RTITB introduces new LGV Driver Training Standard

On Friday 12th February, RTITB hosted an event attended by leading figures from the UK’s transport industry to celebrate the launch of its new LGV Driver Training Standard, the first of its kind in the LGV driving profession. The three-hour event was held in Telford, at the UK headquarters of preferred regulatory body for workplace transport training, RTITB.

The LGV Driver Training Standard has been developed to assure a consistent high standard of training for LGV drivers across the UK and has set out ambitious objectives including having an overall first time pass rate of 75%; well above the current national average of approximately 55%. 

“The new LGV Driver Training Standard will greatly benefit drivers, employers, and the transport industry as a whole, particularly as part of the solution to the ongoing skilled driver shortage” says Laura Nelson, Managing Director of RTITB, who presented at the event. 

“This is the first time such a standard has been set. It is designed to improve the quality of LGV driver training. The standard ensures drivers are taught to be safe and productive at work, and provides a benchmark to measure the training given. It will also help purchasers of driver training, whether individuals or companies identify organisations which provide good quality training and deliver more than the minimum required to gain a ‘pass’ on the DVSA test,” adds Laura Nelson.

The event also featured the presentation of the certificate to the first organisation approved as meeting the new LGV Driver Training Standard criteria. This was Denby Transport Ltd of Lincoln.

The event concluded with a lively Q&A session where a range of questions were answered by representatives from RTITB, Maritime, Manpower Logistics, MAN and Merlin Supply Chain Solutions.

The Driver Training Standard from RTITB is structured around the four modules required for vocational LGV licence acquisition. A series of detailed Instructor Guides and accompanying training resources set out a training programme which ensures best practice preparation for the statutory tests and then goes on to deal with the ‘real world’ skills and knowledge which make a driver truly ‘work ready’. The Standard was developed in conjunction with industry experts, logistics employers (both large and SMEs) and well established LGV training providers. It sets out the standards that must be met for vehicles, instructors, administration, facilities, training content and resources to ensure that they meet the requirements for professional and effective driver training. All instructors training under the standard are also entitled to attend an annual CPD event to ensure their skills remain current and the instructor guides will be updated annually to ensure the LGV Driver Training standard is always fully up to date and delivering the training the industry deserves and needs for the future. 

Using an approved training organisation that meets the LGV Driver Training Standard provides assurance that training will be conducted to a high standard.  The LGV Driver Training Standard Instructor Guides cover all topics necessary for quality LGV driving and are a valuable addition to a profession which previously had no standardisation.

For an employer wishing to deliver training in house, the RTITB Driver Training Standard provides all the tools necessary to succeed and an invaluable opportunity to benchmark their training performance against other employers and commercial training providers.