In response to the driver shortage crisis the previous government removed Vocational Licence “stage testing” thereby allowing candidates to move from a Car to an Artic in one go.
A laudable effort, but as an experienced instructor I can see the pitfalls, which learners might want to think about before parting with hard-earned cash.
Firstly, look closely and you might have noticed that an articulated vehicle doesn’t turn the same as a car or a truck. They’ve this annoying habit of bending in the middle, which they are designed to do.
And that means that driving one of these beasties is more of an art-form rather than a science.
And this skill takes time to learn! Hell, even experienced drivers c**k it up from time to time and they’ve 100s of 1000s of miles on their Tacho-card!
But unfortunately for the learner, that means more money.
Before the changes, when faced with stage testing, you would learn how to drive a big vehicle in roughly 16 to 20 hours, and then 16 to 20 hours to drive an Artic.
Now some schools say you can do both in half the time?
Really?
How many hours did it take for you to get your car licence?
Could you do pass your car test in half the time? Honestly?
To do this, some schools use 10m “baby-trailers”, it bends like an artic but it’s a world of difference to a standard vehicle.
It’s not the school’s fault as such, it’s a consequence of policy.
But schools are not your best buddy, they’re not your wing-man, nor are they a charity, they’re a business who’s performance is assessed by their pass-rate with the DVSA.
So, you pay your money, you get your licence on a baby-trailer. But then what?
You’ve a licence for a vehicle that is rarely used in the industry and lack the skill needed to drive a prospective employer’s vehicle!
And all the time that cash is slowly racking up interest on the credit card. 😢
Next Episode: My "Bark-ministrator"
Comments