enabled training to be used to encourage professional development among drivers, but the right choice of training topics has also equipped drivers with increased knowledge ensuring operational compliance.”

In addition, the RTITB Instructor Academy works alongside the RTITB Master Driver CPC Consortium to provide recognised Driver CPC Instructor training to further reassure companies of compliance and consistency throughout all of their training.

“Although 7 hours of Driver CPC training a year is not enough to change a company, it’s enough to cement drivers’ skills and responsibilities and bring about a culture change for the better,” says Demus. “Operations that treat Driver CPC as a ‘box ticking’ exercise are missing a trick and we’d recommend they talk to RTITB about their training needs.”

Jack Richards & Son is a privately owned and independently run company, operating road haulage services around the UK, palletised-load distribution across Europe and the UK as well as localised warehousing and storage.  Contract haulage customers range from the largest multi-nationals to medium-sized enterprises.

To find out more about how Driver CPC Periodic Training from RTITB can help improve compliance in transport operations, or to enquire about joining the RTITB Master Driver CPC Consortium, visit

www.rtitb.co.uk

or call the specialist RTITB team on +44 (0) 1952 520207.