Surrey & Hampshire HGV Training Case Studies

HGV Customer Case Studies

Antony Matthews

Antony Matthews lives in Aldershot, Hampshire and has recently joined a busy scaffolding company where he would eventually have to drive an 18 tonne truck to transport the scaffolding he would be using on site.

He passed his car test in November 2002 and feels he is a very confident driver however he mentioned that he struggled with some of the Theory Test questions due to not having access to any significant revision material.

Antony called us to discuss his needs and to find out how the training process works. We discussed this with him as well as the courses we provide and found this solution for him;

• We sent Antony a starter pack over which includes the forms he needed to send off for his provisional as well as a medical form that needs to be sent with it.
• We put him in touch with a local company that provides full medicals so that once he had that completed he could send off for his provisional straight away. He could also do this through his GP although this can cost
• We set Antony up with access to an online revision service so that he could gain the knowledge and confidence needed to pass his theory test. He was even able to start revising while he waited for his licence to be returned. Antony then gave us a call once his licence was back and he felt confident enough to give the Theory Test a go. The Theory Test is made up of two separate tests, the Multiple Choice and the Hazard perception.
• Once his Theory Test was complete we ask Antony to send us over copies of the Theory Test certificates that he received as well as copies of his driving licence so that we could check everything was ready for him to begin his practical training.
•  Our training location in Hook is within easy reach for Antony and so we discussed available dates with him and we booked in his 4 day category c training course.
• During the course of the 4 days Antony was taught on a 2-1 basis. This way he was able to pick up on things from the other student as well as receiving a total of 4 full hours driving spread out over the day. His instructor Glynis trained him on all aspects of driving a lorry including reversing and vehicle checks and they also leant the test routes so that he could gain confidence in preparation for test day.
• On day 4 Antony had a couple of hours training before they headed over to the test centre and he passed with just a couple of minors. As Antony passed his car test after January 1997 and is planning to use his licence to work for hire and reward, we also provided his Initial CPC course.
• The Initial CPC isn’t something that Antony was aware of before calling us. It is a legal requirement for all new drivers that intend to drive trucks for financial gain who passed their car test after January 1997. The initial CPC consists of a case studies Theory Test and a practical test. We provided Antony with online revision to prepare for the Module 2 Theory Test and booked his Theory for him. We also provided Antony with a training session to prepare him for the practical examination which includes a full walk round of the lorry and a “show me, tell me” set of questions.

When Antony came to Surrey & Hampshire HGV Training he was full of questions and he worried a little that the training process would be too long or complicated. Within approximately 8 weeks he successfully passed his training courses, gained his Category C (class2) licence and was out on the road earning money. Congratulations Antony!

Lissie Newman

Lissie is 19 and lives on a farm with her parents in Finchampstead where they own a number of different animals including horses. She didn’t want to continue having to rely on her parents to transport her horses for her and so gave us a call to find out how she could gain her licence.

After a little chat we discovered that although her current horse box was 7.5 tonne, she was looking at the possibility of another horse and so would then need a bigger horse box. We discussed the options and Lissie decided that she wanted to get her Category C licence to cover all possibilities. This is what we did for her;

• We sent Lissie a starter pack which includes the forms she needed to send off for her provisional as well as a medical form that needs to be sent with it.
• We put her in touch with a local company that provides full medicals so that once she had that completed she could send off for her provisional straight away.
• Lissie was keen to get started and so we booked her Theory Test as soon as her licence came back in the post. The Theory Test is made up of two separate tests, the Multiple Choice and the Hazard perception. Lissie had already taken advantage of the online Theory Test revision and mock tests we provided her with while waiting for her provisional to arrive in the post.
• We booked Lissie in for a 5 day Category C training course at our training location in Chobham. During the course of the 5 days Lissie was taught on a 2-1 basis. This way she was able to pick up on things from the other student as well as receiving a total of 4 full hours driving spread out over each day. Her instructor Malcolm trained her on all aspects of driving a truck including reversing and vehicle checks and they also leant the test routes so that she could gain confidence in preparation for test day. Lissie was struggling with reversing so Malcolm helped break down the process for her and they focused on making sure she was confident by day 5.
• Lissie passed her Category C first time and we then proceeded with her Initial CPC requirement. Although Lissie wouldn’t be using her licence to drive for financial gain, she still requires the Initial CPC course as she is under 21 years old.
• We gave Lissie the option of starting her CPC Module 2 Theory Test revision at the same time as her Catergory C Theory Test however Lissie chose to complete her Category C training course in full first so that she could give each aspect her full attention. After studying for her CPC Module 2 Theory Test using the online revision we provided her with we booked in her test which she passed and then we were able to book in her CPC Module 4 practical test. We provided Lissie with full training for her practical test which includes a “show me, tell me” set of questions.

Gaining your HGV licence doesn’t only open up loads of new job possibilities and the potential to earn more money. It can also give you more freedom and independence as we have found in Lissie’s case. If you want to find out more about what a HGV licence could do for you or for any further information on any of our courses, give us a call on: 01276 537400.

Mark Stevens

Mark has been a HGV driver for many years and has held his Category C+E (Class 1) licence since 1995. He has worked up and down the country and for a few different companies as well as doing some agency work.

Mark heard about the Drivers CPC from a friend of his who recently attended one of our periodic training courses but he wasn’t sure if it applied to him or what he needed to do.

We explained to Mark that any driver with acquired rights on their licence would need to complete 35 hours’ worth of CPC Periodic Training before 10^th September 2014 or would not be able to continue driving Lorries for financial gain until they were completed.

Being the sole provider in his family Mark needed to keep driving and keep earning and so this is what we did to help;

• We booked Mark in to attend our JAUPT Approved CPC Periodic Training courses in our purpose built classroom at Chobham.
• Mark wanted to spread the training out but also wanted to ensure that it was all completed before 10^th September 2014 and with lots of course availability this wasn’t a problem.
• Each 1 day course counts towards 7 hours of your Periodic Training and so Mark attended 5 courses in separate weeks so that it would have a minimum impact on his work and home life.

New legislation coming into effect can be daunting and not being sure how it affects you could make you worry about your driving career. A quick call to Surrey & Hampshire HGV Training really put Mark’s mind at ease and we showed him how easy it was to ensure he was complying with the new legislation and to continue driving for a living which he loves!

Edward Hurse

Ed was looking for a new career and so a friend of his who owns a removals company offered him a job but told him that he would eventually need a full Category C+E (Class 1) licence.

Having never driven anything other than cars before, Ed was nervous but very excited when he gave us a call to discuss the training process

Ed was keen to get started and to get the end result of his Category C+E (Class1) licence as quickly as possible. This is how we did it;

• We sent Ed a starter pack which includes the forms he needed to send off for his provisional as well as a medical form that needs to be sent with it.
• We put him in touch with a local company that provides full medicals so that once he had that completed he could send off for his provisional straight away.
• He completed a medical and sent away his licence to have the Category C provisional added, while this was away we set up his online revision for him so no time would be wasted.
• As soon as his provisional arrived back in the post he gave us a call back and we booked his Theory Test.
• The Theory Test is made up of two separate tests, the Multiple Choice and the Hazard perception. Once these Theory Test’s were complete we asked Ed to send us over copies of the Theory Test certificates that he received as well as copies of his driving licence so that we could check everything was ready for him to begin his practical training.
• We were then able to get his 5 day Category C training course booked in at our Chobham training location.
• During the course of the 5 day training, Ed was taught on a 2-1 basis. This way he was able to pick up on things from the other student as well as receiving a total of 4 full hours driving spread out over each day. His instructor Steve trained him on all aspects of driving a lorry including reversing and vehicle checks and they also leant the test routes so that he could gain confidence in preparation for test day.
• After successfully passing his Category C course, his licence was sent away to have his new entitlement added as well as his C+E provisional. As soon as he received this back in the post we were able to book him in for his 5 day C+E training course which he completed and passed with flying colours with the help of his instructor Kev.

It really is as easy as that to go from just having your car licence to being a fully qualified Class 1 lorry driver! Ed wasn’t sure what he wanted to do when he was looking for a new career and now he has a secure job and his future possibilities are endless!

If you have any queries or questions about any of our training courses, how the training process works or even if you’re unsure about The Drivers CPC then give us a call on: 01276 537400. We will guide you though the training process step by step and put you well on your way to a successful lorry driving career!