Driver Safety Services News

Funding for Certificate III Driving Operations (Bus) trainig program

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 21:02:59 +1000

Driver Safety Services and the Tasmanian Bus Association (TasBUS) have been successful in obtaining Federal Government funding for 25 places in the Productivity Places Program.

$6,000 per trainee will be provided under the funding program for 25 Bus drivers from six Bus Operators from across the State which are members of TasBus.

The training program will provide a Certificate III level qualification under the Transport and Logistics (Road Transport) National Training package - TLI131209 Driving Operations (Bus).

The training package is being delivered by Driver Safety Services in association with TasBUS and the Transport & Logistics Industry Skills Council under a tripartite funding Agreement.

Enhancing Professionalism

The following Bus Operators have given a number of their drivers the opportunity to gain a formal qualification, while enhancing the professional standing of their businesses and the Bus Industry in general in Tasmania through this initiative of TasBUS.

Participating TasBUS Operators: - Carlows Coaches, Brendan Manion Coaches, Tassie Link Transit, O’Driscoll Coaches, The Friends School, News Wagons

Funding Arrangement

The training package involves 19 units from the Transport and Logistics (Road Transport) training package under the Job Role of Driving Operations (Bus). Driver Safety Services and TasBUS selected the six elective units most appropriate for Route Bus Drivers and six units suitable for Coach Bus Drivers. Three days of training is to be completed before the first 40% of the funding is provided. 30% of the funding is provided after completion of 50% of the units and the remainder on full completion, achievable within 12 months.

The funding must be less than 90% of the cost of the training, with Operators contributing another $600 per trainee. Some trainees would have already undertaken the Transporting passengers with disabilities with DSS, the cost of which will be credited.

There will be a number of group training days held in the south and the north at times to suit Operators over the course of the program, but much of the assessment will be on the job, with Driver Safety Services employing an industry expect, Steve Lockley from O’Driscoll Coaches, to undertake the assessments at the workplace.

DSS can now provide Trucksafe assistance in Tasmania

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 10:02:23 +1000

A new partnership between the trucking industry’s leading business and risk management program, TruckSafe, and safe driving and efficient fleet management solutions provider, Driver Safety Services, is set to give Tasmanian trucking operators the chance to improve the safety and efficiency of their operations.

Recently, Driver Safety Services was certified as a TruckSafe Endorsed Service Providers, undertaking training that enables them to assist companies in implementing the TruckSafe system.

TruckSafe endorsed service providers are consultants that an operator can engage to assist them in the implementation of a new TruckSafe system or assist in the maintenance of an existing system.

Driver Safety Services has 25 years of experience in assisting trucking organisations improve their safety and efficiency.

Though up-skilling the Tasmanian road transport industry is its core business, Driver Safety Services also focus on working with both drivers and trucking companies to improve their safety on the road.

Now, as a TruckSafe endorsed service provider, Driver Safety Services can offer operators access to the industry’s own accreditation program.

TruckSafe Chief Executive, Stuart St Clair, said the partnership with Driver Safety Services will enable Tasmanian trucking operators to ensure they are maintaining the highest level of safety.

“By becoming an endorsed TruckSafe service provider, Driver Safety Services can now work individually with its client’s transport companies to ensure they meet the highest levels of safety management,” Mr St Clair said.

“TruckSafe is a business and risk management system that is aimed at improving the safety and professionalism of trucking operators nationwide, so having a partner in Tasmania allows us to further spread the use of the system.

“Becoming TruckSafe accredited not only improves the safety of trucking operations, it can help their bottom line.

“With more and more companies demanding businesses show their compliance under Chain of Responsibility, having TruckSafe accreditation can boost a business’s bottom line.

“A TruckSafe accreditation is an assurance that the transport company is audited regularly against the industry’s most stringent safety standards.”

Modifying driver behaviour the key to reducing crash risk

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:47:04 +1000

When there is an increase in fatalities, the solutions are often to increase enforcement and penalties targeted at a small section of the community, which doesn’t address the law abiding motorists’ inability to understand and correct their own driving behaviour, according to Driver Safety Services, the Tasmanian road transport industry’s own driver training organisation.

CEO of Driver Safety Services, Doug Ling said “95% of crashes are caused by driver error and making the wrong choices with drivers not reflecting on the risks they continually take.”

“Traditional driver skills training and car control courses do little to make drivers safer particularly young drivers. Research shows that car control courses create a false sense of overconfidence particularly in young drivers. However, training of drivers to develop reflective techniques to enable a driver to continually assess their own performance as a safe driver and learning to manage the risks they are exposed to has a lasting benefit.”Mr Ling said.

This approach is integral in the behavioural change model utilised in the Crash free driver education courses that Driver Safety Services(DSS) provides to major Tasmanian and national businesses and organisations, such as Aurora and Forestry Tasmania, also through a young driver program and to the general public.

The crash free program is different from other ‘advanced’ or ‘defensive’ driving programs as it is based on attitudes, knowledge and behaviour, instead of physical car handling and car control. The course provides participants with a greater understanding of potentially dangerous situations, helps in changing their attitudes, raises their awareness and helps them modify their driving behaviour.

The Crash Free Driving Program empowers people to effectively manage driving risks, can reduce chances of crashing to almost zero and helps drivers learn to change their own behaviour.

The Crash free driving course involves six hours of classroom learning, followed by a 10-day self-coaching period with a self coaching manual. Following the self coaching period, there is a two-hour review and assessment session. Information on Crash free courses is available by contacting Driver Safety Services on 1800 834 436.

Driver Safety Services further developed the behavioural change education model for the development of the national keys2drive young driver program recently launch in Tasmania. Keys2drive is an initiative of the Australian Automobile Association, funded by the Federal Government aimed to reduce the high crash risk of young drivers particularly in the first 6 months of P’s. Keys2drive involves a free lesson for a learner and supervising driver, supported by a comprehensive educational website. www.keys2drive.com.au

Innovative young driver education program keys2drive launched

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:27:07 +1000

During 2008/2009 Driver Safety Services project managed, designed and commenced implementation of a national young driver program, called keys2drive, for the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) and its constituent organisations, NRMA, RACV, RACQ, RACT, RAASA, RACWA, AANT.

The Australian Government has committed $17 million over five years (2007 to 2011) to develop and roll out the program across Australia. A pilot keys2drive program was launched in Tasmania in June 2009 and Driver Safety Services commenced training of Driver Instructors in Victoria in July and August 2009 to roll out the program in Victoria by late September 2009, followed by roll out across other staes during the rest of the 2009/2010 financial year.

keys2drive is a behavioural change program that is designed to combat the dramatic increase in crash risk the day novice driver’s transition from L's (Learner licence) to P's (Provisional licence). The behavioural change educational approach developed by Driver Safety Services for keys2drive is a unique attempt to address the high risk of novice drivers during their first six months of driving solo which is a world wide phenomenon.

Learner drivers are helped to become their own instructor, supervisor, and assessor. They learn to 'talk to themselves' as these people would. In this setting learners practice safe P plate driving while still on L's.

keys2drive is designed to improve the quality and quantity of supervised learning by helping parents/supervising drivers be more effective in their driver training role and fosters the important relationship between a Learner, their supervising driver and their professional driving instructor.

key2drive encourages involvement in the program by;

- Providing one free professional lesson by an accredited driving instructor for Learner drivers accompanied by their supervisor;

- Employing an engaging and sophisticated website, rich in learning experiences and supporting information, to connect with the three main participants - beginning drivers, driving instructors, and supervisory drivers. The website communicates explicit and implicit messages through traditional means, on-line games, and Explore (a web 2.0 environment).

keys2drive accredited driving instructors undergo a voluntary accreditation scheme which involves initial training and ongoing professional development.

For more information and to register in the program go to

keys2drive

Launch of new multi-use B Double training vehicle

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:09:34 +1000

In launching Driver Safety Services' new multi-use B Double training vehicle in Devonport on 23 July 2009, the Tasmanian Minister for Infrastructure, Graeme Sturgess, said the new vehicle would provide greater access for heavy vehicle driver licence training and assessment for the Tasmanian road transport industry.

The Minister said “With the forecast doubling of the freight task in Tasmania over the next 10 years, it is important that training facilities are put in place to meet the demand for highly skilled and safe drivers for high capacity B Double trucks and other heavy vehicles.”

CEO of Driver Safety Services, Doug Ling said “The new training vehicle, developed by Driver Safety Services is unique, with inbuilt hydraulics for ease of conversion from a B Double and Heavy Combination(semi-trailer) to a Heavy Rigid configuration in the one vehicle, providing flexibility for greater access for training and licence assessment for heavy vehicles across the state.”

The availability of the B Double training vehicle opens up greater access for training and obtaining a licence for drivers seeking to gain employment without an employer having to make a B Double available for licence training and assessment which is often restrictive and costly for the employer.” said Mr Ling.

To meet the shortage of well trained heavy vehicle drivers, particularly with an ageing work force in the road transport sector, Driver Safety Services, which is the Tasmanian road transport industry’s own driver training organisation, has developed nationally recognised Certificate III training packages which provide career paths in the road transport industry from the coach and bus industry, the forest industry, to the general freight and logistics industry.

Doug Ling said, “We are working with the road transport industry to press for reduction in driving age and insurance premiums for heavy vehicle drivers for those undertaking nationally recognised training packages.” Currently the minimum age for a light rigid truck or bus licence is 19 and insurance excesses are prohibiting young drivers under 25 entering the industry.

Driver Safety Services is incorporating its leading edge Crash free driver education program in its heavy vehicle training packages.

“Unlike traditional vehicle control and advanced training courses, the Crash free education program is a behavioural change program which has a lasting benefit, as it trains drivers to develop reflective techniques to enable a driver to continually assess their own performance as a safe driver and helps them to learn to manage the risks they are exposed to.” Mr Ling said.

For further information and photographs of the new training vehicle go to: uploads/file/B%20Double%20Configurations.pdf