July  15th (republished 27.02.2022)

We are all Ambassadors - image is everything

The moment we step into our vehicles we are ambassadors for our Industry, our Profession and our own Business - be it a large one or small one.  We are representatives for the ideals of high driving standards and we should be representing everyone's idea of the perfect driver.

To some they think of us as the gods of driving, if only they knew.

We have all seen the posts and heard the comments by others on social media about bad driving, people love to have a go, and if it is a professional that they can take down, all the better and the bigger the audience will be. ADI groups regularly carry posts on other ADIs seen exhibiting low driving standards, sometimes even dangerous and selfish behaviour. Our own pupils just love to give us the news of other instructors they have seen apparently breaking the rules.  Taking the roof box off at the weekends doesn't hide you either as your car will be known in your locality, you are most likely to be well known, and together you are easily identifiable.

When you think of it, we are, in a sense, no different to the footballers that we see on TV at the present playing recently in the Euros, tennis players at Wimbledon or any other profession in the public eye.  People love to find fault and criticise.

Even on social media it is incredibly important to get the image right. So often you can see ADIs tearing into one another often being offensive and bullying, it is so rife that the admin on these groups cannot cope with it.

All this given that English has the largest number of words for any modern language in the world today and yet I see f*** and similar used regularly in social media.  Just think how this looks to those outside of our profession on public and open platforms. This demeans our profession and makes it look very lacking, plus I do not see it on any other source, why do we do it, why do we stay and insist on recycling these words for all to see. Please guys, think outside of the box and consider how others will see us, let's try and raise the standards a little. Let's try and cut the bad language out, but most importantly stop the bullying that we see on social media that is hated by the general public and your colleagues alike.

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Are we all on a franchise?

Are we all on a franchise with the dvsa? Are we all dvsa franchisees, think about it for a second. 

We pay for an operating licence (ADI badge). We work to their rules and they inspect us, the car and our premises to make sure that we maintain the standards that they want to see delivered. If we fall short in their eyes we are reprimanded and our grading is reduced, possibly even our right to use their branding as a dvsa ADI removed with the resulting loss of employment and income.

Really we have no more rights than the guys running garages, burger bars, pubs, restaurants et al, as part of a major chain.  But there the commonality ends as all the others receive lots of backup and support.  I will grant that the percentage taken of income in a franchise fee is considerably more for them than us, but then their turn over is in the tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands and in some select cases the millions of pounds more. What do ADIs get for their franchise fee? It has taken years of arguing and pleading to get the current outflow of emails yet none of it is really informative, it is just telling us new things to make life better for the public and all this is easily accessible on line within a few clicks, or it makes it easier to find information. 

It has nothing to do with what we really need to know.

It does not update us on the through rate of new examiners for example, and how many will be coming into the field to relieve the pressure. ( one has appeared recently, they must have my keyboard tagged) How many applied and made it to interview, how many made it to the training and completed. Plus what is the expectancy of them lasting more than 6 months when they find out what it is really like when they sit with a candidate after candidate for day after day. We need to know what they are doing to stop the crisis with the booking system. We need answers not platitudes that you would hand out to children to get them to behave, or be quiet.

Test routes available on line for payment of ££s

Why are we seeing this item rearing its ugly head again? These routes tend to be years out of date, more so than even some ADIs licences that have qualified in recent years.  Going back to an earlier item on the Blog, we can accept that the dvsa has no control over these people as they will be working outside of the dvsa website and direct influence, so not easy to control. But, surely as they are claiming to be advertising the dvsa test routes then surely the dvsa can use its powers and have these taken down, even if only through the Trading Standards Office or the  Office for Consumer rights these all work on our behalf and there is nothing to stop any of us ADIs making a complaint. If they are run and the 'goods' are being offered by an ADI, there could be a good case of removal from the Register.

To any new ADIs - in the last 10 years, or so, who are thinking of paying for these, please don't part with your money as the dvsa stopped publishing the routes ages ago, also the routes have been reset to cover the new itinerary, so they are as much use as a chocolate teapot.  Save your money and when the time comes around, sit in the back on a test, you will see where they will go and more importantly how a great pupil can crumble when on test.

We have submitted, by our Barry Kenward, a request for information on this very item to the dvsa and as soon as we hear back it will be passed on to all of you.

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Theory Tests.

The dvsa are sending out emails with a gusto and telling the world about the increase in theory test centres from 180 to 202, that represents an increase of 12% of extra pass certificates and new learners flooding onto the market. Absolutely brilliant, except for one problem....where are they going to take the practical tests and who is going to examine them? We have a massive backlog of around  the half million mark waiting for practical tests, and a fresh supply of around a million a year in applicants (both new and repeat candidates), will the dvsa be lobbying HMG for an extension to these certificates as there are not enough ADIs to teach them, examiners to test them, and test centres to conduct the practical test when they expire  as they did for tens of thousands last year? Or will they say, Sorry, we are not able to do that, we don't have the power to extend - it is in the statutes, I am afraid you will have to pay and sit the test again. Will the dvsa be guilty as charged with obtaining money under false pretences as many, many certificates will undoubtedly expire unless a massive increase in examiners happens before these come out?

I doubt it?

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Lorry drivers desperately needed nationwide

We recently have seen bundles of items on the news over the past month on the shortage of lorry drivers and food going to run out parts for just about everything in short supply and the loss of 30,000 driving tests in the pandemic. There is a national shortage of HGV drivers of all classes, somewhere in the region of 70,000 drivers is one figure I have seen quoted.

Honestly, is anyone surprised at this and have you seen the rates offered for the job with some companies? This is not a new problem and we in our industry have seen this coming for nearly 20 years because the companies do not want to train new drivers, just the same as they did not want to train electricians, plumbers, bricklayers, etc, etc. Whilst there was a cheap labour source readily available from the continent and elsewhere all were happy, and our own home grown supply, well it just dried up. I have been telling pupils for years to look at this as an option but they claimed the money was not good enough and they have been right.  Men and women are asked to drive these big beasties on roads that were not built for them, in traffic that dislikes them and treats them with contempt, and with stop-offs that are not fit for them to take a break. Why would you have wanted to do the job, I wouldn't at some of the current rates of pay I have seen advertised, would you?

I have heard that many companies now are paying a lot better and even attracting ADIs for a better regular income with all the benefits that will go with it. Good luck to all those who are making the jump and give us a wave in the traffic jams.

Grumblers email address

There is now an email address for the Grumbler thegrumbler@theaadi.co.uk so you can drop a line if you have a question you'd like to ask, or a story/information to provide/pass on (in total confidence of course so dvsa employees need not worry).  Trolls will be ignored and deleted by my pet Ork.

As usual, if there is anything that you see is incorrect or, plain wrong, I apologise, and if you drop a line via the Contact Us page it will be edited.