HGV driver training programme

With the need for additional drivers as a result of the expansion of their delivery truck fleet, rather than recruiting externally, Mobile Mini devised and implemented a bespoke training programme, open to existing employees across all 16 UK depots, stretching from Southampton to Glasgow.

The training programme was rolled out in 2016, at a cost of £4,000 per employee, following a warning that the great British trucker is in danger of disappearing from the nation’s roads. The Road Haulage Association says that it is short of 60,000 drivers, with an ageing workforce shedding another 40,000 by next year. Mobile Mini and the UK economy both depend on HGV drivers to deliver goods across the country and the RHA has estimated that the UK needs an extra 150,000 drivers by 2020. 

This year, two Mobile Mini employees have completed the programme, which consists of a number of different elements including; medical, theory and hazard perception, driver training, driver CPC training, HIAB training, driver induction and road and crane mentoring. The programme is delivered using a mix of external training providers and Mobile Mini’s own internal transport and safety team.

Chris Morgan, UK MD at Mobile Mini, said: “This investment will help us meet our high customer service standards, guaranteeing a consistently first class and safe delivery every time.”

As part of the company’s drive to constantly improve its operational efficiency; first class health and safety standards and its customer service, Mobile Mini will also invest a further £3.7m this year in its fuel efficient Scania delivery truck fleet. By the end of 2016 the fleet will include 50 lorry mounted loader crane vehicles, one of the largest of its kind in the UK. 

The company has also successfully achieved a gold award for three consecutive years, for its fleet of HGV delivery vehicles in the 2015 Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS), an initiative operated by Transport for London. The voluntary accreditation scheme, which aims to drive up standards amongst commercial vehicle operators throughout the UK, requires fleet operators to demonstrate meaningful improvements in safety, environmental impact and efficiency in order to be awarded the gold level.