Driver Safety Services News

December Newsletter 2011

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:36:04 +1100

DSS December Newsletter 2011

Snowy Weather !

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 09:25:06 +1000

We are all set to start this season’s Snow and Ice driver training program in the Snowy Mountains with our main high altitude customer - Snowy Hydro. This year we welcome the RSPCA who also will be completing the Alpine Driving Course.
DSS offers customers operating alpine regions of Australia and New Zealand snow and ice driver training. Understandably we are restricted to conduct quality training when there is snow and ice, so it is going to be a very busy next few months helping our customers understand the risk when driving in snow and ice conditions.

Any business wanting to improve their employee’s skills in Alpine driving this winter season, please contact us to organise a course either in NSW, Victoria or Tasmania.

Crash Free Driving Goes Practical !!

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:35:46 +1000

With the increased acceptance and success of DSS Crash Free Driving Learning Program, DSS has developed a practical element involving in vehicle coaching for up to three people. This element can be delivered as an add on to the standard 3 part Crash Free Program or can be delivered in a stand alone format.

The aim of the practical session is to address business' needs for practical driver 'training' but to do so in an 'everyday' environment. That is, DSS Practical Crash Free sessions target daily needs such as maintaining crash avoidance space, using your 'radar' to anticipate and respond to problems and challenging you to find ways of driving safer. These sessions are delivered in urban and rural environments, that is, areas where employees drive daily.

DSS avoids advanced driving arrangements in environments such as racetracks and skid pans because rarely used techniques are difficult to recall in extreme situations. Aren't you better off avoiding a crash situation rather then getting into one and then relying on rarely used techniques?

DSS provides Rural Fire and Emergency Driving Training Solutions

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:23:47 +1000

In response to increased demand from clients involved in emergency services, DSS has developed and now delivers tailored curriculum to meet these needs. DSS expertise in this area extends to off road heavy vehicle usage, such as Category 1 Fire Tankers, as well as off road emergency driving.

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

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