OVER the past year the Fleet Driver Training Association has moved from conflict to consensus over the best way forward for the industry, and now represents the majority of the UK's leading training companies. Membership has risen from the founding 10 members to 17.

And the association's mission statement: 'To give client organisations confidence, through the Code of Conduct, that FDTA member companies will offer the highest standards of training and best practice,' is nearer achievement with a firming of the Code of Conduct.

Already trainers have to be ADI certified for in-car training, and all LGV and HGV trainers most hold the respective licences. The next step is to establish a dedicated fleet training qualification, which builds on the ADI certificate, to include areas specifically relevant to company car, van and lorry drivers.

The establishment of a more concrete industry standard, with a formalised complaints procedure if the Code of Conduct is breached, will give fleet operators much greater confidence to invest in driver training, an industry which is set for rapid growth as companies increasingly appreciate the need to invest in their most valuable assets - their employees. For further details on the FDTA, contact James Sutherland on: 01246 568953.