Trailer Handling and Awareness Courses

IMPORTANT LAW CHANGES: 
Car and trailer driving tests (B+E) will stop on 20 September 2021. You can no longer book a car and trailer driving test on or after that date. The Government will change the law so that you will automatically get this category on your driving licence. This will be some time later this year. Until this law changes you will still require the B+E category to tow trailers as per the current government guidelines. 

Find out how the rules are changing and how this law will affect you. Car and trailer driving test - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

We offer trailer handling (duty of care) courses to fulfil the requirements of the duty of care need by employers by law under health and safety regulations.

The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSW Act)

Driver competence

The law obliges employers to consider the health and safety capabilities of people when they give them tasks to do, and to ensure that they are properly trained before being exposed to risks in the workplace.

Drivers should be capable of operating the vehicle and related equipment safely and should receive instruction and training as appropriate.

Training drivers

It is essential to check what experience individuals have of the vehicles they will be using and the work they will be doing and, where appropriate, to check that the information they give is true, for example, employers will usually need to check that references to training schemes etc are supported by certificates.

It is likely that training will need to cover:

• General information about the job, for example route layouts, or how to report risks or accidents.
• Training and checks to ensure that people can work safely. For a driver this is likely to include: Making sure they know how to operate the vehicle safely, How to load the vehicle, Reversing safely, 
• Information about dangers, driving laws and speed limits, parking and loading areas and procedures et.

It may be necessary to test trainees on site, even when they produce evidence of previous training or related work experience. Always check that trainees understand what they have been advised.

An ongoing programme of training and refresher training will usually be necessary for all drivers and other employees, to ensure their continued competence in a changing workplace.

Keep training records for each employee.

Consider keeping a central register of whom in your workplace is competent to control which vehicle. This will make safely allocating tasks and keeping track of abilities much easier.

Our trailer handling and awareness courses are 4 hours in duration and designed to increase driver awareness on and off the road, giving you the confidence to tow and handle a large trailer ensuring safety in loading, reversing and the general use of large trailers.  we can cover the following:

• Relevant trailer weights
• Checking driving licences
• Daily trailer checks
• Trailer health and safety
• Loading the trailer
• Hitching and un-hitching
• On road driving disciplines
• Reversing straight and corners
• Stability and snaking problems
• Relevant towing law

This course is for all candidates, regardless of if they hold the B+E.

Prices: Call for details and Prices

Companies benefit from their workforce completing a duty of care course giving employees the knowledge to tow and reverse large trailers safely, reducing risk, of damage and injury. This helps employers achieve higher safety standards, reducing accidents and insurance costs. 

This course is for individuals or groups and covers the same content as the trailer handling and awareness courses but there is more emphasis on the health and safety element for trailers used for company use and a certificate is issued to clients on completion.

Prices: Call for details and Prices

This is a theory based course designed for company owners or managers and directors who are responsible for personnel who tow trailers within the company.

The course covers the following:

• Driving licences
• Relevant vehicle and trailer weights
• Matching of the vehicle and trailer.
• Daily trailer checks
• Trailer health and safety issues
• Loading the trailer safely
• Hitching and un-hitching
• Reversing procedures
• Stability and snaking problems
• Relevant towing law
• Do you require a tachograph

These courses benefit the company and managers to help ensure the workforce is complying with relevant trailer issues and are competent in carrying out there duties safely when towing reducing risk, of damage and injury. This helps employers achieve higher safety standards, reducing accidents and insurance costs. 
A certificate is issued to clients on completion.

Prices: Call for details and Prices