According to the Road Haulage Association (RHA) the logistics industry is the UK’s 5^th largest employer. Worth £124Bn per annum to the UK economy, there are plenty of career opportunities within the sector – and it is still growing.

Road haulage is an essential part of business in the UK, and worldwide. The effectiveness of the UK economy is dependent on having a logistics and road haulage industry that works for everyone. The pandemic has highlighted this fact all too well and internet retailing has meant that demand for products is even greater than ever.

98% of all consumer produces and machinery are moved by road freight in the Great Britain – the entire country relies upon this industry to run their businesses, feed their families and generally live their life.

The Covid-19 pandemic brought into sharp focus how much we all totally rely on the logistics industry to keep our lives on track – from keeping stock on the supermarket shelves to vital medical supplies and vaccines.

With so many eyes on the logistics sector due to Coronavirus and Brexit, new and exciting challenges await those with the right skills and abilities. The growth of the sector means now is the best time to enhance your career and develop your skills.

More than Driving

The logistics sector offers many career opportunities beyond driving. Other career opportunities in the sector include supply chain management, transportation analysis, logistics engineering, procurement and much more. What’s more as the world becomes ever more globalised, you could have the opportunity to expand your horizons and become involved in international logistics management.

If you are looking to begin or advance your career in logistics and take a step into management, there are a number of course offerings available.

As you become more involved in the operational side of a logistics operation, you may find that Operator Licence Awareness Training (OLAT) is very helpful. It will introduce you to many of the key responsibilities of the Transport Manager and help to keep you up-to-date with the latest industry legislation. If you have an opportunity to become a fully-fledged Transport Manager, you will need to take a Transport Manager CPC course. This is mandatory, but also a very useful, career-enhancing qualification.

With so much growth within this industry, and predicted to grow even further, now is the perfect time to gain some new skills, brush up on old skills and put yourself in a position to enhance your logistics career.

The Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) is a qualification undertaken by professional drivers. The purpose of the certificate is to improve road safety and maintain high standards of professional driving. Gov.uk states that for professional drivers of buses, coaches and lorries, Driver CPC training must be undertaken periodically to fulfil 35 hours of training every 5 years.

As one of the UK’s leading providers of Driver CPC training, Driver Hire Training have developed a CPC training range of 20 modules. Each of these modules has been carefully designed to ensure that it is highly relevant to drivers and their work.

Keeping up with a highly regulated industry

Professional drivers are working within a highly regulated industry and therefore it can be hard to keep up. Combine this with the consequences being serious when things go wrong, and it becomes incredibly important to provide courses which help with these concerns. The most popular topics reflect this.

For example, the following courses remain popular:

• Drivers’ Hours & Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations
• Digital Tachograph
• Road Traffic Laws

A worthwhile investment for transport operators

Investing in good driver training is not only beneficial for drivers but also for transport operators. Not only is good driver training essential for keeping your drivers safe, but you can actually earn back much more than you spend on training. There is great inherent value in investing in your drivers but there are specific courses which tend to be especially popular with transport operators such as Fuel Efficient Driving.

Online Driver CPC training

With the social distancing and other restrictions that we have all faced in 2020, classroom-based training became difficult, if not impossible. As a result, for the first time, the Government has allowed Driver CPC training to be made available online. This is an exciting development for several reasons. It allows drivers to choose the most convenient times for them – whether on weekdays, evenings or weekends. Without having to travel to a physical classroom, the training is much more accessible. This is the first-time drivers have been allowed to complete Driver CPC training courses online. Driver Hire Training were among the first to develop a “Virtual Classroom” and it has proved an incredibly popular development.

It is important that drivers ensure they complete the necessary amount of Driver CPC training every 5 years – you can check how many hours of training you have done on the Gov website. With so many popular courses to choose from, all tailored to the needs and requirements of professional drivers, it is easier than ever for operators and drivers to meet their obligations with Driver Hire Training.