This story first appeared in the June issue of DieselTalk – CLICK HERE to download the magazine FREE
Sometimes in life, to better understand the needs of an industry issue – such as the heavy transport driver shortage – you should throw yourself in the deep end, and swim accordingly.
Truck drivers are communicators, road safety ambassadors, diplomats, and customer retention managers, yet many ignorant individuals sadly malign them.
Hence, a few weeks before publication of this issue, I found myself at Commercial Roads Skills in a classroom with a group of fellow trainee Class two, four, and five drivers.
“So why after all this time, do you want to get your full Class two licence now,” asked Commercial Road Skills’ general manager Tony Newth.
It was a fair question, given that I obtained my Class 2L in July 1994, but the answer is that nearly 22 years later, I felt that I couldn’t write about the industry needing more people with Class 2 to 5 licenses if I wasn’t qualified myself.
It was also a great opportunity to appreciate the issues at the coalface faced by thousands of Kiwi transport operators, every day.
The method of obtaining any driver’s licence has certainly changed since I qualified for my Class one more than 30 years ago, and in hindsight, I feel the current regime is a lot more thorough and better prepares people for life on the road.
Based at Airport Oaks near Auckland International Airport, father, and son team Les and Tony Newth operate Commercial Road Skills out of a small but functional office and training centre in Brigade Road, surrounded by a truck and bus depot – which is wholly appropriate.
It is a comfortable and friendly environment for the trainees, many of whom are upgrading from Class 2 to Class 4 and 5. Commercial Road Skills also provide training for passenger service operators and watching prospective taxi drivers learning how to handle a wheelchair, and assist a blind passenger, provided some amusement for our class.
Despite their friendly demeanour, the Newths run a tight and highly-organised operation, all of their future course dates are available online at www.roadksills.co.nz, which makes it easy for time-poor individuals such as myself – or for stressed transport managers – to find the course and time that suits their need and that of their employee.
I booked myself onto a two and half day Class 2 session led by operations manager Les Newth about two months out, to fit around my schedule.
A week before, and given the length of time since I obtained my 2L endorsement, Les kindly suggested that I come in for a bit of a briefing and to go through some of the technical aspects such as axle ratings and other knowledge to get myself back up to speed.
Day one saw three other students and me, tackling our study guides for Unit Standards 17574 and 17576.
It was a very intense day; we covered nine sections of the study guide which included driving a heavy vehicle, loading, and load stability, documentation, as well as checking vehicle systems and equipment.
We also covered engine, gears, and brakes, road hazards and driving emergencies, as well as reversing, parking, shutting down and securing a vehicle.
The great feature of the study guide is that there is a self-check questionnaire at the end of each of the nine sections, and it is a great reference to go back to if you haven’t climbed into a cab for a while.
Day two saw us tackle unit standard 24089, again with Les guiding us through the study guide and assisting us with a closed-book examination at the end of each section within the handbook.
There were only four sections, but again there was some intense learning as we covered mandatory subjects such as fatigue, work time, logbooks, and most importantly how to fill in the logbook correctly and who has the authority to ask to see it.
Just spending two days in the classroom made me appreciate that driving a heavy truck from Class 2 and above is truly a professional occupation.
Transport requires a unique set of skills, and even more so with the advent of changes to health and safety policy. A truck driver has a duty of care to him or herself, his or her employer and customer, all of their colleagues, as well as the general public and fellow motorists.
The average Joe Public motorist possibly wouldn’t understand the concept of swept path and tail swing, and they may not appreciate the many skills and responsibilities needed to safely load, pilot, and deliver the vehicle and its content to the required destination.
In the July issue of DIESELtalk, I will cover off part two of this journey after I head back to Commercial Road Skills for the practical training and assessment, and the driving test for my Class 2 licence.
