Train the trainer conference at RTITB in the West Midlands looked at the answer. A full-house event of hauliers, trainers, awarding bodies and a traffic commissioner.

Trailblazer qualifications are headlining the transport news, both LGV and Express delivery courier, but who trains the trainers? To teach someone to drive a car you have to be a qualified instructor. There has long been discomfort in the heavy sector that no such qualification is needed in the truck world; the DVSA has a register but you don’t have to be on it and you don’t need any training qualification to teach truck drivers their driving skills.

RTITB launched their truck driver trainer standard in Telford. Carl Lomas, IOC chair, attended what was a big turnout. Hauliers, training providers, a traffic commissioner and awarding bodies were greeted with a display of heavy haulage from a yard full of MAN Iveco and Scania trucks.

Express delivery / courier trailblazer apprenticeship standard has been authorised by BIS at level 2, level 3 and 4 is on the starting grid and framework assessment design has begun.

IOC Tracey Worth met up with UPS at the recent RTITB train-the-trainer conference in the West Midlands to understand the system that leads to a high quality delivery in the express sector. Tracey had the discussion with Gary Swift and Andrew Louden who leads the UPS driver training for UPS UK, based in Tamworth, Midlands.