Tanker drivers and training need assessment

The usually unresolved controversy between the drivers and their employers on brake management, load management, speed management and road worthiness of vehicles.

5. Lack of in-depth knowledge of the components, workings, effects and dangers of alcohol, energy drinks, cannabis, and other forms of psychoactive drugs (including some categories of prescription drugs) as well as the effects of sex – in – transit and the use of sex enhancement drugs on driving.

If FRSC, state governments and driving schools in Nigeria buy one million tankers and other articulated vehicles for the training of drivers, it will not solve 10 percent of the problems. Rather, it will result to a waste of resources unless the above – mentioned challenges are adequately and effectively addressed.

I also want to suggest that all the transport companies that are operating fleets of articulated vehicles should be allowed to use their experienced drivers to train the newly employed drivers on how to drive or operate the vehicles as they have been doing in the past. They should also have driving range. The popular training system hitherto used includes accompanying the new drivers in journeys for hand – on training which is good. To become trailer drivers, they must have known how to drive smaller vehicles like buses with reasonable driving experience.

All the articulated vehicle owners must however be compelled by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and state governments to send all their drivers to  FRSC – accredited driving schools for mandatory capacity building training programmes where they will be deeply taught the above – mentioned topics among others and issued with “Certificate of Competence” by the driving schools (to be renewed annually).

Arrested traffic offenders should be fined and promptly sent to driving schools for correctional training programmes without any iota of compromise.

Driving schools however need to complement their training with computerised simulators designed for drivers of articulated vehicles, videos and other relevant driver education resources to enhance the effectiveness of their training programmes. Driving schools will surely be able to do this if their training opportunities currently being hijacked by the FRSC and some state government agencies are totally left for them to run.

What is much more needed now is a result–oriented stakeholders forum which will include the Ministries of Transport (Federal & State), FRSC, VIOs, Association of Driving Instructors of Nigeria(the Umbrella Body of the Driving Schools in Nigeria], Transport/Haulage Companies and the various Transport Companies to proffer the short–term and long-term solutions to the challenges. The previous exclusion of driving schools from the stakeholders’ meetings is a very costly error which needs to be promptly corrected to achieve the desired goals.

Without any iota of doubt, I am very confident that these prescription will drastically reduce and eventually eliminate the accidents involving the Drivers of articulated vehicles in Nigeria.