Archives 2021

Long distance heavy goods driving is a rewarding career with excellent benefits. It can also be fast paced and busy, and learning how to manage large vehicles over long distances is key to a long and successful driving career. Here’s our top tips.

You’re bigger than everyone else! Spatial awareness if key when driving large vehicles – give other vehicles lots of space in front of you as heavy vehicles will take a longer time and distance to break effectively. When changing lanes, be aware of your many blind spots, diligently use your indicators and try to change lanes as little as possible – only when it’s necessary!

Look after yourself. Make sure you take your regular breaks every time, and make sure you are able to get enough sleep between trips. If you’re feeling too tired to drive, never risk it – stop the vehicle in a safe place and where possible aim to take a 15-20 minute power nap.

Maintain your vehicle. It’s important to have a basic understanding of vehicle maintenance just in case. Check your vehicle thoroughly before you start any long journey.

What are your top tips for long distance driving?

For more information about our driver CPC training courses, contact 01582 383033 or rue@wetraincpc.co.uk.

Summer is on its way! We’re very excited for the warm weather, but it’s vital for those driving for a living that they stay safe when driving long distances in hot conditions. Here’s how.

How are your tyres? Hotter temperatures can cause your tyre pressure to go up – Make sure you regularly check your tyre pressure, as if that pressure gets too high, there could be serious consequences…

Watch out for the vehicle overheating. If your vehicle starts to overheat, pull over as soon as you can, turn off the engine, and let the vehicle have time to cool down. If you can’t pull over immediately, turn your vehicle heating on to divert heat out of the engine. Slightly uncomfortable, but completely worth it.

Check your fluids. We don’t just mean take lots of water with you on your journey – Make sure your coolant, windscreen, brake, transmission fluid and oil are all topped up. These basic checks can make all the difference in avoiding your vehicle overheating.

Look after yourself. Make sure your vehicle is well ventilated and be sure to take regular breaks – the heat can leave drivers feeling lethargic if there’s not a steady supply of fresh air.

For more information about our driver CPC training courses, contact 01582 383033 or rue@wetraincpc.co.uk.

It’s been a discussion raging on for many years. Which is more efficient – Petrol or Diesel? And what are the pros and cons of each?

Diesel vehicles used to benefit from lower taxes, but this is no longer the case. Equally, diesel vehicles are fitted with a Diesel Particulate Filter, which can clog if you’re not regularly driving on motorways. Diesel vehicles also are in general more expensive that petrol cars; this used to be a cost recuperated by lower taxes, but as this is changing there’s fewer benefits to buying more expensive diesel vehicles.

Diesel vehicles used to hold their value much more than petrol cars, however with recent changes in legislation, with higher taxes for diesel vehicles, it is expected this will soon change.

There is also a move by many global cities to ban diesel vehicles by 2025, as they produce more Nitrogen Dioxide than petrol cars, which is thought to have bad effects on our respiratory system.

There are positives for fans of diesel vehicles; although Diesel at the pump is slightly more expensive than petrol, on average diesel vehicles have a better fuel economy that petrol vehicles.

What’s your preference?

For more information about our online driver CPC courses, contact 01582 383033 or rue@wetraincpc.co.uk.

More and more organisations and supply chains are going eco friendly and electric vehicles are becoming ever more popular as a solution to the huge amount of pollution caused by traffic. Some in the logistics sector are starting to move to electric HGVs, but will we see full electric fleets anytime soon? What are the pros and cons of electric vehicles?

PROS

Going electric clearly has a number of benefits. Running a cleaner fleet is clearly of benefit to the climate, which can be a fantastic selling point to potential customers, beyond the obvious benefits to the environment. In addition, after the initial investment electric vehicles are cheaper to run, requiring less servicing and fewer replacement parts.

CONS

Despite the benefits, there are some things to consider when looking into going electric! If overcharged, electric vehicle batteries can get damaged, and currently electric vehicles can’t do long distances on one charge. At the moment electric vehicles have a capacity of about 250-300 miles per charge, and with limited charging stations across the country this could prove a challenge for now.

For more information about our online driver CPC courses, contact 01582 383033 or rue@wetraincpc.co.uk.

If you drive for a living, your licence is of utmost importance, and driving offences can complicate matters. Here’s everything you need to know about what to do if you have or acquire a driving offence if you drive for a living.

What driving offence? There are a wide number of driving endorsements a driver can receive at any time, with the most common types of offences including speeding and driving through red lights. Adhere to the law at all times when driving; the best solution is to avoid getting any endorsements in the first place!

Be honest. If you drive for a living, it’s temping to lie about any endorsements – it’s vitally important that you be honest at all times. Lies could lead to insurance policies being invalidated which could have grave consequences. Plus it’s pointless; many companies can run checks on your licence and any endorsements will be revealed.

What does this mean? A driving offence doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t drive for a living any longer. Many organisations will take on drivers with limited or mild offences, depending on the circumstances, so keep applying – and always declare it!

For more information about our online driver CPC courses, contact 01582 383033 or rue@wetraincpc.co.uk.

Shift working can at times mean that drivers find it difficult to get the adequate sleep and rest they require, especially if they are working through unsociable hours. Sleep deprivation can have massive consequences, especially for long distance drivers – here’s some top tips for avoiding mistakes.

Remember the rules. You shouldn’t be driving for more than 9 hours a day and you shouldn’t work more than 13 hours a day – following this guidance is vital for making sure you’re not too tired to work.

Make sure you take breaks. They may seem unimportant, but forgetting or neglecting to take breaks as required can have a huge impact and lead to accidents.

Stay refreshed. Take plenty of water with you on shifts and try to plan healthy and nutritious meals with slow burning energy to get your though. Coffee may seem like your best friend, but it really isn’t! Caffeine can give you a temporary boost but may leave you feeling more tired later on.

The best cure for driver fatigue? Avoid it! Ensure that you get a good rest between shifts – Exercise is also a great way to relax!

For more information about our online driver CPC courses, contact 01582 383033 or rue@wetraincpc.co.uk.

Unfortunately, traffic jams are something that many of us, including those who drive for a living, can’t avoid for long. As our roads become more congested, it’s likely we’ll be hit with heavy traffic more and more. So how can you stay sane and safe during the next traffic jam?

Take a break! If heavy traffic is starting to gather, it might be time to take a break from the driving, especially if you’ve been on the road for a long time. A cup of coffee later, and you might find the traffic has started moving again…

Stay alert. Stop and start traffic can lead to drivers becoming distracted, especially as people are driving slowly. Even when driving slowly, accidents can happen – Make sure you’re paying attention to the road at all times and stay safe.

Take care of your vehicle. There’s a danger of vehicles overheating in traffic jams and delaying everyone else further – Keep an eye on your temperature gauge whilst in traffic. If your temperature gauge starts to rise, turn your heater and ventilation systems on and open the windows. Additionally, keep an eye on your fuel levels – If you’re at a standstill for a long time, turn off the engine and reserve your fuel.

For more information about our online driver CPC courses, contact 01582 383033 or rue@wetraincpc.co.uk.

Are you looking to kick start your driving career but not sure where to start with CPC driver training? We offer affordable and flexible CPC training according to your needs. But what is CPC training and why do drivers need it?

The Driver CPC (Driver Certificate of Professional Competence) is required by anyone wanting to drive a HVG, LGV, bus or coach as a professional. Once you have a CPC you will need 35 hours of refresher training every 5 years. The idea behind the qualification is to improve road safety and driving standards, and makes sure drivers are kept up to date with legal and safety requirements.

The training itself includes study of the theory of driving, practical tests and case studies.

If you’re driving a HGV and LGV for a living, it is a legal requirement to have your CPC and to undergo 35 hours of additional CPC training every 5 years – if you don’t, you could face a fine of £1,000!

Our JAUPT approved Driver CPC training is designed to suit you. Chose which training modules you want to sit, choose how many hours you need, and choose from either our Milton Keynes or Luton & Dunstable training centres.

For more information about our online CPC driver training and to book your next training session, contact us on 01582 383033 or rue@wetraincpc.co.uk.

LGV and HGV drivers face more legislation than most on the road, and keeping up to date with any updates or changes is important. Are you aware of recent changes to LEZ and London’s new DVS schemes?

Last week on Monday 1st March the Direct Vision Standard (DVS) came into force in London. It means that any and all HGVs over 12 tonnes driving in London must meet the new DVS standards. Any vehicle over 12 tonnes not meeting these standards will face a daily £550 fine, so it’s important to check it out. If you know your vehicle has a zero star rating, you can apply for the permit and submit a written statement online. For more information, visit the TfL website.

There’s also been a change to the Low Emission Zone standards, with new restrictions brought into force to tackle air pollution. If you drive an HGV, van or other specialist heavy vehicle over 3.5 tonnes gross vehicle weight or a coach over 5 tonnes gross vehicle weight within the LEZ and it does not meet Euro VI (NOx and PM), you will need to pay the daily LEZ charge. The charges are as follows:

• Is Euro IV or V (PM) – you will need to pay a daily charge of £100
• Doesn’t meet Euro IV (PM) – you will need to pay a daily charge of £300

For more information about our online CPC driver training and to book your next training session, contact us on 01582 383033 or rue@wetraincpc.co.uk.

Many of us are now getting used to life amid COVID-19, and over the last year what with multiple lockdowns and disruption there has been a growth in demand for delivery drivers and supply chain workers. Everyone must do their bit to keep safe amid COVID-19, but this can be particularly challenging for LGV and HGV drivers due to the nature of their work – here’s our top tips for keeping drivers safe.

Safety first! Those in charge of loading sites must make sure everyone is safe at all times, following current government guidance. That includes site workers and drivers, who may be from other sites, and how they interact and support one another.

Access to facilities. Drivers must have access to toilets and handwashing facilities whilst on site – it is a legal requirement. Make sure facilities are well sign posted and consider ways to keep everyone safe, including providing separate facilities where possible.

Ensure social distancing. If you have a break room or driver waiting room, ensure users keep to social distancing rules. Put up signage and provide handwashing and sanitation facilities. Depending on the site, if social distancing is not possible drivers could as a temporary measure wait in their cabs, as long as driver and worker safety is adhered to.

You can find out more by visiting the government website: https://www.gov.uk/transport/driving-and-road-transport

For more information about our online CPC driver training and to book your next training session, contact us on 01582 383033 or rue@wetraincpc.co.uk.