My daughter is a driving instructor (cars). A house move has given her an opportunity to look at an alternative job. An interview she has shortly has asked her to do a short presentation and the brief is ?To a fleet manager of a transport company to persuade them that a road safety initiative would save them money and lives?
As her experience is mostly cars she needs some appropriate input relevant to larger vehicles.
What are your biggest safety concerns? And do you have solutions!
Many thanks.
|
Any worthwhile answer you are going to get is going to be very long! May I suggest that your daughter rings round the local transport firms, explains who she is and what she wants and why, and try to get herself invited to visit them for a couple of days of seeing how it all works. I only mention this as some years ago I was one of about 20 candidates for 4 vacancies for a post. I was lucky enough to be chosen and I later asked how the decision had been arrived at and was told that we were all suitable and the clincher had been that the jobs went to the people who had taken the trouble to visit the site and ask some questions. 2 days of face to face for your daughter would be more worthwhile than written help given to you here, IMO!
|
|
Thanks AS. A useful suggestion.
|
Our company used to put company car drivers on a RoSPA defensive driving course, redone every few years. When I enquired when we might have me booked on it again I was told "we stopped doing that to save money" whereas the original logic was to do it to save money. We've never redone it. Maybe the fleet is small enough to not bother (still self insured).
With the standard of driving of some lorries (one nearly ran into me today as I joined a motorway - plenty of room but he accelerated when he saw me trying to join!!)
Best of luck to your daughter by the way.
|
do some research on some fleet web sites
|
|
|
With the standard of driving of some lorries (one nearly ran into me today as I joined a motorway - plenty of room but he accelerated when he saw me trying to join!!)
Was this as you were approaching that dotted white line that denotes it as being a "Give Way"?
Any way, back to the original question:
One of previous jobs I had 29 drivers and a mix of vehicles from 3.5t up to 44t. The way that company dealt with it was to send me on an Assessors driving course (very worthwhile), and then I had to go out and assess the drivers, if I felt that their standard was not high enough I could put them forward for more training, this was done by an outside company (the same one I did my assessors course with). this was the same for all of the companies branches in the UK.
That was the only company I have worked for that did that, all the others just check to see if you have a valid licence!!
|
Google Thorntons+Transport. I can?t give it a Tinyurl as it?s a download and don?t think they work.
The info whilst not directly related to safety described how huge reduction in running costs plus road safety can be achieved by their methods.
The Transport Manager now retired who is a friend described the system to me a couple of years ago.
It gave them huge results in reducing running costs which is a benchmark for the industry.
As each driver returns to base an automatic download from this system is entered into the site computer.
It records every action the driver takes including at what revs etc when he changes gear and of course the comparative fuel each driver uses. Road safety is included.
I believe it would be valuable information and a print off may well give her a double edged sword.
wemyss
|
ParcelForce/RoyalMail were trialling a similar system about 10 years ago, with a box on the dash with a row of LED's, green ones when driving economically, amber then red when not - also got a full house of lights if you braked hard!!! Data was recorded for each vehicle and driver - Never heard what they did with it in the end as I left the driving side of the business shortly afterwards.
As a bit of a side note there have been studies that have shown that heavy acceleration can actually be more fuel efficient then gradual. On a long run the quicker a truck gets to it's cruising/most efficient speed, the better.
|
As a bit of a side note there have been studies that have shown that heavy acceleration can actually be more fuel efficient then gradual.
Mobil Economy Run contenders in the carburettor days often had very lean-tuned cars whose exhaust valves they hoped would survive the run. The technique was something like this: use top gear only and accelerate at full throttle from 15 mph to around 30 (maybe 40) and then turn the engine off and coast down to 15mph again, bump start in top full throttle to whatever speed, engine off, etc., for hundreds of miles on end.
What a nightmare. For anoraks only.
|
|
|
|
"Was this as you were approaching that dotted white line that denotes it as being a "Give Way"?"
No. Plenty of time and road and the sliproad in question is actually quite long although eventually it does narrow of course. I was well ahead of him and going faster too.... and then he speeded up. I could have still stopped but then doing over 60mph and he's gaining....
|
Still early days but a good selling point is the new Corporate Manslaughter legislation which places the onus on employers to provide or expect sufficient training and qualification otherwise their necks are on the line.
|
|
|
...and then he speeded up?
Could I ask what type the lorry was and what car you drive?
I've never had an issue with wagons burning me off and I have 45 bhp on a good day!
|
Find out about the company, how big, how many employees, when formed, by who, how has its business developed over the years, etc etc.
Any interview panel will be impressed by an applicant who knows a bit about their business, or who has at least tried to find out.
The OP doesn't say if the job is with a transport firm, but if it is, the presentation should be tailored to them as far as possible.
Small things help, like using a picture of one of their lorries, rather than an unwritten one or somebody else's.
Mind, I'm bound to say things have moved on since my day.
Presentations? I don't think so, interviews were a quick chat followed by a nervous, sweaty handshake and the dreaded: "We'll be in touch."
|
|
As a person whose interviewed for many years, and in recent years using a "structured" interview model don't allow her to go off subject though. Time will be a factor and time spent flannelling and not getting into the bones of what's been asked for will be a waste - sounds pretty specific to me.
Edited by Pugugly on 24/07/2008 at 14:35
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
See if this document helps:
www.london.gov.uk/mayor/environment/air_quality/do...f
For other material, input following in search engines: fleet manage "road safety" save money
|
|
The Road Safe site contains a lot of info, including this on a company who needed to take further steps after conventional initiatives "plateaued". tinyurl.co.uk/vauy
Edited by nortones2 on 24/07/2008 at 14:47
|
|
Thanks to all for their suggestions. I will pass them on.
|
|
If she can visit the facility where the presentation is given beforehand, it will be an immense help. She can make sure her laptop works with their projector etc, and get an idea for the size of the audience.
|
Do you still need some details???? If so, let me know, i can probably send her some information.
Bear
|
|
Thanks, Bear. I will come back to you. She has been 24 hours late in submitting some computer assessment, and she will have to phone up to see if she is still on the list. Silly girl.
|
She has been offered the job!
Thanks to all for their input. The replies caused her to do a lot of useful research.
She says I make a very good admin assistant.
|
|
|
|
