Truck and Track Autumn 2023 www.truckandtrack.com 52 PALLET NETWORKS Leading freight distributor Pall-Ex Group is helping to improve road safety by being the first network to offer in-house CPC training to its members, and wider body of UK HGV drivers. The industry-first initiative has been made possible by the award-winning Group providing CPC training to one of its established driver instructors, who is now qualified to deliver the mandatory training remotely and across the country. The Driver Certificate of Professional Competence, or CPC for short, is a statuary qualification needed by anyone who drives a larger vehicle professionally, such as a bus, coach or HGV. To maintain the CPC qualification, 35 hours of periodic training must be completed every five years, something that can now be achieved directly through Pall-Ex. The Driver CPC qualification was introduced in 2009 to help improve road safety and driving standards, delivered through modules covering legal requirements for drivers and health and safety elements. All those with a Category C or D licence are required to complete the training, with fines of up to £1000 for those who drive without it or do not renew their training. Pall-Ex is offering the leading, nationally-recognised RTITB approved course, which is either delivered at its central Leicestershire base, or remotely for groups of up to 16 people. It is managed by a fully qualified trainer from Pall-Ex with 25 years of driver training experience and will be tailored to the exact requirements of each depot or group of drivers attending. Joe Murfitt, Pall-Ex’s Central Hub Manager is organising the training. He commented: “Road safety is paramount to all commercial drivers and Pall-Ex is committed to helping keep standards high. By offering this training, we are ensuring that commercial drivers in the Leicestershire area, and nationally, are qualified and therefore can legally drive on the UK’s road network.” The course comprises two modules which can be completed over eight hours in one day. There is an element of online training, but the bulk is done in person with a qualified trainer, or remotely. All sessions are held on a Saturday to avoid disrupting general driver working patterns. Those attending the course need to provide a photocard driving licence, a valid passport, digital tachograph card or a Driver CPC card. Each driver will receive a certificate of attendance upon completing the course, and there are no exams or tests during the session. All paperwork is completed by Pall-Ex, who will add the training session to each attendee’s Driver CPC training record within a few days of attending the course. The program of courses has already commenced, with slots for the remainder of the year filling up fast. Commenting on its initial success, Joe Murfitt said: “There is a real appetite amongst our members for the CPC training as they trust Pall-Ex’s expertise and have welcomed the opportunity to upskill at their own depot. Feedback on the first session has been positive and, longer term, we are looking to train more of our driver instructors to deliver the CPC qualification.” Pall-Ex keeps UK hauliers on the road with launch of CPC Training Academy Fortec Distribution Network, a wholly owned subsidiary of Pall-Ex Group, is offering its members a market leading product portfolio by introducing the ‘Euro Pallet’ range. Recently, Pall-Ex Group embarked on its biggest product range review in over 10 years to ensure Fortec and Pall-Ex members enjoy the most competitive range of pallet options in the industry, improving both flexibility and efficiency. The review resulted in the introduction of the Euro Pallet Base range and the unique Parcel Pallet into the Fortec network, which will support consignments up to 1200kg. This will see the introduction of 5 new products, including: ■ Parcel Pallet: 0.8 x 0.6 x 1.0 (up to 150kg) ■ Euro Quarter: 1.2 x 0.8 x 0.6 (up to 300kg) ■ Euro Half: 1.2 x 0.8 x 1.0 (up to 500kg) ■ Euro Light: 1.2 x 0.8 x 2.2 (up to 600kg) ■ Euro Full: 1.2 x 0.8 x 2.2 (up to 1200kg) The new range will complement the existing standard tariff, including Fortec’s unique oversized pallet offering. Collectively, the Standard and Euro tariffs offer Fortec members the most comprehensive range of pallet dimensions available in the express palletised freight industry. Further innovation and market research has resulted in the launch of the Parcel Pallet which is unique within the sector. The Parcel Pallet targets the grey area of the express delivery market, which sits between large parcel and small pallet consignments. It provides customers with a cost-effective, efficient, and secure way to send large parcel and multiple parcel consignments. These additions to the product range give Fortec members the ability to offer complete flexibility to their customers, catering to a wider range of palletised freight requirements by allowing customers to choose the most appropriate pallet size for their freight. Barry Byers, Managing Director – UK Group, at Pall-Ex, says “We’re very pleased to offer Fortec members this comprehensive range of products, the most competitive in the sector. We are always striving to provide service excellence and value to everyone who utilises the network and this improved product range ensures we can do just that.” Fortec introduces ‘Euro Pallet’ range TRUCK & TRAILER SOLUTIONS WELCOME TOALLPORTS GROUP allportsgroup.co.uk Pall-Ex CPC Trainer Craig Brown
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