The ‘yin-yang’ approach: Transport training focused on engagement

Training for transport professionals caters to a wide array of needs, from courses that refresh knowledge to specialised training for Driver CPC and O-Licence awareness.

Beverley Bell Training is by now a well-known provider. routeone took the opportunity to attend one of the company’s Transport Manager (TM) refresher courses earlier this year, which stand out for being the nation’s sole programme of their type tutored by former Traffic Commissioners (TCs).

Training from consulting

Beverley Bell Training offers full 10-day Transport Manager CPC training, O-Licence Awareness Training, safe operation of commercial vehicles, and bespoke Director and management level training to companies.

The firm began after founder and former TC Beverley Bell saw room for consultancy work that could help put operators back on the road to compliance.

Beverley brings 17 years’ experience as a TC to the training, but just as importantly, seven years’ experience as a transport consultant dealing with operators’ problems day in, day out. Added to that is some 15 years’ experience as a transport lawyer, which combines to make a sizeable amount of experience. According to Beverley, the decision to offer training was a natural progression from the consultancy work she already did. Where a training need was identified during consultancy to bring operators into compliance, Beverley could also provide that expertise.

A new approach

Current TC guidelines recommend a TM refresher course every five years. The two-day seminar that routeone attended took place in Coventry on 30-31 January, and drew together professionals from the coach and bus and haulage spheres, delving into the core responsibilities and challenges faced within both industries.

The TM CPC refresher courses are always hosted by Beverley herself, alongside fellow former TC Nick Denton.

Described by Beverley as a yin and yang coupling, the pair complement each other by Beverley being the extraverted balance to a more reserved and methodical Nick. Having two TCs with those opposing traits hosting the course is, according to Beverley, the most valuable aspect for delegates, as it used to foster better engagement.

Courses take place nationwide, with Beverley telling routeone that it is important that training happens across the country and at all points, drawing a diversity of delegates from PSV and goods in order that each group can learn from each other.

Within the seminar, TM CPC refresher training is approached as an opportunity to explore in detail the TM position, as opposed to a more conventional breakdown of training modules. Beverley is very clear that the sessions are not to be seen as a “box ticking” exercise; in short, the aim is to increase attendees’ awareness of the broad role of a TM and help delegates make sense of the various facets of the UK O-Licencing regime.

Unique approach

The TM CPC refresher course is varied, as are its attendees, and much effort has gone into its design. The training not only works to keep delegates up to date with regulatory changes but also serves, as one attendee in Coventry put it, as “affirmation for those that are doing things right”. Subjects covered range from driver management to enforcement tactics by DVSA.

Sessions make use of roleplayed scenarios — some pre-recorded and featuring Nick and Beverley in their own acting roles — and cover subjects such as how TMs can be empowered to manage employees, or what to expect during a Public Inquiry. Delegates are encouraged to engage in practical sessions, such as collaborating to identify discrepancies with maintenance sheets and drivers’ hours on handouts designed for the course.

Some moments are not for the faint-hearted. Dramatic case studies are used to analyse events leading up to catastrophe, and anecdotes from both former TCs are used effectively to engage with participants while adding a perspective to sessions that cannot be found elsewhere. Where there is a lack of consensus on an issue among delegates, discussions can become animated. Delegates are even encouraged to put themselves into the shoes of a TC to decide what consequences are appropriate for certain infractions, encouraging empathy for the enforcers — and this can result in some surprising answers.

The variety, the encouragement of participation from delegates and the broad experience and varied energy from both former TCs makes for lively participation from attendees. Beverley points out that achieving this liveliness makes the trainer’s job much easier too.

“Other trainers are trainers. We’re not – we’re people with specialist industry knowledge and it’s about transferring that knowledge to the delegates,” she says. “An awful lot of delegates think they’re going along to tick a box. But we want to make our course of interest.

“Sitting in a room for two days, people can start looking at the clock. Having two trainers changes the dynamics of the room. It means that one can talk about a particular area that they’ve got knowledge on, and then they can move on to the other trainer who has particular knowledge or experience, or a particular message they want to get over. That makes for a richer experience.”

Beverley notes that there will always be a need for two-day TM CPC refresher courses, but that Beverley Bell Training never wants to host the same course one year to the next.

“They always evolve, they always update and always change,” she says. “And it’s not just about the sessions. At lunch, there are interesting discussions between PSV operators and goods operators. They learn so much from each other, and that’s yet another way of spreading and sharing knowledge.”