NOVEMBER 2018 | 37
Motoring
Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk
AN L OF A TASK? SUPERVISING
A PROVISIONAL DRIVING
LICENCE HOLDER
Getting private
practice while learning
to drive plays an
important role in
gaining vital experience
behind the wheel before
taking the driving
test. Before you offer
to take someone out
make sure you have the
relevant information.
Truckman
introduces
new racking
conversion
service for small
fleet operators
Truckman, the UK’s leading manu-
This week’s tips give advice to all
those willing into giving the learner
additional driving experience from IAM
RoadSmart’s head of driving and riding
standards, Richard Gladman.
• Firstly let’s get the legal bits out of
the way - You must be at least 21
years old. You must have held a
full driving licence for at least three
years, your licence must be for the
same type of vehicle you are going to
supervise the learner in and the ve-
hicle must display “L” plates: https://
www.gov.uk/driving-lessons-who-
can-teach-you
• Remember you are the responsible
person and as such you are deemed
to be in control of the car when you
are supervising a learner driver, there-
fore the same road traffic laws apply
to you as to the driver, e.g. not super-
vising a learner driver whilst under
the influence of alcohol or drugs or
using a hand held mobile phone
• It’s also your duty as the responsi-
ble person to ensure the vehicle is
in a safe and roadworthy condition.
A very valuable exercise is to show
the learner how to carry out checks
to ensure the vehicle is safe to use
on the road – you can get a copy of
the driving test ‘show me tell me’
questions here https://www.gov.uk/
government/publications/car-show-
me-tell-me-vehicle-safety-questions/
car-show-me-tell-me-vehicle-safety-
questions
• We recommend fitting an additional
mirror to use as a rear view mirror
from the passenger seat; a suction
mirror often used to view children in
the back is suitable, widely available
and not an expensive purchase
• Talk to the learner’s driving instructor
regularly; working out a practice plan
can save valuable time and money.
Planning your route and what you
are going to cover is worthwhile as
driving around aimlessly won’t be the
best use of your time or experience.
Taking a learner somewhere too
advanced could also do more harm
than good
• Most importantly keep calm. Yes it’s
easy to say, but keeping calm really
will pay off and save any heated
arguments with the learner behind
the wheel
• Keep your instructions precise and in
good time – a learner needs to have
time to process the information and
then plan what to do, saying “care-
fully” or “slowly” when you mean to
say “use the brake pedal” can cause
confusion; words are interpreted
differently not always with the same
level of understanding. A useful
guide to sitting with a novice can be
found here http://roadsafetyscotland.
org.uk/sites/default/files/So%2C%20
Your%20Teenager%20is%20Learn-
ing%20to%20Drive_0_0.pdf
• Setting a good example and explain-
ing what you are doing when driving
can be really helpful – it gives the
learner an insight into what you are
observing, anticipating and planning
and gives them time to ask questions
without being in the driving seat
• Last but not least, remember things
might have changed since you learnt
to drive so when the learner says:
“but my driving instructor says I
should do it like this” listen and think
about it, you can always check with
the instructor later – you might even
learn something new
Richard said: “Research proves that a
combination of professional lessons and
extra practice builds experience and can
give a new driver a firm foundation for a
safe driving career. Driving is a life skill
so approach it properly with a good plan
and a clear idea of how your miles to-
gether fit in with the approved syllabus.”
facturer and distributor of 4x4 hardtops
and accessories, has launched a new ser-
vice offering racking systems and a com-
prehensive fit-out service to support SME
van users, particularly in the construction
and plumbing trades.
The new conversion service will offer
a bespoke full turn-key solution tailored
to small fleet managers and sole traders.
From project managing the conversion,
to investigating what vehicle security,
graphics and specialist electrics the cus-
tomer would benefit from, Truckman has
everything covered.
The new conversion service will cover a
range of racking accessories, including ply
lining, inverters, bespoke decals, electri-
cal charging systems decals, plus many
more.
The ALUCA racking is available for a
wide variety of vans and pick-ups and is
beneficial for many industries, due to it
being 20% lighter than most competitors
(fuel saving and decreasing payload),
100% recyclable, crash tested and comes
with an 8-year warranty, easy installation,
reliability, security and easy accessibility
for users.
As part of the company’s plans to
expand its pick-up racking capabili-
ties, industry professional Carl Bowcock
has been appointed to head up this new
venture as Business Unit Manager and
Value-Added Services.
Carl Bowcock, Business Unit Manager
at Truckman, said: “Truckman is always
looking for ways to expand its services
to accommodate businesses of all sizes
and from a diverse range of industries.
The versatility and accessibility provided
by the ALUCA racking will help overcome
issues faced by many trade businesses.”