Is the training provider qualified?
Anyone with a lorry licence can set themselves up as a trainer – they don’t have to have instructor training or even any driving experience! Always ask for their trainer number ad check it on the DSA website. My trainer number can be found on my Home page.
How many years have they been established?
Like any other industry ours has its “fly by nights” that setup one company after another.... that won’t help you if you have paid for a course with a defunct company. Ive been esablished since 1985 and I'm here to stay.
It would be wise to have an assessment before signing up!
Learning to drive HGV is an intensive process and it is important that you get to meet with your instructor and get a feel for the vehicle you will be training in before you commit yourself to anything. Don’t just hand over your hard earned money and attend training blind!
Don’t just go with the trainer that quotes you the least hours!
It may be an expensive way to boost your ego! A typical retest costs about £300, so it can often be a false economy. A good trainer will give you a realistic estimate and be prepared to adjust it
as necessary depending on how your training progresses.
This is a common trick employed to keep you needing retests! Costly in time and money.
Make sure you know how many hours you are paying for!
Check how many Driving hours you will be doing. Not spent parked up. You should only be paying for your training time. I will tell you straight how many hours you'll need and the majority of those will be spent in the Cab whith the wheels turning!
Make sure there NO hidden costs on top of the price quoted!
Eg; Hire of reversing area or hire of vehicle for the driving test. Quite a few trainees complain that they have done training over a week or two then been hit with fee for the vehicle hire! A training price should include all the incidentals, as it does when you learn with me!
Have a start date and a test date to work
to!
Some trainers book tests as they need them. Get a confirmed test date before you start. This can also mean a long wait for retests and the longer the delay… the more training time you will need to
re-familiarise yourself with the vehicle.. the more cost involved.