Page 30 - CV Driver April 2018 Issue 74

Tyre training
TYRED AND TESTED
JOIN STEVE BANNER ON ON A A A A A TOUR AROUND BRIDGESTONE’S NEW TRAINING CENTRE
weeks ” says Turner’s fellow development trainer Phil Thirsk Assessment takes a a a a day and and costs £260 plus VAT Both Turner and and Thirsk are quali ed irtec tyre assessors and Bridgestone has played a a a pioneering role in in the programme Bridgestone also supports the NTDA’s Tyre Technician Professional Development Scheme and has been involved in in the development of an apprenticeship programme Dominating the the interior of the the training
centre is a a a a cut-down tandem-axle trailer chassis which was rescued from a a a a scrap yard and fully refurbished Taking up less space than a a a a truck would but just as useful it plays a a a a key part in the centre’s training
activities That is especially when it comes to showing technicians how how to re t t t t t wheels in such a a a way that they will not come off when the truck or trailer is travelling along the highway Several hundred wheels become detached in in in the UK every year according to industry estimates says Bridgestone mainly from large commercial vehicles It quotes statistics compiled by road safety charity Brake that suggest that one in six wheel losses cause injury and one in in in 24 ends in in in a a a a fatality ●
Working on truck and and trailer wheels and tyres at the side of a a a busy highway can be frighteningly dangerous Far too many tyre tters have been killed or seriously injured over
the the years because they have been struck by a a a a a passing vehicle while attending a a a a a roadside breakdown Showing tters how how to work safely at the the the edge of of the the the road will be one of of the the the key roles of a a new purpose-built training
centre established by Bridgestone at Horiba MIRA (Motor Industry Research Association) in Warwickshire Bridgestone supports the National Tyre Distributors Association’s REACT (Roadside Emergency Action Concerning Technicians) programme which licences tters to work beside the carriageway Around 4 500 people hold NTDA REACT REACT licences and REACT REACT is supported by the Highways Agency The centre will be running a a variety of different courses for for tyre dealers and for for hauliers with their own workshops Topics it it will will be covering will will include tyre inspection and and regrooving wheel security and and the manual handling of heavy truck wheels and and tyres “There are a a lot of guys working in in the tyre industry who have never had any formal training
and once you you get to a a a a a certain age you you tend not to to want to to go on a a a course because you you think you you know it all ” says Bridgestone development trainer Paul Turner The centre will also be assessing the competence of individual tyre technicians in in in line with the irtec tyre licensing scheme Introduced by the Institute of Road Transport Engineers accreditation to irtec tyre is proof that licence holders
know what they are doing in in the the workshop It shows that they will not pose a a danger to themselves
or to anybody else if they carry
out work at your premises It involves a a a formal assessment
by a a a trained irtec assessor which evaluates the ability of a a a a technician to execute a a number
of different tasks It includes a a timed online test Those under assessment
have to demonstrate that they can remove and re re t t truck wheels and tubeless tyres correctly They also have to show they can repair a a a truck tyre to British Standards and and regroove one in in line with the manufacturer’s recommendations If successful then candidates are licensed for ve years and issued with a a a photo ID card “We’ve assessed 28 technicians to the standard so far and and we’ve got another dozen booked for assessment
during the next few