A new report from ECG – the Association of European Vehicle Logistics reveals that good driver training helps to prevent accidents when loading and unloading vehicles from car transporters.
The report is called ‘Making the industry Safer – Reducing accidents in FVL, 2020 incidents & analysis’ and compiles the findings of ECG’s Health & Safety Working Group’s incident reporting initiative over the past year.
It is the second consecutive year in which ECG has published the report, but much greater participation means the total number of incidents reported has almost doubled from 85 to 160.
Continuing trends
The new edition shows a continuation of trends reported in 2019, in particular that many incidents could be avoided by adequate training in safe loading processes.
Steve Thomas, general manager for vehicle logistics at Toyota Motor Europe and co-chair of the working group, said: “I am very excited that we had the first report last year and again we are able to issue a new report this year.
“Strangely for safety it’s good to say the statistics are increasing because we are now getting a better understanding of where the industry is in this critical area of safety.”
How trained drivers help
Driver training helps to prevent a variety of health and safety risks when loading and unloading vehicle transporters, including:
- Accidental vehicle roll-offs
- Early drive-offs
- Falls from height
- Slips and trips
- Vehicle collisions
The report also lists some risks that experienced drivers may be more likely to anticipate, for example:
- Familiarity with the vehicles being transported
- Securing vehicles using a consistent method
- Awareness of ‘no-step’ areas on transporter decks
By using well-trained drivers, vehicle transport specialists like Ontime help to make sure the industry stays safe for everyone: drivers, the general public, clients and their cars.
Ontime’s commitment to quality
At Ontime Automotive, expertise comes as standard. We not only use cutting-edge car transporters to get your vehicle to its destination in pristine condition; we also have a team of experienced, fully qualified and fully trained drivers.
We routinely transport vehicles to mainland Europe and beyond, so our drivers are not only familiar with British road laws and best practice, but are also experienced at driving overseas.
Our services include classic car, vintage car and supercar transport, covered car transport and specialist services such as transporting full-scale clay model prototypes.
Beyond driver training
We go beyond the industry standard expectations when training our drivers, so you get more than just the necessary levels of competence.
All of our drivers are trained to be discreet, to help maximise the security of hidden loads in covered car transporters.
This is backed by technology including GPRS telematics and full vehicle movement tracking throughout the UK and Europe, for total confidence in the location of your car at any time.
Find out more
If you would like to work with a vehicle transportation specialist that offers a cutting-edge fleet, fully trained drivers, and safe and reliable operations across the UK and Europe, contact Ontime Automotive today.
Just fill in our online enquiry form or call us on +44 (0) 1295 770040 and a member of our team will be happy to help plan your next vehicle transport safely and securely.