Professional Drivers Invited To ‘Drive Alive’ With Novadata
Novadata has launched ‘Drive Alive’, the first of a series of new training courses aimed at helping professional drivers to achieve excellence in their daily use of commercial vehicles on the road. The course, which counts as seven hours towards Driver CPC training, addresses some of the essential basics of best practice for professional drivers. Suitable for either LGV or PCV drivers, it covers driver seating, the principles of vehicle checks, best practice on the road and the principles of fuel efficient driving.
Managing Director Su Winch explains why the Drive Alive course has been introduced. She says, “At a time when periodic training for professional drivers is now becoming the norm, it seemed right to examine some of the foundations for a long successful career on the road. For example, back problems can be an occupational hazard for professional drivers, and it’s a bigger problem than many people realise. By addressing this in the Drive Alive course, we aim to help drivers be aware of steps they can take to safeguard their physical wellbeing, keeping them, their cargo or passengers and other road users safer on the road.
According to the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) an estimated 7.5 million working days were lost in 2011/12 through work-related musculoskeletal disorders. These include trouble with the back, upper limbs and neck and lower limbs; one of the major causes is an uncomfortable working position. Novadata hopes to help drivers to avoid some of the worst effects of driving for long distances by paying attention to being comfortable and supported in order to reduce the risk of injury and strain.
“Safety and compliance is at the heart of the content on vehicle safety checks, as it is just as important to document the checks as it is to carry them out daily,” Su adds. “Everyone can benefit from a refresher course on being alert and observant on the road, but if you’re starting out in a new career in professional driving, this is a great way to form good habits from the outset. And with constantly rising prices, the wisdom of driving in the most fuel efficient way is obvious to everyone.”
The Drive Alive course is suitable for all professional drivers whether they normally drive a van, lorry, coach, bus or minibus.
Novadata is one of the UK’s leading providers of support items including analogue and digital tachograph accessories, tachograph analysis, course materials, DVDs, health and safety signage, and daily vehicle check record books. Its expertise is widely recognised and its executives are called upon to provide expert witness testimony in legal proceedings involving commercial transport issues. Based in Essex, Novadata serves the whole of the UK and is frequently asked to provide its training services at clients’ own premises.
For further information about Novadata’s training courses, products and services, visit http://www.novadata.co.uk or call 01376 552999.
