Copart launches new driver academy
Copart UK has announced the launch of a new Driver Academy Programme to recruit and train the next generation of HGV drivers for its expanding, self-owned, UK-wide transportation fleet.
The company has launched the £1m-plus programme in partnership with HGVC, the leading provider of commercial licence acquisition training courses in the UK, to secure the future supply of highly skilled Copart drivers.
The ambitious scheme, which aims to deliver 100 new fully trained drivers in the first year, is part of Copart’s wider expansion plans to continually enhance its vehicle collection and delivery capabilities across the UK, alongside a vehicle investment programme to ensure the ‘greenest fleet on the street’.
With a recent survey by the Road Haulage Association estimating a shortage of more than 100,000 qualified HGV drivers in the UK, Copart’s Driver Academy Programme will not only help counter this skills shortage but will also provide a long-term pipeline of appropriate candidates training to be Copart HGV vehicle movement specialists.
The Copart Driver Academy will be managed through a centralised system, with real-time communication lines which will provide Copart with a wealth of ‘live’ information on the training and progress of all its drivers, as well the ability to source prospective candidates.
The programme also offers supporting modules for qualified drivers to help them maintain their periodic CPC training and upskill in various categories, delivered through HGVC’s extensive JAUPT- approved network.
These modules will include courses on first aid, safer urban driving, records and enforcement, and safe loading, all specifically tailored to the bespoke range of Copart multi-car transporters.
The programme will also undertake driver risk assessments, which can provide Copart’s logistics team with crucial online data on driver behaviour patterns and help identify further training module requirements.
Jane Pocock, managing director of Copart UK & Ireland, said: “The Copart Driver Academy is focused on ensuring that we continue to provide highly skilled and quality assured drivers across our fleet.
“Whether it is recovering a vehicle direct from a policyholder or delivering one of the hundreds of thousands of vehicles we move a year, we know that having a self–employed, trustworthy, and fully accountable workforce is paramount to delivering world class logistics across the UK.”
