This article originally appeared on Roadtransport.com. To read the full story, click here:http://www.commercialmotor.com/latest-news/pan-industry-fleet-engineer-training-planned
The Freight Transport Association (FTA), the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Institute of Road Transport Engineers are to create a steering group to develop a career path for the 30,000 CV vehicle technicians in the UK.
Rapid advancements in technology, as well as the implications to fleets of the looming Euro-6 regulations on new vehicles from 2013, means training and assessment of technicians is paramount, say the organisations.
However, they warn that there is a lack of training options for fleet engineers with higher skill requirements, and operators are concerned that vehicle downtime will increase unless the issue is addressed.
Theo de Pencier, FTA chief executive, says: “Vehicle downtime is bad news for the supply chain, especially when the vehicles affected may be the newest and cleanest in the fleet.”
The three organisations will organise industry consultation reviews during 2012; the longer term aim is to produce an industry-agreed technical syllabus that is “relevant to current industry needs, but which also prepares technicians and technical managers for the future as new-technology vehicles are incorporated into modern fleets”.