Transport Manager Refresher Training: have you done yours?

Nick Denton, the Traffic Commissioner for London and the South East, has criticised a lack of knowledge and professionalism among transport managers called by him to public inquiry.
Whilst drivers are required to undertake refresher training, there is no such requirement for Traffic Commissioners. Nick Denton states that many transport managers “have not bothered to attend training since they qualified 20 or 30 years ago.”
This lack of knowledge of current legislation and best practice resulted in failures of legal compliance and lead to the summons to Public Inquiry. The Traffic Commissioner contrasted this attitude with that of those transport managers that he met at training events run by industry bodies, who appeared: “bright, dynamic, and keen to develop themselves professionally by undergoing regular training.”
Mr Denton said that a good transport manager would “take their continuous professional development seriously. But too many cannot be bothered, taking pride in being ‘old school’ (too often just a synonym for useless).”
He concluded with a word of warning for the employers of such individuals: “If you are an operator with one of these transport managers, please get them trained urgently, get someone else, or just surrender your licence to me now.”

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