Northern Powergrid’s drivers make a ‘charge’ for Advanced Driver Training

More than 190 fleet and grey fleet drivers from Northern Powergrid have taken up their employer’s offer of an Advanced Driver course in 2020, provided by the UK’s largest independent road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart.

As it stands, Northern Powergrid’s drivers are subjected to rigorous assessment of their driving skills before they are approved to drive company vehicles for work. This latest initiative provides drivers with the opportunity to undertake further development of their driving skills in their own time, and to achieve IAM RoadSmart’s Advanced Driver qualification as a result.

Northern Powergrid’s fleet of 2,200 vehicles comprises of an operational fleet of 800 vehicles and 1,400 company cars. The fleet covers around 19.5 million business miles each year and ranges from light vans to specialist 4x4 trucks to ensure electricity supply across Yorkshire, the North East of England and Lincolnshire.

John Wilkinson, Driver Safety and Performance Manager at Northern Powergrid, said: “With some of our employees covering more than 30,000 miles each year in the course of work, we’re really pleased with the uptake of our offer to support our employees in becoming safer drivers.

“With our vehicles travelling in all weather conditions, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, covering an area of nearly 10,000 square miles across a mix of major, urban and rural roads, we will be considering further opportunities in the future to ensure our workers have the skills they need while on the roads.”

Indeed, energy supply is a highly specialised field and one in which workers face a range of hazards. As such, Northern Powergrid is committed to providing the very best possible training and continuous professional development to its employees, to enable them to operate with the very highest level of safety.

James Hall, Sales and Marketing Director at IAM RoadSmart, said: “Northern Powergrid and its drivers clearly recognise the benefit that Advanced Driver training provides in increasing confidence and driving skills behind-the-wheel.

“This has been a great example of lots of moving parts collaborating together and IAM RoadSmart is delighted that the programme has been received so enthusiastically by Northern Powergrid and its employees. I look forward to welcoming many more drivers onto the course and collaborating with Northern Powergrid in the future.”